In this special coach takeover episode Erin, one of the coaches inside Career Strategy Lab's UX job search accelerator, breaks down the three most important things UX and product professionals should focus on in Q4 to set themselves up to get hired in Q1 of 2026. Whether you're feeling stuck, doubting your materials, overwhelmed by your portfolio, or unsure what support you actually need, this episode gives you a strategic and human approach to moving your job search forward. Erin shares what she and the CSL team are seeing every week while reviewing resumes, portfolios, and LinkedIn profiles—and the biggest patterns that determine whether someone gains traction or stays stuck in place. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:✔️ Why you must rethink who you’re getting job search feedback from✔️ How inaccurate feedback erodes confidence—and what to do instead✔️ The “back to basics” portfolio reset that outperforms flashy trends✔️ Why hiring managers want clarity over cleverness (and no, you don’t need animations)✔️ How to build trust through your case study storytelling✔️ How to determine what level of support you actually need—structure, community, coaching, or therapy✔️ Why Q4 is the perfect time to prepare for Q1 hiring surges Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to Career Strategy Lab00:38 Three Key Strategies for Getting Hired in Q1 202601:11 Assessing Feedback on Your Career Materials05:50 Back to Basics: Improving Your Portfolio09:19 Getting the Support You Need16:04 Recap and Final Thoughts18:49 Conclusion and Additional Resources19:32 Special Message for Job Seekers🎬 Watch Sarah's free <a href="https://www.careerstrategylab.com/ux-job-search-funnel?utm_source=cslpodcast-footer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UX Job Search Workshop</a> and learn how to stand out in today's UX job market👉 <a href="https://www.careerstrategylab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: rgb(250, 251, 255);">Join Sarah Doody's Career Strategy Lab</a>, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdoody/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sarahdoody" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/sarahdoody" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;In this special coach takeover episode Erin, one of the coaches inside Career Strategy Lab's UX job search accelerator, breaks down the three most important things UX and product professionals should focus on in Q4 to set themselves up to get hired in Q1 of 2026.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;Whether you're feeling stuck, doubting your materials, overwhelmed by your portfolio, or unsure what support you actually need, this episode gives you a strategic and human approach to moving your job search forward.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;Erin shares what she and the CSL team are seeing every week while reviewing resumes, portfolios, and LinkedIn profiles—and the biggest patterns that determine whether someone gains traction or stays stuck in place.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;What You’ll Learn in This Episode:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;✔️ Why you must rethink &lt;/span&gt;&lt;em style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;who&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt; you’re getting job search feedback from&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;✔️ How inaccurate feedback erodes confidence—and what to do instead&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;✔️ The “back to basics” portfolio reset that outperforms flashy trends&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;✔️ Why hiring managers want clarity over cleverness (and no, you don’t need animations)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;✔️ How to build trust through your case study storytelling&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;✔️ How to determine what level of support &lt;/span&gt;&lt;em style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;you&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt; actually need—structure, community, coaching, or therapy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;✔️ Why Q4 is the perfect time to prepare for Q1 hiring surges&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;Timestamps:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;00:00 Introduction to Career Strategy Lab&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;00:38 Three Key Strategies for Getting Hired in Q1 2026&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;01:11 Assessing Feedback on Your Career Materials&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;05:50 Back to Basics: Improving Your Portfolio&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;09:19 Getting the Support You Need&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;16:04 Recap and Final Thoughts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;18:49 Conclusion and Additional Resources&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;19:32 Special Message for Job Seekers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;🎬 Watch Sarah's free &lt;a href="https://www.careerstrategylab.com/ux-job-search-funnel?utm_source=cslpodcast-footer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;UX Job Search Workshop&lt;/a&gt; and learn how to stand out in today's UX job market&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: rgb(250, 251, 255);"&gt;👉 &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.careerstrategylab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: rgb(250, 251, 255);"&gt;Join Sarah Doody's Career Strategy Lab&lt;/a&gt;, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on &lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdoody/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;LinkedIn&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/sarahdoody" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/sarahdoody" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody | UX, Product Design, UX Research

151: Want to get hired in UX in Q1 2026? Start with these Q4 UX career essentials

151: Want to get hired in UX in Q1 2026? Start with these Q4 UX career essentials

Description