Find out what your performance review might REALLY be saying about your promotion 👀


Hey Reader,

Quick reminder in case you missed it: Research Crit is back!
And the first session of 2026 is happening on March 18.

Let me ask you something. Have you ever walked out of a performance review thinking:

“Wait… what does this feedback actually mean?”


“Am I doing the right things to get promoted?”


“Why does it feel like expectations keep shifting?”

If you’ve had those thoughts, you’re definitely not alone. A lot of researchers are doing great work, but performance reviews can still feel confusing. Expectations evolve. Signals are subtle. And doing great research doesn’t always automatically translate into career growth.That’s exactly what we’re unpacking in the next UX Outloud Research Crit session:

Decoding Performance Reviews -

A Roadmap to Your Next Promotion

This session is all about understanding how growth decisions are really made and how to interpret the signals hidden inside the feedback you receive.

During the session, we’ll talk about:

🧠 What managers are actually evaluating during review season


🧠 The difference between strong performance and promotion readiness


🧠 How to translate feedback into a clear growth strategy


🧠 Ways to advocate for your impact without burning yourself out

Think of this as a working session where we slow things down and make sense of the system together.

I’ll also be sharing insights from my 10+ year career as a UX Researcher who climbed the ranks, and now as a career coach helping researchers navigate these exact promotion conversations.

And if 1:1 coaching feels a little out of reach cost-wise right now, Research Crit is a more affordable way to get guidance and support.

By the end of this session, you should be able to answer:

🔹 What level am I truly operating at?

🔹 What does my manager care about most?

🔹 What gap actually matters for promotion?

🔹 What conversations do I need to initiate next?

Inside every Research Crit you can also:


✅ Share your work in progress and get actionable feedback
✅ Learn from others’ examples and questions
✅ Build confidence in your career story
✅ Expand your network with people who truly get it

📅 March 18 at 5 PM PST

Sessions are intentionally kept small so we have time to work through questions and real scenarios together.

If you want to walk into your next performance review with more clarity and confidence, this session is for you.

Will I see you there? I hope so!✨


All the best,

Eniola Abioye


UXR Career Coach and Founder, UX Outloud

PS: Share this friend who’s ready for that new UXR role or for that promotion! Sharing is caring.



Unsubscribe

Eniola Abioye, UXR Career Coach | UX Outloud

YOU'RE A PROFESSIONAL OR ACADEMIC RESEARCHER who has experience in people-focused work that you'd like to apply to a career in UX Research; however you don't know how to stand out and successfully pivot. You've come to the right place! My name is Eniola Abioye; I am a UXR Career Coach and I help customer-centered professionals position their current skills to transition into tech UXR roles. I founded UX Outloud to work directly with people who have experience doing user research but have never had the title on their resume. I guide researchers in building a strong narrative and employing an 8-step strategy in starting their UXR careers. My speciality is constructing tailored transition strategies taking into account the experience you have to leverage and the niche that are targeting for your next role. I take a hands-on approach to revamping your professional materials including: 📢 A resume that emphasizes your work and organizational impact 📢 A LinkedIn profile that demonstrates your value to UX hiring managers and recruiters 📢 A UXR portfolio that details your strategic research approach and case studies that showcase your experience I also work as a Lead UX Researcher and UXR Manager at Meta - and my background happens to be in biology and healthcare. Take it from me, someone who doesn't have the most "traditional" UXR background, you can apply people research skills from any and every industry and niche to UX. It all comes down to creating a strong narrative and making your skillset crystal clear. If you're ready to stop applying to UXR roles endlessly online and actually gain traction landing interviews and job offers, apply to work with me at bit.ly/uxrcareeraccelerator! Tell me about your background and what you're looking for in your next career move. I'm happy to answer any questions you have and figure out if we're a good fit on a free consultation call. 💚 Tap the "subscribe" button to hear tips and strategies for pivoting into UXR! On a personal tip, I was born, raised and educated in the Bay Area. I absolutely love traveling and adventures of any kind. Luckily UX Research has taken me all around the world and I'm documenting my journey as I go!

Read more from Eniola Abioye, UXR Career Coach | UX Outloud

Hey Reader, I want to share something I see all the time when I’m coaching UX researchers through interviews. It’s not that people are unprepared. It’s that they’re answering the surface of the question… not what’s actually being evaluated. For example: When an interviewer asks “Tell me about a recent research project” Most people walk through: - What they did - The methods they used - The steps they took And none of that is wrong. But what the interviewer is actually trying to understand is:...

Hey Reader, I’m going to be honest…A lot of user interviews feel productive while you’re in them. The conversation is flowing, you’re asking good questions, and you’re getting thoughtful answers. But then you sit down to synthesize…And things start to feel a little unclear. You have quotes. Notes. Opinions. But not always clear, decision-ready insights. If you’ve ever been there, same 👀 And it’s exactly why I’m excited to be partnering again with User Interviews for a live, FREE workshop: The...

eniola watering some plants and text that says monthly uxr roundup opportunities

Hey Reader, I hope you’re doing well. The equinox is here, and I always notice this shift around this time of year. People start reassessing their goals, teams begin opening new roles, and priorities feel a little clearer. So if you’ve been thinking about your next move or even quietly asking yourself “what’s next for me?” This is a good moment to pause and take a real look at what’s out there. I’m excited to bring you another UXR Job Roundup. It’s honestly one of my favorite things to put...