How to get the career you really want

​ If you're looking for more than just a “job,” you're going to have to stand out from the crowd.
With over 27 years experience helping professionals to progress in their careers, I am comfortable in saying that career-driven individuals don’t just want a paycheque — they want to be challenged with meaningful work, opportunities for personal and professional growth, fair compensation, upward mobility, and balance between their work and personal lives. Since we spend a significant portion of our lives at work, it's natural to want to enjoy what we do and who we do it with. And perhaps most importantly, our relationship with our direct manager often plays a crucial role in whether we get what we want from our career.

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Yet, despite all of this, many people don’t have the career they want. Whether they’re unemployed, underemployed, or in roles that don’t align with their goals, many are stuck — stressed, overworked, undervalued, or simply bored. And unfortunately, few take real control of their careers. Most aren’t even sure where to start.

If you want to build a great career, you need to take the lead. No one else will do it for you.
Even when economies fluctuate, new job opportunities are still available — but when growth is modest, and often skewed toward part-time roles, it can be challenging to build desirable full-time careers. In Canada, for example, sectors like healthcare, transportation, construction, and business services have seen slight improvements. But true career opportunities remain limited, so competition is fierce.

Talented people want a fulfilling career, not just a job. Candidates from every level — new graduates, underemployed professionals, highly educated immigrants, laid-off executives, and even currently employed but dissatisfied workers — are all vying for the same limited, desirable positions. Are you ready to compete with them?

Seven Steps to Help You Get the Career You Want

1. Stop Doing What Everyone Else Is Doing.
Everyone throws around numerous resumes, applying to highly visible (competitive) job ads, hoping that “something will stick” and then complaining about the lack of results. Learn from that. Be smarter, more strategic and different. Quality trumps quantity.

2. Start with Your Life, Not Just Your Job
Whenever I work with career development clients the FIRST thing that we do is to define what they want in life before mapping out their career direction. Your work should support the life you envision, not derail it. If your job is making you unhappy, it’s unlikely the rest of your life is flourishing. Figure out what brings you happiness and purpose — then determine how your career can align with that.

3. Get Clear on What You Want from Your Career
Define your ideal career path with intention. Write it down:

• What do you want your career to look like in 1, 3, 5, 10 years — and up to retirement?
• What are your “must haves”?
• What are your non-negotiables?
• What potential life changes might require career adjustments?
• What kind of culture, environment and team would help you thrive?
• Most importantly, what style of direct manager will best fit with you?

Consider:

• Preferred locations, industries, and organizations
• Ideal work culture and organizational leadership style
• The types of challenges that excite you
• Skills you want to build — and how you’ll build them
  

It is essential to define what you want, and the TARGET who might provide it. If you don’t define what you want, you’re likely to end up with something you don’t.

4. Understand Who You Are — Professionally
Your resume only opens the door to an important conversation. It does not get you the position.  Knowing your resume is not the same as knowing your professional self. Beyond technical skills and education, you need to understand your personality traits (non-technical soft skills) and how they impact your work style, team membership, productivity, communication, motivation, and interpersonal relationships (+). Your ability to differentiate yourself based on personality fit will help you to distance your application from the numerous competitors who have similar education, technical skills and experience.

Self-awareness is key. Most people overestimate how well they know themselves. It's easy to misjudge our capabilities — or worse, sell ourselves short or overreach beyond our actual abilities. That’s why mistakes happen, and careers stall. When you understand your strengths, and how they translate into value, you can better communicate fit to employers. When you understand your weaknesses (everyone has them) you can build a solid foundation for future growth.
Getting objective input — from a career coach, mentor, and/or via effective assessment tools — can help provide you with clarity.

5. Use Self-Awareness to Your Advantage
In your job search, true self-awareness gives you a powerful edge. Your resume may open the door, but your understanding of who you are will help you walk through it with confidence. An aligned resume to the position, and a memorable interview both require authenticity and clarity to be effective. You need to go beyond simply providing just a list of achievements.

In interviews, you won’t have control over the questions asked. But you can control how you respond. If you know your strengths, motivations, and values, you can adapt your answers in a way that’s honest, relevant, and compelling – and you will be more able to connect who you are with what they need.

The best interviews are two-way conversations — the employer is looking for the right fit just as much as you should be. When you know who you are, you’re more likely to recognize a role that’s right for you — and to walk away from the ones that aren’t.

Desperate people may get a job, determined people get a career.

6. Make a Plan to Get from Point A to Point B and Monitor Your Progress
Hope isn’t a strategy. Great careers don’t just happen — they’re built through deliberate planning and persistence.

Once you understand who you are and where you want to go, outline the realistic steps to get there. Set clear short-term goals and long-term milestones. Keep records of everything. Measure the results of your activities – identify, and build upon, what is working and make changes to what isn’t. Determine what experiences, skills, or connections you need to develop next. Revisit and revise your plan regularly and be ready to pivot for when the unexpected happens (and it will).
A career plan isn’t just a roadmap — it’s a compass for agile decision-making and growth.

7. Stay Accountable
Writing down your goals creates accountability. It’s easier to track progress, make adjustments, and stay focused when you have an initial reference point.

And find someone to hold you accountable — ideally not a friend or family member, but someone who is objective and knowledgeable. A mentor, coach, or advisor who understands your career goals can help you stay on track, offer guidance during setbacks, and push you when your motivation dips.
Accountability transforms good intentions into real progress.

Final Thoughts
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Career opportunities may be limited, but the competition for them is not. To land the career you want, you need to know who you are, what you want, and how to get there. Self-awareness is your greatest asset — it helps you stand out in the short term and to make the right long-term decisions.
Plan smart. Stay focused. Invest in yourself. Get support. The career you want is out there — but it’s up to you to go after it.