She did everything right, and yet she was still stuck.
An updated resume. Optimized LinkedIn profile. Networking consistently. Applying thoughtfully. Following every piece of advice she had been given.
Still stuck in the same place, wheels spinning.
Her tactics were spot on. But the misstep came from executing a strategy before she had answered the one critical question: What was she building toward?
Most mid-career women I work with arrive at this same place. They have an idea of what they want to do next. If anything, they have too many competing ideas. But to move forward, they needed a foundation.
Where do what you care about, what you are skilled at and willing to do, and what the market pays for overlap?
That overlap is your Power Position.
When all three circles are present and aligned, your job search has a center of gravity. Decisions become easier to make because you have a filter. You stop second-guessing every application.
When one circle is weak, the strategy breaks in a specific way:
Passion/Interests: The role looks fine on paper until you’re living it.
Market Demand: You invest in a direction that doesn’t have enough opportunities at your level. Your skills and enthusiasm aren’t enough to create jobs that match them.
Skills/Experience: You’re chasing something you aren’t yet positioned to reach.
Finding your Power Position isn’t a one-and-done exercise. It requires reflection and research, in that order. The market demand side, especially. Optimism is not a data point.
Throughout April, I walk through all three circles, share a worksheet built specifically for mid-career women navigating this, and explain what to do when the overlap is smaller than you hoped.
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