A young professional recently shared something that I hear all the time.
“I love writing, but not many companies are hiring writers. With AI, I’m not sure companies even need writers any more.”
At first glance, it felt like a dead end. If the job title doesn’t exist, what do you do? So I asked her a different question.
“What do you actually enjoy about writing?”
The conversation changed immediately. It wasn’t grammar. It wasn’t punctuation. It wasn’t even the act of putting words on a page. As we talked, we uncovered something much more interesting.
She loved listening to people. She loved understanding what they were trying to say—even when they struggled to explain it. She loved finding the thread in a complicated story and turning it into something clear. She enjoyed helping people feel seen and understood. She loved creating content that connected people around a shared idea.
In other words…
She didn’t just enjoy writing.
She loved storytelling.
She loved making sense of complexity.
She loved building connection through communication.
Those are very different skills and they’re in demand everywhere.
The Trap of Job Titles
Many job seekers accidentally define themselves by a task instead of a capability.
“I like spreadsheets.”
“I enjoy organizing.”
“I’m good at presentations.”
“I love writing.”
But employers rarely hire someone because they enjoy a task. They hire people to solve problems.
Instead of asking: What do I like doing?
Try asking: What problem am I solving when I do that?
That single question can open dozens of career paths you hadn’t considered.
Your Skills Are Bigger Than Your Job Title
Writing might translate into:
- Storytelling
- Content strategy
- Brand messaging
- Customer education
- Internal communications
- Thought leadership
- Marketing
- Grant writing
- UX writing
- Product documentation
- Community building
The same is true for almost every skill.
Someone who says they “like Excel” might actually love finding patterns in data.
Someone who enjoys event planning might really excel at orchestrating complex projects and creating meaningful experiences.
Someone who likes coaching may actually be energized by helping people unlock potential and navigate change.
The surface skill is only the beginning.
Dig One Layer Deeper
When I’m coaching clients, we spend a surprising amount of time asking “Why?”
Why do you enjoy that?
What part energizes you?
When have you felt most alive doing it?
What problem were you solving?
What did others thank you for?
Those questions help uncover your underlying strengths—the ones that transfer across industries and job titles.
That’s where career clarity begins.
The Forest Analogy
In a forest, we don’t judge a seedling because it doesn’t look like a towering oak. The potential is already there. It just needs the right environment to grow.
Careers work the same way.
Sometimes the title you’ve been searching for isn’t the destination. It’s simply pointing you toward the strengths beneath the surface. Once you name those strengths, new paths begin to appear.
A Question for You
If you stripped away your current job title, what would remain? Not what you do. Not the software you know. Not the degree you earned.
What is the value you consistently create for other people?
That’s often the beginning of your next story.
