Tell people what you want
& the fear of being specific
There's this fear in the job search about being too specific with your goals, especially if you're entry-level or fresh out of school. You feel like you haven't "earned" the ability to ask for things.
I'll talk to someone about their job search and ask questions like "What's your salary range?’ or ‘What industries are you targeting?’ and I'll get responses like:
"Oh, you know, I'll consider a range depending on other elements..."
"I don't want to pigeonhole myself in an industry and then realize I'm not a good fit..."
They're trying to be generalists, staying open and flexible to any opportunity. But that actually makes the search harder.
When I push back, they tell me they're "flexible".
This 'flexible' approach might feel safer, but it's actually working against you. In a competitive job market, hiring managers are looking through dozens or even hundreds of applications. When you present yourself as someone who 'could probably do anything,' you're not standing out from the crowd—you're blending into it.
Think about it from a hiring manager's perspective.
They have two candidates: one who says 'I'm open to any role in any industry at any salary' and another who says 'I'm specifically interested in educational technology roles focused on improving student outcomes, and I've been building skills in user experience design to move toward that goal.' Which candidate sounds more intentional? Which one gives them confidence that this person will be engaged and committed if hired?
When you avoid all specificity, you're asking employers to figure out where you fit instead of showing them exactly how you solve their problems. You're making yourself forgettable instead of memorable. And you're missing the chance to demonstrate that you've done the work to understand what you want and why you want it.
You don't have to laser-focus on one specific title or industry. Think about patterns and themes in the kinds of roles that excite you. Do you feel strongly about access to education? About people’s fitness and health? Are you interested in testing the boundaries of technology?
If you tend to get excited about job descriptions that involve communications or marketing, but your energy drops when you see research or analytics, that's valuable information.
Maybe you spend more of your time targeting EdTech because you’ve got a stronger connection to that industry and an interest in education.
Your cover letters will be more compelling for positions you're interested in, and you'll be better able to align your resume because you're trying to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. (Not where someone else thinks you should be)
It can be easy to hold your goals close to your chest, but the more people who know what you want to do next, the better. Those people will be looking out for roles for you, and if opportunities present themselves, they'll think of you.
But What If I Don't Know What I Want?
For those of you reading this thinking, "This sounds great, but I don't know what my goals are," I have some advice.
Reflect on the kind of work you'd be excited to do next. Consider the impact or change you want to make in your community, industry, neighborhood, or state. Think about what industry or audience you'd be excited to work with.
Do you want to work somewhere mission-driven? In tech? In the arts?
Who do you want to make changes for? Maybe you're a veteran transitioning back into the civilian workforce, and you want to make that easier for other people like you. Maybe you're passionate about education and excited to work with preschoolers or high schoolers.
You might not know the exact job you want, but you might know you want to make a difference for a certain group of people. What jobs impact that group? Another way to think about this is to reflect on the barriers or challenges you've faced as a person and think about ways you'd be excited to remove those barriers for people like you. This could be a great way to get clear on your areas of expertise, places you have experience, and things you have passion for.
What’s next
Be vocal and consistent.
An impact statement speaks to the impact you want to have in the world. It makes you more specific, and it forces you to whittle down your story into something memorable.
When you reflect on the way you talk about yourself to other people, think about memorability and clarity.
Are you clearly telling people what you're excited to do next?
Here are two examples that show how memorability impacts your story:
Example 1: "'I’m passionate about sustainable supply chain solutions, especially in food systems. Having grown up on a farm and seeing firsthand how waste happens at every level, I'm focused on roles where I can use data analysis to help companies reduce their environmental impact."
Example 2: "I'm a passionate programmer dedicated to following my curiosity and building impactful solutions to complex problems. I see software development as an opportunity to affect meaningful, positive change in the world."
The first statement is significantly more memorable than the second. The second statement is vague. It doesn't tell us enough about the industry or the person's connection to it. It feels like it could be on basically anyone's resume. The first statement feels personal, memorable, and authentic. It's going to be so much stickier in employers' minds.
Ready to create your own impact statement? [Access the exercise here] to get more clarity on your goals and mission.
Telling people what you want helps you focus your search, write better applications, and build a network of people looking out for opportunities that fit what you're actually trying to accomplish.
Happy searching,
Lex