Career Passion Development

Finding your career passion isn't like finding a magic answer key... It's more like exploring a map, figuring out what excites you, and understanding what you're good at. Here's how to get started: 1.⁠ ⁠What matters most? Think about your values. Do you care about making a difference, being creative, or earning a lot of money? Your values will lead you toward careers that fit what you believe in. 2.⁠ ⁠What gets you excited? What do you love doing in your free time? What are you curious about? Pay attention to things that make you excited and curious! 3.⁠ ⁠What are you good at? What are your natural skills? Think about your past experiences - what have you learned? Don’t be afraid to explore your skills, even if they seem unrelated to your current job. 4.⁠ ⁠Try new things! Volunteer, take a class, or shadow someone in a field that interests you. The more you explore, the better you'll understand what you love. 5.⁠ ⁠It's a journey, not a finish line: Finding your career passion isn't about getting to a specific destination. It's about learning and growing along the way. It's okay to change your mind and explore new opportunities! Remember, your career passion might not be one single job. It could be a combination of things you enjoy and are good at. Ask yourself: What do I love? What am I good at? What kind of impact do I want to make? The answers will help you find a career that truly excites you!

"Just follow your passion" is career advice that needs a reality check. While passion matters, success requires more: skills, demand, and practical strategy. The truth? Most successful people didn't start with a burning passion—they developed it through mastery. Instead of chasing pre-existing passions, try this actionable approach: Step 1. Skills Audit: List your natural abilities and acquired skills. What problems can you solve? Step 2. Market Research: Identify where your skills meet real demand. What will people pay for? Step 3. Interest Exploration: Find areas you're curious about, not just passionate about. Curiosity sustains learning. Step 4. Strategic Testing: Take small projects in your target area. Let competence build confidence. Step 5. Value Creation: Focus on becoming irreplaceable in your field. Rare skills command premium rewards. The formula is NOT "passion = money" but "skills + market need + consistent growth = passion & prosperity." Absolute career satisfaction comes from being excellent at something the world needs. Build your passion through deliberate skill development, not wishful thinking. What do you think? Have you experienced this passion paradox? Share your story below. Coaching can help; let's chat. | Joshua Miller #CareerAdvice #ProfessionalGrowth #Executivecoaching

This resume got me a Lecturer role at UNSW Business School. Here’s exactly how I structured it 👇 📄 Tell your story I’m a big believer that your resume should tell your story, not just list your jobs. 😄 Clear headshot I use the same photo across all platforms so there's instant recognition. 🧭 A compelling About Me section This is a statement of my core career ambition (or “long game” as I like to call it). I tweak it slightly depending on the role (for this one, I added a line about my passion for teaching). 🧩 Grouped experience around themes, not chronology I don’t just list jobs in order. I cluster experiences to align with my “long game”, making my trajectory easier to follow. ✍️ Narrative-based experience descriptions No bullet-point dumps. I write short narratives that show how I’ve delivered value and how that value carries forward into future roles. 💬 Value-aligned language Every word is intentional and is picked to maximise understanding. The goal is to show what I bring next, not what I’ve done randomly. 🏦 Strategic signal selection I did four internships at uni. I showcased J.P. Morgan because it sends the strongest signal. 🔗 Tangible proof I link directly to my initiatives. If you’ve done the work, showcase it! 🙋 Volunteering matters I include volunteering to highlight transferable skills and long-term commitment. 🎨 Thoughtful design You don’t need to be a designer, but you do need to care. Your resume should look like someone wants to read it. (Canva all the way! They have so many great templates you can use) 📚 Role-specific tailoring For this resume, I leaned into my teaching experience. Every application deserves its own unique angle for the role you’re going for. 💬 Want me to review your resume? DM me! I’d love to share my thoughts and give a few pointers. — I coach Professionals and Executives in their 20s & 30s to advance their careers. Follow Benjamin MacNevin, CFA to advance yours too! — 📌 If you enjoyed this content, you might like my free newsletter which hundreds of Professionals and Executives in their 20s & 30s read every morning for practical career advice. Subscribe to: https://lnkd.in/gZFJEFSE

Your resume is a story. Not a checklist. But most designers treat it like a grocery list: → “Did this. Worked there. Improved X.” That’s not a story. That’s a to-do list. Here’s how to flip it: 1. Start with your unique narrative → “Self-taught UXer who pivoted from marketing, now designing frictionless ecomm experiences.” 2. Show growth and results — not just roles → “Started as a UX Intern at XYZ. Led a 6-person team within 18 months, increasing sales by 30%.” 3. Frame each project like a mini case study → Context: What was the problem? → Action: What did you do? → Result: What changed because of your work? Example: Before: “Worked on mobile app design.” After: “Redesigned mobile app for ShopEasy, reducing user drop-offs by 40%.” 4. Use metrics as anchors → “Boosted conversion by 15%” hits harder than “Improved UX.” → “Cut support tickets by 30%” is more memorable than “Enhanced UI.” Your resume isn’t just a list of what you did. It’s a snapshot of who you are, how you think, and what you can do. Are you telling a career story… or just making a checklist? Narrative or noise — which one stands out?

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!  

You must have noticed by now that these 7 words do not belong in a resume (and here’s what to use instead). Your resume should prove your impact, not just describe your duties. Most resumes I read are like this. The wrong words make you blend in. The right ones? They make you stand out. Here are 7 words to ditch plus what to use instead: → 1. “Responsible for” Anyone can be responsible for something. But what did you actually achieve? Use instead: → Developed | Spearheaded | Optimized | Built ✔ Before: Responsible for leading a software development team. ✔ After: Led a team of 8 engineers, delivering 3 high-impact features ahead of schedule. → 2. “Hard-working” Hard work is great but results matter more. Use instead: → Improved | Delivered | Automated | Enhanced ✔ Before: Hard-working data engineer managing ETL pipelines. ✔ After: Optimized ETL workflows, improving data ingestion speed by 50%. → 3. “Team Player” Collaboration is expected. But how did your teamwork contribute to success? Use instead: → Collaborated | Partnered | Mentored | Facilitated ✔ Before: Team player mentoring junior engineers. ✔ After: Mentored 4 junior engineers, improving onboarding efficiency and reducing ramp-up time by 40%. → 4. “Results-Driven” If you’re truly results-driven, prove it with numbers. Use instead: → Increased | Reduced | Generated | Optimized ✔ Before: Results-driven software engineer. ✔ After: Optimized backend queries, reducing response time from 500ms to 120ms. → 5. “Detail-Oriented” Instead of saying you’re detail-oriented, show how your attention to detail led to improvements. Use instead: → Audited | Identified | Debugged | Enhanced ✔ Before: Detail-oriented software engineer reviewing code. ✔ After: Conducted rigorous code reviews, reducing production defects by 30%. → 6. “Self-Motivated” Instead of claiming you’re self-motivated, demonstrate initiative. Use instead: → Initiated | Led | Developed | Created ✔ Before: Self-motivated engineering manager driving process improvements. ✔ After: Led an initiative to automate testing, reducing QA cycle time by 50%. → 7. “Great Communicator” Saying you have strong communication skills is vague prove it. Use instead: → Presented | Negotiated | Facilitated | Advised ✔ Before: Strong communicator within engineering teams. ✔ After: Facilitated knowledge-sharing sessions, increasing team adoption of best practices by 70%. Your resume isn’t about what you were assigned to do it’s about what you accomplished. Swap weak, generic words for strong, results-driven language and watch your job search change. - Want to see what a high-impact resume looks like? Check out my profile, I’ve shared templates that follow these principles and help engineers land top offers.

I spent 60 minutes with a professional last week. Face-to-face. Raw questions. Chasing a real story. Why is this different? Few resumes are built from this foundation. Majority of the candidate pool: - Upload → ATS scanner → grade → tweak. - 5 minutes skimming the job description. - Sprinkling in keywords they already know. That’s the zig. Here’s the zag 👇🏼 STEP 1) Who are you proud of? - You look back on your career - what are the moments that fill you with joy? Did you elevate a team member? Give someone a chance? Make sure this story is highlighted. Why? Because you enjoy talking about it. STEP 2) How did things change? - You made a decision or had an impact on the people during your time. What's the go-to story you keep ready to describe this? You light up a little bit thinking about this right now. Make sure this story is highlighted. Why? Because you impacted the workplace. STEP 3) Why do people turn to you? - If you've done the work, there's a craft that's been developed. What's the thread or theme that connects all your roles? People tell you this, and you often brush it off. Make sure this story is highlighted. Why? Because you're refining a craft. People remember the above. Sure, you'll mix in a few keywords to win them over, but at the end of the day, they want to be brought along on your career journey. While everyone else zigs, make sure you zag ✌🏼

𝐌𝐲 𝟐 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫. Follow Your Passion - But Doesn’t Passion Change Over Time? - It does. Your interests change, passions evolve, and market forces shift. If that's the case, then how can I relate passion to my professional activity? - I believe you can. What needs to happen is a redefinition of the term 'Passion. In my view, Professional Passion is a problem that you absolutely want to solve and are willing to dedicate 3-5 years of your life to solving. Does this mean I would change careers every 3-5 years? - Not necessarily, but every 3 to 5 years, I would want to revisit and see if my passion has changed. Of course, for some, the revisit timeline can be different. For some, revisiting the passion might result in a complete change in what they are doing, for others, it might be a partial change, and yet for others, it might be a decision to continue what they are doing - no change! But irrespective of your individual situations, few things are true about passion: 1. Passion creates force. It’s Physical (a spring in your step), Emotional ('Yes, I can' attitude), and Spiritual (the universe conspires to help you). 2. For Passion to become a successful professional activity - the passion must be about solving a genuine problem. 3. You don’t have to dread lifelong commitment and feel odd if your passion shifts. Periodic transitions are fine. Reflecting on my own journey: Until my MBA - I played blindfolded, never even considered the term 'passion', and followed the beaten path to rise out of the lower middle class. Consulting Life - Gave me broad exposure; I explored different industries, functions, and cultures - and discovered my liking for coaching/teaching. Coaching Journey - I started working in my passion area - supporting people through difficult career transitions and kept refining the niche. What am I passionate about? What am I solving currently? 1. Crafting Happy Consulting Careers - Having spent over 6 years as a consultant and more than 10 years as a consulting career coach, I've identified several critical issues in this field that result in gruelling and unhappy consulting career journeys: - Herd mentality or glamour-driven attraction vs. career strategy-driven/well-informed decisions. - Excessive focus on ‘cracking the interview’ vs. building core consulting skills. - Lack of knowledge/preparation about how consulting companies and career dynamics work. 2. Cultivating a Consulting Mindset and Skillset - I am a big fan of consulting’s highest-level definition - 'Consulting is collaborative problem-solving'. I genuinely believe that problem solving and structured communication are life skills that everyone should acquire, use, and master. I am working on spreading this knowledge beyond those who are professional consultants. What about you? What is your definition of passion? How has that influenced your professional journey? #passion

Have you ever wondered why some goals light you up while others weigh you down? Do your goals push you forward with excitement or drag you out of necessity? And how often do you ask yourself why you're really chasing them? As HR professionals, leaders, and individuals, it's crucial to understand the two sources of goals: Inspiration and Desperation. Goals from inspiration : Fuel your creativity and passion. They are tied to your values, ambitions, and a vision for the future. These goals pull you toward growth, making the journey fulfilling, even when the challenges arise. Goals from desperation : are often reactions to immediate pressures or fears. They might be about avoiding failure, meeting expectations, or escaping discomfort. While they might push you into action, they can leave you feeling stuck, unfulfilled, and exhausted. Action for today: Take a few minutes to reflect on your current goals. Are they driven by inspiration or desperation? Reframe the ones rooted in fear by asking, How can I shift this into an opportunity for growth? Your challenge: The next time you're setting a goal, pause and ask yourself: Am I inspired or just trying to survive? How do you make sure your goals are inspired and not desperate? #goals #inspiration #leadership #peopledevelopment #hr

💡 Shift Your Mindset to Unlock Your Career in 3 Steps 💡 Much of the career advice today follows this predictable sequence—Have, Do, then Be. It goes something like this: I need to have the right skills/title/experience so I can do the job, and then I can be the leader. In my experience, this mindset is fundamentally backward and keeps you waiting on the “perfect” set of circumstances before you allow yourself to fully step into your potential. The truly transformative path to a "CEO mindset" is to flip the script to the direction popularized by author Stephen Covey: Be, Do, then Have. This approach is about starting with your passions, and then letting your actions flow from the principles you choose to embody. 1. Anchor Yourself in Principle (Be): The journey starts not with a checklist of prerequisites, but with the choice of who you want to be. In my own life, I often stepped into roles where I had no direct experience. I wasn't waiting for a training program. I simply chose to be passionate about the work, focus on the bigger purpose and look for ways to make something better. 2. Let Action Flow from Passion (Do): Once you decide on the leader you want to be, your doing shifts from a transactional effort to an authentic expression of the passions you’ve chosen to pursue. Your actions stop following a check-the-box exercise and become the natural, necessary steps that a person in the role you aspire to would simply take. 3. Focus on Shared Impact (Have): The traditional mindset focuses on having the salary or the corner office. When we reverse the process, the “having” becomes a natural and durable byproduct of a shared commitment to invest in a brighter future. By choosing to be the visionary, principled professional, your actions will follow and lead to having a greater, more positive impact on your customers' lives. This is a framework to help you take ownership of your professional growth. Your mindset alone can’t guarantee success, but it will ensure that you’re navigating those realities from a position of strength and integrity. Read more about this mindset change in my new blog post. #Leadership #CareerDevelopment