Earlier this week, I spoke with someone who is ridiculously talented.
He has multiple certifications across multiple industries. Cybersecurity. AI. Digital transformation. FP&A. He’s even a certified gemologist. And I almost forgot… he’s also a CPA.
On paper, and on LinkedIn, he looks like someone who could stop a data breach, modernize your tech stack, forecast your revenue, and appraise the engagement ring afterward.
And yet, he’s been struggling in his job search.
As we talked, one issue became impossible to ignore. There was one simple question I couldn’t get a clear answer to:
What are you trying to do?
To be fair, this is incredibly common, especially for people transitioning careers, coming out of government or the military, or trying to pivot into something new. Exploration is healthy. Curiosity is a strength. These conversations are great with friends, mentors, and over coffee.
But they are not how employers make hiring decisions.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Employers aren’t hiring curiosity. They’re hiring intent.
They don’t wake up thinking, “Let’s find the most interesting person on LinkedIn.”
They wake up thinking, “We need someone who wants this job and can do this job.”
People want to hire candidates who:
Know what they want
Can articulate it clearly
Have aligned their story toward that outcome
When your résumé or LinkedIn profile says, “I can do ten different things,” the hiring manager often hears something very different:
“I’m not sure what you want… or whether you’ll actually stay.”
This is where many highly talented job seekers get stuck. They worry that choosing a direction means closing doors. That focusing means giving something up.
In reality, focus usually does the opposite.
Focus reduces risk for the employer.
It makes your story easier to understand.
It signals that you didn’t just stumble into this role, you want it.
And here’s the key distinction:
Being focused does not mean you are one-dimensional.
You can absolutely be multifaceted. You just can’t market everything at the same time.
Different jobs require different versions of your story.
Same person. Different spotlight.
Before you apply or reach out to someone, do a quick gut check:
If I had to say this in one sentence, what job do I want?
Does my résumé support that sentence or compete with it?
Does my LinkedIn headline reinforce clarity or create confusion?
Would a stranger understand my goal in ten seconds?
If the answer is no, that’s not a motivation problem.
It’s a clarity problem. And clarity is fixable.
Being talented is a gift.
Being versatile is an asset.
But being focused is what gets you hired.
You don’t need to become less interesting.
You just need to be more intentional about which version of you shows up for which opportunity.
And yes, you can still keep the gemologist certification 😉
You got this 👊