
169 - 3 ways to stop wasting time in your UX job search
From Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody | UX, Product Design, UX Research by Sarah Doody from Career Strategy Lab
April 6, 2026 · 18 min
About this episode
In this episode, Sarah Doody discusses three common time-wasting habits in the UX job search and offers strategies to improve the process.
Every month your job search goes on is a month of lost salary. And the thing is, most UX and product people who are stuck aren't lazy. They're working hard, spending hours a week on their search. But they're also spending a lot of that time just waiting: waiting for a response after they apply, waiting after an interview, waiting for the right job to show up. In this episode, Sarah Doody breaks down 3 common ways you waste time in your UX job search and what to do instead so you can start getting interviews, and hired, faster! Topics discussed in this episode: ✅ Why waiting around after applying or interviewing is costing you opportunities ✅ How to follow up without seeming desperate ✅ Why the "numbers game" approach to job applications backfires ✅ How tailoring your resume and UX portfolio helps you apply to fewer jobs but get more interviews ✅ Why cold messaging on LinkedIn almost never works ✅ How to build warm relationships before you need them so people actually reply Timestamps: 00:00 Every month your job search continues is a month of lost salary 01:08 Time waster #1: Not following up after you apply or interview 03:15 Why following up isn't desperate, it's proactive 04:30…
People in this episode
Host: Sarah Doody
Topics covered
- UX job search
- resume tailoring
- job application strategies
- networking
- interview follow-up
Keywords
- UX job search
- resume
- portfolio
- interview
- networking
- job applications
- follow-up
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