Understanding Career Trajectory for Job Seekers

I’ve coached thousands of job seekers who felt lost and overwhelmed. Here are the 10 steps we start with to find the right path: 1. Your #1 Priority Clarity should be the first thing you invest in. It makes career success SO much easier (at every stage). When you have clarity, you can invest 100% of your energy into that goal. So before you start applying to jobs or grad school? Find your path. 2. The Myth Of “Passion” People think passion is a lightning bolt that suddenly hits you. One day you wake up knowing what you're supposed to do. That's BS. Passion stems from action. It's the result of trying new things. If you want to find your path? You need to act. 3. Map Out Your Ideal Lifestyle Career happiness doesn't come from a job title. It stems from the ability to meet your lifestyle needs: – Target salary – Ideal living situation – Surrounded by people you love – Work that fills your cup Start by defining all of these things. 4. Label Your Energy Next, grab a piece of paper. Make two columns: 1. Energy Creators 2. Energy Drainers Now list out every single activity, task, and project you've worked on. Label each as a creator or drainer. Your career path should be filled with energy creators. 5. Clarify Your Strengths Success is easier when your path plays to natural strengths. I recommend the High 5 Test. It's a 15 minute quiz that will define your top strengths. It'll tell you what each means and how to harness it. Talent: A natural way of thinking, feeling, behaving × Investment: Time spent practicing, developing your skills, or building a knowledge base = Strength: The ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance 6. Find People Doing "Cool" Stuff Now you've created clarity around your strengths, energy, and ideal lifestyle. Next, I want you to find people already living that life. Who has a job you admire? What jobs have seemed “cool” to you in the past? Make a list of 30+ contacts. 7. Reach Out & Learn Make a daily habit of reaching out to one person. Be honest about your situation and desire for clarity. Then make sure to build up their achievements and mention why you admire them. Here's the email template I used when I was on this journey: The Winning Template: Subject: Quick Question  Hi [Name], My name is [Your Name] and I came across your information on LinkedIn while I was looking for people who transitioned into [Industry/Field] from a non-traditional background. Your background is really impressive! I saw you do different fields and [Industry/Field] really piqued my interest. If you have a few minutes, I’d love to hear more about your journey and how you landed in your role today. I know that’s a big ask so no worries if it’s too much. I totally understand. Either way, hope you have a great rest of the week!  

We often hear about “career advancement,” but what about career alignment? While less talked about, it’s the real game-changer when it comes to not only landing your dream role but thriving in it long-term. Here’s the thing: most job seekers focus solely on getting hired—they submit applications, prep for interviews, and cross their fingers. But few stop to ask the most important question: Is this role truly the right fit for me? Career alignment is all about matching your skills, values, and goals with a role in a way that energizes, fulfills, and challenges you. When you’re aligned, work doesn’t feel like a constant uphill battle—it feels purposeful and rewarding. Why does this matter? When your career is in alignment, you don’t just succeed—you flourish. Burnout fades, imposter syndrome takes a back seat, and you stop feeling like you’re forcing yourself into a role that doesn’t resonate. So, how can you achieve alignment? 1️⃣ Start by understanding yourself—your strengths, passions, and what drives you. 2️⃣ Then, focus on opportunities that resonate with your vision, beyond just the paycheck. I’ve worked with countless professionals who felt stuck in misaligned roles for years. Once they discovered how to prioritize alignment, their careers transformed. If you’re feeling unsure or stuck, take a step back and ask yourself: Does my job reflect my values and long-term goals? Does it inspire me to grow? If the answer is no, it’s time to explore what alignment looks like for you. #CareerAlignment #ProfessionalGrowth #CareerDevelopment #JobSearchSuccess

Many professionals get derailed in their search by focusing their efforts exclusively on one step (locating job postings) or one tool (developing a resume). Job seekers often overlook the fact that a job search is a multifaceted journey of various activities and actions that must be strategically planned and executed to increase success. Focusing all efforts on one ‘basket’ will produce lackluster results. Instead, a diversified job search approach is required. Items to consider: 🔔 Pick a target before you execute. A shot fired in the dark is unlikely to hit a target. Identify a clear job target before you commence a search to avoid spinning your wheels in frustration. General job searches rarely work. 🔔 Know what sets you apart. You can’t sell something if you don’t know what makes it worthy of investment. Identify notable career achievements - and be prepared to articulate them - to support your value. 🔔 Research job requirements and understand employers’ buying motivators. This will help you keep content and communications targeted. Research people and companies on sites like LinkedIn. Understand their needs and work to position yourself as a solution. 🔔 Get career documents perfectly polished Create a resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, executive biography, references sheet, and thank you letter. Yes, potentially all of these. Identify the documents that will be valued in your process. 🔔 Beef up your online presence. Keep your online information on-brand and highly professional. If you aren’t very active on LinkedIn, start engaging regularly. Build connections. Share thought leadership. 🔔 Iron out ‘wrinkles’ or employment barriers. Missing skill sets? No related experience? Fired in the past? What challenges are you likely to face in the journey, and how are you prepared to deal with them? 🔔 Prepare for the interview. This involves practice and preparation. There is no other way around it. If you want to nail this critical step in the process - you must invest. 🔔 Network. Both online and off. One of the biggest ROI in a job search is networking and referrals. People don't hire resumes, they hire people -- so talk to more people! 🔔 Finally, seek assistance if you need it. You don’t need to tackle this journey alone. Be open to suggestions, align yourself with people who can help, and invest – fully! You can’t just dip your toe in the employment waters and expect a quick and well-suited bite. Nor can you invest in just one step or tool and expect results. Take action and explore all avenues!

Ever felt like your career journey isn’t quite adding up? Just yesterday, I spoke with someone who spent over a decade in a PSU, followed by a full-time MBA. Like many, he expected this major qualification shift to open new doors. But despite doing well, the roles he landed post-MBA didn’t align with what he truly wanted. I see this often—people put their hearts into building a better career, but the next step doesn’t match their ambitions. When people reach out to me for career advice, I notice a common theme. The issue isn’t in their qualifications or experience—it’s in how their story is told. The dots don’t connect, the narrative isn’t clear, and it’s hard to see how their past leads to where they want to go. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many professionals, especially during transitions, face this lack of clarity. Here are a few tips to realign your career narrative: 1️⃣ 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 Reflect on the bigger picture. What’s the narrative of your career? It’s not just a list of roles but a series of experiences that lead somewhere. How does each chapter contribute to who you are today and where you want to go next? 2️⃣ 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 Titles and responsibilities are important, but they don’t tell the whole story. Focus on the skills you’ve gained. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦? These transferable skills matter across industries—make them stand out. 3️⃣ 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 What are your core strengths? Competencies—like leadership, critical thinking, and innovation—are what drive performance. Be clear about these and make sure they shine in your CV and conversations. 4️⃣ 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐕 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 Your CV shouldn’t just be a record of the past. It’s a bridge between where you’ve been and where you’re headed. Tailor it to the role you’re seeking, and clearly show how your experience makes you the best fit. 5️⃣ 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥 Clarity starts with knowing where you want to go. Often, it’s not the CV that’s the problem—it’s not having a clear vision of your next step. The clearer your goal, the easier it is to craft your story. Remember, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲. The story you tell should not only reflect where you’ve been but also where you’re headed—and, more importantly, where you want to go, with 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 and 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞. What story is your career telling? #CareerShifts #CareerDevelopment #ContinuousLearning #GrowthMindset

🛑 "We'll have to pass - their resume shows too many job changes." 🛑 I've caught myself having this thought too. But over the years, I've learned that not all job changes carry the same weight... and you need to know the full story to understand their meaning. Consider these scenarios: 📈 Company restructuring/M&A 🤝 Following a trusted leader to build something new 🎯 Strategic moves for skill development 🌎 Family relocations 💡 Private equity exits Each transition comes with context that might actually demonstrate strong judgment, NOT instability. The real questions worth asking: ⭐ What drove each career decision? ⭐ How did they add value in each role? ⭐ What new capabilities did they gain? ⭐ Did they leave each organization better than they found it? I've placed candidates with 4 moves in 10 years who became transformational leaders, and I've seen stable superstars struggle to adapt to new environments. The key? It's important to understand the story behind each move. Sometimes the best career paths aren't the straightest ones - they're the ones forged by those who are brave enough to embrace change and have the wisdom to recognize a great opportunity. #ExecutiveSearch #CareerGrowth #Leadership #PrivateEquity

Thinking about a career pivot? Before taking the leap, consider these steps: 1. Track what energizes you and what drains you. Your patterns can help reveal your ideal direction. 2. Study your target market. Understand the problems key players need solved. Position yourself as the solution. 3. Document your impact. Keep a detailed log of your professional achievements, metrics, and lessons learned. 4. Build visibility with purpose. Share insights where your target audience gathers. Focus on demonstrating expertise, not just networking. 5. Craft your narrative. Weave your documented wins into stories that showcase your unique value. Make your trajectory clear and compelling. Preparation yields possibility, whether the change results from choice or circumstance.

Changing roles every few years isn’t instability. Staying misaligned for a decade is. Staying isn’t always loyalty. Leaving isn’t always recklessness. I’ve learned this across multiple seasons of my own career. Teacher. HR leader. Founder. C-suite executive. CEO. From the outside, it can look like change. From the inside, it was growth. The highest-performing professionals I coach today aren’t reckless job hoppers. And they aren’t restless. They’re intentional. They don’t move because they’re confused. They move because they’re clear. Too many organizations label ambition as instability. Too many professionals stay too long because they’re afraid of how it will look. The ones who truly accelerate their careers do something different. They stop chasing comfort and start chasing alignment. Most people navigating career transitions get stuck here. The strategic ones do these 9 things instead: 1. Define what alignment actually means Not just compensation, impact, growth, and values. 2. Audit your learning curve If you’re no longer stretching, you’re slowly stalling. 3. Separate ego from evolution Titles don’t define trajectory. Direction does. 4. Track patterns, not emotions One bad week isn’t misalignment. Repetition is. 5. Protect your reputation while you pivot Transitions should be strategic, not reactive. 6. Build bridges before they burn out Networking starts long before resignation. 7. Articulate transferable value Your skills compound across industries when positioned correctly. 8. Negotiate from vision, not desperation Clarity changes leverage. 9. Move toward potential, not just relief Leaving pain isn’t enough. You need a forward plan. Changing roles isn’t about instability. It’s about learning. Ambition. Potential. At the end of your career, no one will reward you for staying small to look stable. They will measure you by the impact you chose to pursue and the courage it took to evolve. Career transitions aren’t reckless. They’re responsible, when done with intention. And sometimes the bravest move is simply admitting you’ve outgrown where you are. If you’re at a crossroads right now, ask yourself: Are you staying because it’s aligned, or because it feels safe? ♻️ Repost to support someone navigating a career transition. 🔔 Follow Dr. Jessica E. Samuels, ACC. for executive career, board, and business growth strategies using LinkedIn.

Your resume has gaps. Your path has detours. Good. After hiring hundreds of people, I've learned something most candidates don't realize: Perfect resumes rarely produce the best employees. The candidates who outperform? They don't have perfect paths. They have miles. Career changers who learned fast because they had to. Self-taught operators who figured things out without a manual. Comeback stories who know what rebuilding actually takes. Yet I constantly watch brilliant people apologize for their paths. "I know my background is unconventional..." "I don't have the traditional experience, but..." "My career took a detour when..." Stop. You're not explaining a flaw. You're describing an advantage. Because unconventional paths build things traditional careers often don't. → Adaptability that can’t be taught in a classroom. → Problem-solving forged without a playbook. → Resilience that only comes from starting again. The hiring system wasn't designed to recognize this. It rewards linear paths. It reward predictability. It rewards polish. But the best work rarely comes from polish. It comes from people who've had to figure things out. People who failed and adjusted. People who pivoted and kept moving. People who survived what wasn't in the job description. If your career path doesn't fit neatly on a resume... Don't hide it. Lead with it. Your detours aren't disqualifying. They're differentiating. And the right hiring manager isn't looking for perfection. They're looking for proof you can handle reality. Your path already proved that. Follow Emily Parcell for real-world career strategy that doesn't follow a linear path. (Image credit: Hidde Douna)

Before you dismiss that resume for “too many moves,” ask yourself:  What if every move was the right one?   I talk with candidates every day whose resumes challenge the way most hiring managers view “job hoppers.” That’s my job, after all.   Recently, I came across three standout examples that show why it’s worth going beyond the surface: The Swiss Army Knife Professional: At first glance, her resume read like a game of hopscotch... new role every 18 months across a carrier, brokerage, reinsurer, and an industry association. But behind every move was a strategic recruitment and a new skill set. She built expertise across the full insurance value chain. Today, she’s one of the most well-rounded professionals I’ve ever represented. The Title Trap: Five roles in six years, all with the same title. Easy to assume it was more of the same, just with different logos. But each move brought more complexity: larger territories, higher premiums, and increased data accountability. The title didn’t change, but the scope absolutely did. The Traditional Climber: This one reads “correctly” to most. Underwriter to Senior Underwriter to Manager to Director. Same short tenure lengths as the others, but because the ladder is visible, no one questions it.   Here’s what I’ve learned: In today’s M&A-heavy, fast-evolving insurance landscape, career paths aren’t linear, and that’s not a bad thing. In fact, some of the most valuable candidates have the most unconventional trajectories.   Hiring managers, if everything else looks strong, don’t let tenure length close a door too early. Dig in. Ask questions. You might find someone exceptional hiding in plain sight.   Have you ever passed on a candidate because of short stints, only to regret it later?