The Foundation of Any Job Search or Transition
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When working with clients today or working with candidates in my past life, there’s always been one thing successful people do that unsuccessful ones typically don’t do – be clear about what they want. On the surface it seems like a simple thing, but if you stop and think about it, answering the question, “What do you want?” isn’t always so simple.




Many of the people I’ve encountered have either chased the almighty dollar, settle for a job/career path early in life due to lack of opportunities or need for cash flow and never got out of it, or have tried many things because of a restless desire to find the right thing that they don’t even know what they want.



Oh sure, they can tell you what they do, what they’ve done, what they think they can do, what they don’t like, and even what others have told them to do, but how many people can honestly answer the question,



What do I want?



Looks like a very unintimidating question, right? That is, until you have to answer it.



When you’re considering a career transition, career growth opportunity, or even re-entering the job market, it’s important to be able to answer this question…..honestly. Whether your answer pertains to your next opportunity or how you want to spend the rest of your career, it requires a response. Here’s why.

  • If you don’t know what you want, how do you know if the opportunity you’re pursuing is right for you?


  • If you don’t know what you want, how do you know how to structure your resume or CV?


  • If you don’t know what you want, how do you know what to say when asked by someone, “What do you want?”


  • If you don’t know what you want, how do you know if you’re qualified or not?



  • If you don’t know what you want, how do you know which internal opportunities, organizations, or industries to target?



  • You see, it all begins with what you want; the foundation. Once you become clear about this, I think you’d be amazed at how much easier it will be to pursue your next move. As the old saying goes, “The world has a way of making room for people who know where they’re going.”



    Until next time…