Forget the generic career advice
You've heard it all before: "Network more!" "Update your LinkedIn!" "Follow your passion!" They aren’t wrong, but it does feel a little cookie cutter.
Here's the thing: generic career advice fails because it treats everyone like they're the same person with identical goals, values, and circumstances. But, spoiler alert: we're not.
Essence-based coaching flips this script entirely. Instead of forcing you into someone else's career playbook, it starts with you: your unique strengths, values, and what actually makes you come alive at work. (Hence, “CREATE a life and career you love” plastered all over here at Geneza Coaching) Ready to ditch the one-size-fits-all approach? Let's dive into seven game-changing tips that will transform how you think about your career.
#1: Start With Your Internal GPS, Not Job Boards
Before you fire up Indeed for the hundredth time, pump the brakes. Most people approach career moves backwards: they see a job posting, get excited, and then try to convince themselves (and the hiring manager) why it's perfect for them.
Essence-based coaching says: Know yourself first.
Create three simple inventories:
Fulfillment moments: When in your career have you felt most energized and engaged?
Core values: What matters most to you in how you work and who you work with?
Natural strengths: What comes so easily to you that colleagues constantly ask for your help with it?
I use the Ikigai method to explore this with my clients! This isn't some fluffy self-help exercise: it's your career compass. When you're clear on these three areas, every opportunity gets filtered through your personal GPS instead of panic or desperation. The result? You pursue roles that actually fit instead of trying to fit yourself into random roles. Notice how salary wasn’t involved?
#2: Quality Over Quantity in Your Professional Network
Forget the advice to "reach out to everyone in your network." That's exhausting and ineffective. Instead, get strategic about building relationships with people who actually understand your goals and can provide relevant guidance.
Focus on cultivating relationships with:
Industry insiders who know the landscape you want to navigate. Learn what it’s like for them personally. Gauge whether it’s a fit for you.
Mentors who've walked a path similar to where you're heading.
Peers who are solving similar challenges and can grow alongside you. Strength in numbers! And who knows, they may know of a role that’s a fit for you that wasn’t necessarily a fit for them.
The magic happens when you stop networking and start building genuine professional relationships. These connections become your career champions, not just names in your contact list. And trust me, people can feel when you’re just trying to get a referral out of them.
#3: Turn Your Struggles Into Your Superpower
Here's where essence-based coaching gets real: your failures and challenges aren't career liabilities: they're your greatest differentiators. I work with my clients to frame them as leadership stories.
That time you had to pivot during a company restructure? That's resilience in action. The project that went sideways and taught you crisis management? That's wisdom you can't get from a textbook. The career change that felt terrifying but led to your current expertise? That's courage and adaptability.
Most people try to hide their messy career moments. Essence-based coaching teaches you to strategically share these stories as proof of your ability to handle whatever comes next. Your journey isn't a bug: it's a feature.
#4: Design Your Career Around Your Whole Life
Generic advice treats your career like it exists in a vacuum. "Chase your dreams!" they say, without asking about your financial reality, family commitments, or the fact that you're an introvert who withers in open office environments.
Essence-based coaching asks the questions that matter:
What does work-life balance actually look like for you?
Do you thrive with autonomy or structure?
What's your ideal team size and communication style?
What type of work culture do you thrive in?
When you design your career around your actual lifestyle needs and preferences, you're not just finding a job: you're creating sustainable success that doesn't require you to be someone you're not.
#5: Develop Your "Signature Competencies"
Here's a networking secret that generic advice never mentions: being likeable isn't enough. You need to be memorable for the right reasons.
Identify 2-3 specific competencies that showcase why you're uniquely qualified for the opportunities you want. Then, practice weaving these naturally into conversations:
"In my experience leading digital transformations..."
"When I helped my last team reduce processing time by 40%..."
"As someone who's built three different onboarding programs..."
This isn't bragging: it's strategic positioning. You're helping people understand not just who you are, but what specific value you bring to the table.
#6: Master What Your Leaders Avoid
Want to stand out fast? Pay attention to what your boss or senior leaders actively dislike doing, then become excellent at exactly that thing.
Maybe they hate:
Data analysis and reporting
Difficult conversations with stakeholders
Process documentation
Training and onboarding new team members
Managing vendor relationships
These "unglamorous" tasks are goldmines for career advancement. When you consistently handle the work that others avoid, you become indispensable. You're not just an employee: you're the person who makes everyone else's job easier.
The Essence-Based Difference
What makes these hacks different from typical career advice? They're grounded in who you actually are, not who you think you should be.
Generic advice assumes everyone wants the same things: more money, bigger titles, faster promotions. Essence-based coaching recognizes that meaningful career success looks different for everyone. For some, it's leadership impact. For others, it's creative fulfillment or work-life harmony.
When your career strategy aligns with your values, strengths, and life goals, work stops feeling like something you have to survive and starts feeling like something you choose. That shift changes everything: your confidence, your performance, and ultimately, your results.
The professionals who thrive in today's market aren't the ones following the loudest career advice. They're the ones who've taken time to understand their unique value proposition and built their career strategy around it.
Your essence isn't just some abstract concept: it's your competitive advantage. Stop wasting time on advice that treats you like everyone else. You're not everyone else, and your career shouldn't be either.
Ready to build a career strategy that's actually designed for you? The journey starts with understanding what makes you uniquely valuable: and everything else flows from there.