🧭 UX Career Navigation Guide (3 Paths, 1 Goal)
How to search smarter, lead better, and position yourself for the role you actually want.
👋 Happy Saturday, my dear UX friends, Marina here!
Earlier this week, I published a 3-part series on LinkedIn (and in Substack Notes) that hit a nerve.
It started as a list I made for one of my mentees…
And turned into a mini UX “career compass” series, especially for those of you feeling stuck between growth and confusion.
If you missed any of them, here’s the full walkthrough, plus a chance to tell me where you are in your journey so I can tailor what’s next.
Part 1:
If I Had to Start My UX Job Search from Scratch (Experienced IC Edition)
Who this is for:
Senior UXers in job search mode, unsure how to market themselves for the role they actually want next.
📌 In this post, I covered:
How to identify your “career direction anchor”
The kind of 1-pager that gets you interviews (without fluff)
Why I’d never write a generalist resume
The "value vault" I'd build to bring into interviews
🔗 Read the full Linkedin post →
Part 2:
If I Were Looking for My First UX Leadership Role
Who this is for:
Strong ICs ready to step into strategic ownership, but unsure how to prove they’re ready.
📌 In this post, I broke down:
The concept of your “leadership signature”
How to reframe your portfolio into a leadership-proof file
What it means to act like a strategic peer (not just a contributor)
Why leadership is more than deliverables, it’s decisions
🔗 Read the full Linkedin post →
Part 3:
If I Were Looking for My Next UX Leadership Role
Who this is for:
Established UX leaders thinking about their next big step, be it Head of Design, Director, etc., and wanting to stand out.
📌 In this post, I unpacked:
How I’d rewrite my LinkedIn and resume to sound like a hiring manager’s wishlist
What kind of story actually proves you’re exec-ready
How to describe your leadership pattern in a way that answers, “Why you?”
🔗 Read the full Linkedin post→
Now I want to hear from you...
(Click one that fits best, this will help shape my next posts & resources.)
Want me to create a version of this series for another UX career path?
I’m thinking of doing one for:
Researchers looking to lead
Designers aiming for IC Principal roles
Generalists trying to specialize
Leave a comment and tell me what would help you most.
Or just comment “YES” and I’ll know to add you to the early preview list.
See you next week!
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Designers aiming for IC Principle Roles
Generalists trying to specialize, please