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Ruth Sternberg | Confident Career Search

Ruth Sternberg, Confident Career Search

Specializing in interview-attracting resumes and LinkedIn profiles. Talk to a career search professional at 614-746-4587!

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You Have Changed. Your Next Job Probably Should, Too.

Filed Under: Find Your Professional Direction, Job Requirements, Job Search

I recently updated my optical prescription. It had been quite a while. Too long. My eyes were aching when I sat at the computer, and I couldn’t see street signs clearly.

The process reminded me that every so often, recalibration is just a thing that’s necessary to keep things clear. I do it literally (as with my glasses or with the mechanics of my car), and I do it figuratively, taking stock of my goals.

But I realize that sometimes that process is something I get forced into.

That happened when we moved 400 miles to a new state in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I not only had to logistically switch gears, but I had to figure out how to integrate myself into a new community. That took a certain amount of recalibrating how much or what I wanted people to know about me.

It was exhilarating. It was slightly terrifying, too. And it underscored something that I wasn’t unaware of before the move, but that now has become painfully obvious: I wasn’t—I’m not—the same person I had been during all of my 25 years living in Ohio.

It’s also something that I realized happens with my clients when they are looking for new employment.

So much of our identity is attached to our job titles that when we adopt a new one and move into a new work community, we have to redefine ourselves to some extent.

This is compounded by the fact of time.

That place where we started in our careers at one point (maybe just freshly out of college) isn’t usually the same point where we are at a particular moment in the future—after we have worked at the job and after we have made significant life changes that shift our personal priorities (Marriage? Kids?).

When we go back to look our resumes and think about what we want, we run smack up against the reality that we aren’t the same person we see reflected back in those bullet points.

It’s a shock. It’s like looking in a mirror and seeing a younger version of yourself.

This is probably why job changes are so tough for so many people.

Sure, there is the raw fact that the economy changes; the world changes. Conditions tend to dictate hiring patterns. But then there is also the way we fit into those patterns that also dictates our success.

Because we’ve changed, then we probably need to recalibrate our intentions to reflect those personal shifts as well as the job requirements.

Most people tend to put the emphasis on the job. “What are they asking? Do I have the right key words on my resume?”

But this is skipping a step that I have seen over and over makes a huge difference.

First, do the following before you hit “apply.”

Take time to think seriously about what you want; I mean really want.

There are a number of exercises that can help you do this. Here is a suggestion:

1. Take out a pad of paper (and I suggest handwriting this, because you will process the information differently; form a closer connection with it) and describe the last time you were doing something that made you feel “alive” and in touch with who you are. What were you doing? What did you feel?

2. Next, describe those things about your work that have been the most satisfying. What were you doing?

3. Now, Make a list of what’s important to you. What are your values today? What is important to you as a human being and what is important to you in your work? Need ideas? Here’s a giant list of values.

4. Mind the gap. Rank the values into a Top 5 overall and Top 5 for your work. Then consider whether you are honoring each of them.

Do you see a disconnect between what you value and how you are living your life right now, both at your job and at home? Note what those gaps are. Then look at these and ask yourself: What can I do to achieve alignment?

As you answer, you will inch closer to knowing what change you might have to make professionally.

5. Write down your job title, and next to it, answer the question: How could my current job or line of work fill my gaps? Can I find this increased satisfaction in a different division of my company? A different role? Could I find it doing the same or similar work at a different company? Do I need a different job entirely?

Now it’s time to start exploring. And here’s the thing: Now you will be armed with knowledge about what you value and will consider that the next job should probably align with your list.

Taking time to circle back seems like a delay. It takes time to find a new job. Why not just plunge in right now?

But the time you take actually will save you time.

You will gain clarity about your direction.

You will feel more secure about what you need from your work and how it aligns with what you need from your life.

You won’t jump at any opportunity just because it pays a certain amount, or it aligns with your college degree. And you won’t, therefore, jump ship quickly later because it doesn’t feel right.

Because: You will be more inclined to look for work that aligns with who you are right now.

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A Cure for Job-Search Paralysis

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Client Praise

Ruth is a gifted master of words. I hired Ruth because I needed someone who could clean up and reorganize my resume and LinkedIn profile. Ruth took in my career… Read more “Maria Blauvelt”

Maria Blauvelt

I was really struggling during COVID after getting laid off. I just could not seem to break through and get noticed.  I had used Ruth’s services before and gotten a… Read more “Sam Lewis”

Sam Lewis

I am truly honored to have the privilege of working with Ruth. She took the time to reach me on my level, and assist me in honing my interviewing skills… Read more “Randall Johnson”

Randall Johnson

Ruth is passionate about her clients. She truly cares and loves to see us find our next “Big Step” on our career journey. She is engaging in conversation and she listens. She… Read more “Karen Diehl”

Karen Diehl

Ruth worked to help me understand my strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. She not only built a great resume and LinkedIn profile for me, but also coached me to believe… Read more “Matthew Knouff”

Matthew Knouff

Ruth is a tremendous resource for help in overhauling a resume and building a LinkedIn profile. She is very knowledgeable about what it takes to get noticed by recruiters. Ruth… Read more “Dan Carson”

Dan Carson

I highly recommend Ruth as a career coach. She provides clients with concrete tools and advice to create a plan of action. Ruth truly understands the job search process, from… Read more “Francesca Fuerman”

Francesca Fuerman

Ruth became passionate about my professional experience immediately. She knew I was struggling to effectively portray my depth of experience in writing for effective recruitment by employers. Once I had… Read more “Anthony Bahr”

Anthony Bahr

I felt so confident in myself after working with Ruth, after I was able to take a step back and look at my résumé and see just how accomplished a person I… Read more “Logan Weissler”

Logan Weissler

When you said to me, ‘Okay, we got this. We are going to figure this all out and get you into these companies,’ I felt my whole body relax and… Read more “Cathy C.”

Cathy C.

Ruth took the time to get to know me and understand my strengths and abilities. She overhauled my résumé, which was essentially a list of job tasks, and created an attractive, compelling… Read more “Jillian O.”

Jillian O.

Ruth is an amazing, thorough, and professional résumé writer with an eye for bringing out your hidden story and value. Over the course of a month we were able to transform my résumé from zero… Read more “Craig M. Chavis, Jr.”

Craig M. Chavis, Jr.

Ruth has a gift for listening to her client’s needs with real empathy, and for translating their background into words that accurately reflect relevant talents. Moreover, Ruth is the kind… Read more “Cory Joyrich”

Cory Joyrich

Working with Ruth was an excellent experience. Coming out of the military, I spent several years working with resumes that never seemed to achieve the goal of interviews. After realizing… Read more “Calvin Jones”

Calvin Jones

Ruth fit a wealth of resume advice and career guidance into a one-hour video-call! She led me through my resume and showed me exactly how to reformat its content for… Read more “Veronica Dye Johnson”

Veronica Dye Johnson

I worked with Ruth to gain a different perspective on my resume and LinkedIn profile. Her process is in-depth, starting with a questionnaire that pushes you to really consider the… Read more “Mike O’Brien”

Mike O'Brien

In preparing for my nursing career, Ruth was super effective in organizing the details of my education and work experience. So effective that she helped me secure a position in… Read more “Alexandra Reynolds”

Alexandra Reynolds

My experience with Ruth was amazing, I would highly recommend her to anyone for that personal and professional touch. Ruth is great at listening and helping you find out what… Read more “Marcia Johnson”

Marcia Johnson

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  • Identifying Transferable Skills
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