Free UX portfolio masterclass from Sarah Doody

6 ways to improve your UX portfolio so you can stand out to UX recruiters and hiring managers

Hey there, this masterclass is currently offline while we update it with some new insights and tips about UX portfolios.

Good news … we have something even better to help you with your entire job search, not just your portfolio 😉

Career Strategy Lab

A 6-Month UX Career Accelerator

Are you a UX or Product Professional who wants to land your dream job without applying to hundreds of roles?

Career Strategy Lab™ combines expert training, a template toolkit, and personalized coaching to help you create an effective resume and portfolio and conduct a strategy job search so you can stand out and get more interviews.

Our clients have been hired around the world at:

Did you think you’d be in your new job in UX or Product Development by now?

In reality, the entire process of landing your next role has been a lot harder than you imagined right?

Does this sound familiar? Right now you’re …

But if you’re honest, you wish you could …

You’ve been piecing together UX job search articles, tips, and advice, but they only leads to confusion & wasted time.

Every article, video, and tweet only leads to vague tips and opinions.
Over and over you're told what to do but no one tells you HOW to do it.
So you cold email people to ask for career advice and they rarely respond.
You get stuck in "research mode" and you're overwhelmed with information.
You're frustrated because you never thought getting hired would take this long!

But this DIY approach for your UX job search hasn’t worked. You’ve hit a dead end on the journey to get your next role, here’s why …

Most products fail because they didn't have a clear product strategy, which is why you're stuck. You don't have a clear strategy for your career ... the most important product you'll ever work on.
Without a clear strategy for your career, you second guess everything – your portfolio, resume, interviews, etc – and waste a ton of precious time.
You're using old-school strategies such as endless networking, writing cold emails, and applying to countless roles through job sites.

So how do land your dream UX or Product job without applying to hundreds of roles?

You need to treat your career like a product, the most important product you'll ever work on.
You need a solid career strategy so you can focus your efforts on the right activities that will help you stand out to your users – recruiters and hiring managers.
You must apply product design and marketing principles to your career so you can position yourself clearly and clearly communicate why people should hire you over another candidate.

When you have a solid UX strategy for your career, 6 crucial things happen:

#1

When you see a role, you apply within hours instead of spending days getting your materials together.

#2

You understand how to navigate the job search, position yourself, and build authentic career relationships.

#3

You have clarity about your career path, what you want to do, and how you’re going to get there.

#4

You know how to confidently communicate the impact, value, and depth of your skills and experience.

#5

You stand out once you are hired because your communication skills are off the charts, making you a high-value team member.

#6

You’re more fulfilled, work at a company that aligns with your values and you’re on a team where you feel supported.

By implementing the strategies we teach, our clients have landed their dream UX jobs in an average of 12 weeks and see average salary increases of 56%.

Don’t just take it from me … here are some real-life results our clients have achieved after working with us.

Farrah

Secured a 100% salary jump

“I accepted a position as a Senior UX Designer for a Fortune 500 financial company in Texas.

My salary is a 100% increase. So basically I make double what I was making at my last job.”

Deirdre

Got hired in a pandemic

“I got hired during a pandemic! After not getting many interviews, I enrolled and got hired as a Digital experience Designer. “

Ibrahim

Pivoted to User Research

“I accepted a role but then got a better offer from Google so I accepted that one! Two years ago if you would’ve told me I’d be here today I wouldn’t have believed it!“

Melody

Got more interviews

“Previously I was getting no interviews! Your program helped me articulate my process during interviews. I was offered a Product Designer role at Lowe’s Home Improvement. “

Erik

Moved up into Leadership

“I was not writing my case studies the correct way. After following your strategies, I got hired to build a UX team at Lockheed Martin. “

INTRODUCING

Career Strategy Lab™

A 6-month UX career accelerator for UX and Product professionals who want to land their next job without wasting time applying to hundreds of roles.

What’s included in the 6-month Career Strategy Lab program

Access to the 6-month Career Strategy Lab Program & On Demand Curriculum

This program is designed to be a 6-month experience.

This will allow you to create effective career assets, conduct a strategic job search, prepare for interviews, and evaluate the incredible job offers you’ll have.

Weekly Critiques & Reviews Of Your Work

Critiques are your chance to submit your work and receive 1:1 feedback in a group setting. You’ll receive personalized and expert feedback on your portfolio, resume, cover letter, job search strategy, etc.

And, you’ll learn a ton from seeing the work of others and hearing their critiques – our clients consistently say this is the most valuable part of the program!

Weekly Group Coaching Calls

Every other week, we will have coaching calls together where you can get your questions answered in a group setting.

This is where we can discuss career strategy, overcome challenges, and go deep into individual questions related to your portfolio, resume, job search, or career strategy.

Weekly co-working sessions To Help You Stay Accountable

Join us every week for a 60-minute co-working session with others in CSL.

This is a great way to create some momentum and routine as you work your way through CSL. And, you’ll also get to know some of your peers and get to ask questions about what you’re working on in real-time!

Our Full Curriculum, Templates, And Job Search Script Library

Access all our worksheets, resources, checklists, and templates to help you reach your career goals faster.

This includes access to our fillable Google Docs for writing your portfolio and resume, along with job search scripts to help you with outreach, follow up, negotiation, and more.

Access to the private Career Strategy Lab Community (not on Facebook)

Surround yourself with committed, driven, and focused UX and Product professionals. Ask questions, get support, and see what’s working for other people on their journey to get their next role.

You’ll meet other ambitious professionals, form authentic relationships, and challenge each other to reach your goals and not settle.

Here’s what we’ll do together inside Career Strategy Lab

We designed every step of this program to help take the guess-work out of getting your next UX role.

When you follow our strategies and methods you’ll get the right stuff done faster … instead of constantly Googling what to do.

PART 1
Establish Your UX Career Roadmap

PART 2
Write & Design Your UX Portfolio

PART 3
Create a Resume That Stands Out

PART 4
Optimize Your LinkedIn Presence

PART 5
Conduct A Strategic UX Job Search

PART 6
Ace Your UX Job Interviews

Career Strategy Lab was designed for UX professionals who want to take their career to the next level.

Please note, this is not a UX bootcamp. We will not teach you how to do UX, so if you are trying to figure out the difference between UX and UI or what exactly UX is, this is not for you.

Career Launchers

You’ve invested in a UX education program.

Career Switchers

You’re switching to UX from another industry.

Career Climbers

You’re ready to move up in your existing UX career.

We are on a mission to put you in control of your UX career path and job search so you can reach your professional goals.

And you are invited to join us!

Before you apply, let’s see if you’re ready for Career Strategy Lab:

This is not a fit if you:

You're looking for free resources. This 6-month program is not free.
You are new to UX and are still very early in learning about it.
You are looking for a bootcamp. This is not a bootcamp.
You want ongoing 1:1 mentor sessions. This is a hybrid of group and individual coaching.

This is a fit if you:

You want to get to the next level in your career (and figure out what it is)
You want to stop re-doing your resume, portfolio, etc over and over.
You want to be paid what you're worth at a company you're excited about.
You want to be in a UX role that aligns with your values.

Career Strategy Lab Application Process

STEP 1

Fill out the application form below.

STEP 2

If accepted, watch the training video.

STEP 3

Decide to enroll in Career Strategy Lab.

STEP 4

Land your dream UX or Product role.

Hey there, I’m Sarah Doody.

I’m a self taught User Researcher & Experience Designer and I got started in UX in 2005 and in 2012 started my own UX consultancy.

In 2012 I created and taught General Assembly’s very first 12-week UX immersive in NYC.

I’ve given UX talks and workshops all over the world including London, Sydney, Paris, Berlin, Lisbon, NYC, and more.

Google’s tried to hire me twice, but I turned them down. Best decision ever.

My passion is to see UX and Product professionals have the confidence and clarity to pursue and reach their career dreams.

Learn more about Sarah Doody

What would it mean for your career if you could be in your dream role in 6 months or less, and with a salary higher than what you earn now?

Note → 50% is the average salary increase we’ve seen for our clients.

Let’s do the math … how much is it costing you every month you’re not in your new role?

Let’s say it takes you 9 months to get your next role.

You won’t start making a higher salary until month 9.

BUT, what happens if you get hired in 6 months?

You get 2 extra months at your higher salary!

Don’t miss out or waste any more time!

Let me show you how to apply UX and Product Development principles to your career so you can get hired in weeks (not months) and with less stress.

It’s time to get your dream role & do the work you’re passionate about!

These UX professionals from all career stages followed my step by step strategies and landed their UX dream jobs! If it worked for them, it can work for you!

Some of the companies people who’ve worked with us have been hired at:

YOUR SUCCESS DEPENDS ENTIRELY ON YOUR OWN EFFORT, MOTIVATION, COMMITMENT AND FOLLOW-THROUGH. WE CANNOT PREDICT AND WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL ATTAIN A PARTICULAR RESULT, AND YOU ACCEPT AND UNDERSTAND THAT RESULTS DIFFER FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL. EACH INDIVIDUAL’S RESULTS DEPEND ON HIS OR HER UNIQUE BACKGROUND, DEDICATION, DESIRE, MOTIVATION, ACTIONS, AND NUMEROUS OTHER FACTORS. YOU FULLY AGREE THAT THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES AS TO THE SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT FROM USING THE INFORMATION YOU RECEIVE ON OR THROUGH THIS WEBSITE OR PRODUCT. When you purchase our product, you understand that there is no guarantee that you will achieve any particular result or outcome using any of the ideas, tools, strategies or recommendations presented. We make no promises or warranties concerning your likelihood of success, performance, future earnings, business profits, marketing performance, customer growth or results of any kind. You understand that with any business endeavor there is an inherent risk, including a loss of capital and loss of customers and therefore you assume all responsibility for any such risk.

EARNINGS DISCLAIMER.
ANY EARNINGS OR INCOME STATEMENTS OR EXAMPLES SHOWN THROUGH OUR WEBSITE ARE ONLY ESTIMATES OF WHAT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE NOW OR IN THE FUTURE. THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE AS TO ANY PARTICULAR FINANCIAL OUTCOME BASED ON THE USE OF OUR WEBSITE. YOU AGREE THAT I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR EARNINGS, THE SUCCESS OR FAILURE OF YOUR PERSONAL OR BUSINESS DECISIONS, THE INCREASE OR DECREASE OF YOUR FINANCES OR INCOME LEVEL, OR ANY OTHER RESULT OF ANY KIND THAT YOU MAY HAVE AS A RESULT OF INFORMATION PRESENTED TO YOU THROUGH OUR WEBSITE. YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR RESULTS.

TESTIMONIALS.
I PRESENT TESTIMONIALS AND INSIGHTS ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE’S EXPERIENCES WITH MY WEBSITE FOR PURPOSES OF ILLUSTRATION ONLY. THE TESTIMONIALS, EXAMPLES, AND PHOTOS USED ARE OF ACTUAL CLIENTS. THEY ARE NOT INTENDED TO REPRESENT OR GUARANTEE THAT CURRENT OR FUTURE CLIENTS WILL ACHIEVE THE SAME OR SIMILAR RESULTS; RATHER, THESE TESTIMONIALS REPRESENT WHAT IS POSSIBLE FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY.