Career Discovery Chapter 2: From Self-Knowledge to Job Titles
Written By: Nicole
Welcome back to your Career Discovery exercise, boo 💫
If you’ve already worked through Chapter 1—Where to Begin—you’ve done the heavy lifting. You’ve reflected on what you like, what you loathe, and what makes you feel like you’re blessed and highly favored. That foundation alone might already give you clarity on the types of jobs you want to go after.
But Chapter 2?
This is for anyone wondering what’s next—whether you’re pivoting industries entirely or just asking yourself, “What does the next step in my career look like?”
Gird your loins.
Where’s that piece of paper I had in my hand yesterday morning?
Now’s the time to dust off your WISH and WANT lists from Chapter 1. Start looking for clues: specific skills, experiences, and interests that pop up.
Look for things like:
A task you loved doing
A project that gave you life
A type of team or workflow that just made sense
An initiative you led
Got a few? Swell. Aim for at least three skills or interests are compelling enough for you to explore further.
Can you please spell ‘Gabbana’?
Now - brains-up, heads down. Pull up LinkedIn Jobs and start searching just those skills—not job titles yet.
For example:
Let’s meet Andrea Sachs. (Or just “Andy,” if you know, you know.)
Andy has discovered she enjoys managing calendars, organizing information, and keeping people on track. She types “calendar management”, “project coordination”, and “writing” into LinkedIn’s job search.
What comes up?
A lot of Executive Assistant roles. Maybe Operations Coordinator or Project Administrator. Huh. Interesting.
Now Andy asks herself: Could I see myself doing any of these things?
If the answer is yes—or even a soft “maybe”—she clicks in, reads the job descriptions, and writes down:
The job title
A skills or requirements that are repeated across multiple job descriptions (like expense tracking, multitasking, or client communication)
Now it’s your turn.
You’re Curating Your Own Cerulean Collection
Let’s be clear: you’re not just mindlessly collecting job titles. You’re curating. You're being intentional.
Because that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis, it’s actually cerulean.
Or, in this case - that list is not just a list. It’s a carefully constructed ecosystem of opportunities for you.
By the end of this step, you should have:
3–5 job titles that match your skills and spark curiosity
A short list of the most common or important responsibilities across those jobs
A few skills you may want to or need to develop to get there
To Sum It Up Like a True Assistant to Miranda Priestly:
You’ve reviewed your WISH, WANT, WALK lists
You’ve searched for aligned skills, not just titles
You’ve identified job titles that match your vibe and capability
You’ve started building a skills list for roles that encourage a nod of enthusiastic approval (and offer benefits)
That’s a solid day’s work, boo. Give yourself a snack. Or a nap. Or a fancy beverage. (Or all three.)
On The Next Episode of “Career Discovery”
In Chapter 3, we’re going to explore how to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
Until then, remember: you are in process. Your future self is very happy that you’re here and that you’re doing this.
Everyone wants this. Everyone wants to be us.
I’m so sorry - I swear that was last one.
That’s all.
Okay, now that was the last one.
👋
