Don’t Know What Job You Want? Use This 3-Step Process to Find Out

Have you ever caught yourself doom-scrolling job boards at 11:42 p.m., eyes glazed, saving roles that sound… tolerable?

Thinking to yourself, “Sigh… I guess I could do this.”

Yeah. Same. Been there.

That right there? That’s what I call the career clarity gap, and it’s where so many talented, driven women get stuck. And if that’s you, let me just say:

Not knowing what you want isn’t weird. It’s normal. The real myth is that everyone else has it figured out. They don’t. Most people just pick something and hope it doesn’t suck.

Here’s the good news: clarity isn’t magic, and it isn’t luck. It’s a skill, and you can learn it. Which means figuring out what you actually want? That’s not a dream. It’s a process.

And today, I’m going to show you that process, so you can finally answer the question that’s been haunting your job search:

What do I actually want to do with my career?

🎧 Prefer to listen? Overthinking Your Job Search? Use This 3-Step Plan to Find Your Dream Job

What Is Career Clarity (And Why It’s Not What You Think)

Let’s clear something up right off the bat: career clarity is not just knowing your Myers-Briggs type, your “strengths,” or your top five values from that workshop your company made you take. 

Cute? Sure. Helpful? Kind of. But they’re not enough.

Real career clarity is when you know the exact roles, industries, and work environments that feel right to you. Not just “I could do this,” but “This makes me come alive.”

It’s the difference between “I’m good at spreadsheets” and “I want to be a customer insights strategist at a mission-driven startup where I get to turn data into stories that drive real-world change.”

Boom. That’s career clarity.

It’s not fluffy. It’s not vague. It’s specific, exciting, and most importantly, it’s actionable.

Why Does Career Clarity Even Matter?

Because without clarity, your job search becomes what I call “spray and pray.” You launch 127 applications into the abyss and whisper to the LinkedIn gods: “Please bless me with something… anything… that won’t make me question my life choices by Thursday.”

And maybe the gods answer. You land a job. Hooray! But fast forward 6 months, you’re sitting in yet another Zoom meeting, wondering how you ended up in a role you never actually wanted. 

The cycle begins again. Rinse. Repeat. Burnout. 

That’s what happens when you pick jobs out of desperation instead of direction. You say yes to something instead of the right thing.

Career clarity changes that. It takes your search from chaotic to strategic:

• You stop guessing and start targeting. No more applying to everything with a pulse.
• Your personal brand gets sharper. Hiring managers love candidates who know what they want.
• Everything moves faster. Applications, interviews, offers, they all click when you have focus.

Clarity isn’t a buzzword. It’s your shortcut to a job search that actually works.

What Happens When You Don’t Know What Job You Want

Not knowing what you want isn’t harmless. It costs you time. Months, sometimes years, vanish into a blur of job boards, résumé tweaks, and late-night Google searches.

I had a client like this recently. She had been applying for more than a year, sending out hundreds of applications and pouring in tons of energy, but getting nowhere. She was qualified, smart, driven, but every role felt flat.

The problem wasn’t her. It wasn’t her résumé either. It was the fact that she was applying for jobs she could do, not jobs she actually wanted. And that showed everywhere. Interviewers could tell.

In one Career Clarity session together, we got crystal clear on what truly lit her up. For her, that was customer success, the kind of work that actually made her feel excited to show up. And once she had that clarity, everything changed.

The crazy part? The very first role she applied to in that field turned into an incredible offer. But honestly, that’s not rare. When you know what you want, other people can feel it. Your confidence changes. Your energy changes. And so do your results.

That’s the power of clarity.

Ready to discover your dream career? Register for FREE

What Gets in the Way of Career Clarity 

When I say I get it, I mean I really get it. Eight years ago, I was just as lost as you might feel right now.

I had a degree in philosophy. Another in global leadership and sustainable development. I’d worked in HR, recruiting… even at a car rental company.

Every role was “fine,” but none of it lit me up. I remember thinking, How the hell am I supposed to figure this out?

If you’ve been stuck for months or years trying to answer that same question, you’re not broken. There are real reasons this is hard. I see the same three blockers over and over:

1. Overthinking everything.
   You spend months journaling, filling out values worksheets, taking every career quiz on the internet, and still end up exactly where you started.
2. The sunk cost fallacy.
   You’ve invested years into your career, school, certifications, hard-won experience, so changing directions feels like tossing all that work in the trash. But those skills aren’t wasted. They can absolutely transfer. It’s just hard to see that when you’ve been in one lane for so long.
3. Not knowing how.
   No one teaches us this stuff. The internet is full of vague advice like “find your passion” and “follow your purpose,” but no one shows you how to translate that into a real job you can actually apply for.

I had no clue either, and I got so obsessed with answering this question that I spent years studying career development and eventually built a process for it. That process became The Career Clarity Formula, which helps you uncover what energizes you and turn it into a concrete career direction you feel excited about.

And you can do it in 30 days or less.

Next, I’d love to walk you through the same 3-step strategy I teach inside my program:
➡ Assess ➡ Align ➡ Apply

Step 1: Assess

Before you can figure out what you want to do, you need to know what you can do. That means taking inventory of your skills: the obvious ones, the hidden ones, and the ones you didn’t even realize count.

Here’s the breakdown:

Hard Skills (your technical superpowers)

These are the concrete, measurable abilities you’ve learned through training or experience. Think software, tools, certifications, and anything you can prove.

Examples:

• Google Analytics
  
• Salesforce CRM
  
• SEO optimization
  
• Marketing automation platforms
  
  

Soft Skills ( how you do the work)

This is about your natural tendencies. How you lead, communicate, solve problems, and interact with people.

Examples:

• Strategic thinking
  
• Leading cross-functional teams
  
• Building strong stakeholder relationships
  
  

Hybrid or Strategic Skills (aka where the magic happens)

These combine technical know-how with big-picture thinking. They show how you turn data into insight or how you bridge creativity with strategy.

Examples:

• Customer data analysis and segmentation
  
• Content strategy informed by performance metrics
  
• Digital customer journey mapping
  
  

Quick recap:

• Hard skills: What specific tools or technical methods can you use?
  
• Soft skills: How do you approach challenges and work with others?
  
• Hybrid skills: Where do you add unique value by combining tech + strategy?

Want help with this? Grab our free transferable skills list.

Step 2: Align 

Now that you have your list of skills, it’s time to figure out which ones actually light you up. Because here’s the truth: being good at something doesn’t mean you should keep doing it. And yet, so many of us get stuck in the land of “shoulds.”

I should keep this skill on my list because I’m great at it.

I should want to use this because everyone says it’s valuable.

Forget the shoulds for a second and tune into how you feel.

Here’s the test: Think like a battery.

If you spent four hours using this skill, how would you feel?

 😩 Completely drained and counting the minutes until you can shut your laptop? Cross it out.
😃 Energized, motivated, maybe even in flow? Circle it. That’s gold.

Go through your list and do two things:

• Cross out the skills that empty your battery.
  
• Circle the ones that make you feel alive.

When in doubt, a free tool I love is the Sparketype Assessment. It’s a 10-minute quiz that helps you identify the kind of work that makes you come alive, based on research by Jonathan Fields. It’s quick, insightful, and pairs perfectly with this exercise.

Step 3: Apply

You’ve assessed your skills. You’ve circled the ones that actually make you feel alive. Now it’s time to put that clarity to work.

Here’s the goal: stop applying to everything with a pulse and start finding roles that are built around the skills that energize you.

Method 1: Search Smarter

Head to your favorite job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, or Mac’s List and forget about job titles for a second. Instead, search by keywords pulled straight from your “energizing skills” list.

Example: speechwriting, Adobe Creative Suite, leadership, emotional intelligence, project management.

Mix and match a few skills at a time and see what pops up. You’ll start noticing patterns in roles and industries that value what lights you up.

Method 2: Use AI as Your Career Assistant

Open ChatGPT (or any AI tool) and try this prompt:

Act as an expert career coach and write my ideal job description. My ideal job revolves around using all of the following skills: [insert your list here].

Then, edit it until it feels like a job you’d actually be excited to wake up for. Next, use this follow-up prompt:

Provide the 8 most likely job titles for the following job description: [copy and paste the ideal job description you just created].

Voilà. You’ve got a shortlist of roles to target instead of guessing.

👉 Want to know the quickest way to land your dream job? Get career clarity

So… What Now?

Here’s the big takeaway from today: Career clarity isn’t just about what you can do. It’s about what lights you up.

It’s knowing the exact roles, industries, and work environments that make you feel alive, excited, and confident. It’s trading in the draining cycle of “I guess this fits” for a crystal-clear vision of “This is what I want and I know how to go after it.”

Without that clarity?

• You end up spinning.
  
• Spraying out dozens (or hundreds) of applications, hoping something sticks.
  
• Landing roles that look good on paper but feel empty after six months.
  
• Wasting precious time and energy on opportunities that never truly fit.

But with clarity?

• Your job search gets faster. Easier. Less stressful.
  
• You build a personal brand that makes you stand out.
  
• You know what to say in interviews because you’re not guessing. You’re aligned.

And best of all, you finally feel like your work reflects who you really are.

If you’re sitting there thinking, “Okay Theresa, I want that. But I still have no idea where to start,” I’ve got you.

This is exactly why I created the Career Clarity Formula.

If you’re tired of feeling stuck in the same old pattern and you’re ready for real career clarity, the kind that leads to aligned, fulfilling, well-paying work, book a free consultation call with me.

Seriously, we’ll talk it through, get a feel for where you’re stuck, and help you figure out your best next step.

You can book that right now at 👉 careerbloomcoaching.com

FAQ: What If I Don’t Know What Job I Want?

How long does it take to figure out what career fits me?

With the right process, about 30 days. That’s exactly what we do inside the Career Clarity Formula. I’m the only career coach who guarantees clarity in 30 days or your money back, because this works. Imagine going from “I have no idea what I want” to “I know the exact roles, industries, and environments that light me up” in a single month.

Ready to make that happen? Book your free clarity call here.

Do I need to take a big risk to change careers?

Not at all. Most of the time, you’re not starting over—you’re redirecting. Those skills and experiences you’ve worked so hard to build? They’re transferable. The key is knowing which ones energize you and how to position them for the roles you actually want. Clarity first, then strategy.

About Career Coach and Founder

Theresa White, Career Clarity Expert, 5x Certified Career Coach, and the Founder of Career Bloom, is known for her expertise in guiding people to get unstuck and find the direction they need to move forward in their careers—fast. In a time when so many people are re-evaluating their work, Theresa offers actionable insights that empower clients to identify their true strengths and pursue work that genuinely aligns with their goals. 

Theresa’s clients often call her sessions “epiphanies” and “transformational.” She brings immediate clarity to career goals, helping people unlock a deep understanding of what makes work fulfilling for them. Past participants consistently describe her approach as “spot on” and an “answer to questions they’d been asking for weeks.”

Theresa’s approach is empathetic yet practical, and she’s known for empowering clients with a clear direction in as little as 30 days, guaranteeing results. 

Connect with Theresa on LinkedIn, listen to the Career Clarity Unlocked Podcast, or schedule your free 30-minute career clarity consultation.

Related Reads + Freebies

• Get Clear On Your Career: How Career Clarity Can Help You Discover Your Dream Job
• Why Successful Women Focus on Career Clarity Before Career Transition
• Download our Free Guide: Top Transferable Skills to Use in a New Career
• https://www.careerbloomcoaching.com/blog/the-quickest-way-to-land-your-dream-job-get-career-clarity 
• https://www.careerbloomcoaching.com/blog/why-successful-women-focus-on-career-clarity-before-career-transition
• https://www.careerbloomcoaching.com/blog/how-to-gain-career-clarity-and-find-your-purpose
• https://www.careerbloomcoaching.com/blog/get-clear-on-your-career-how-career-clarity-can-help-you-discover-your-dream-job