Here’s me, doing what we should all do more often in our careers: owning a moment, tooting your own horn, and sharing what clarity looks like when you’re fully in it.
Over the past four months, I’ve felt more connected and in tune with the career services industry than ever before. Co-authoring a book on career management with my colleague Ellen Steverson, CCMC, GCDF, NCRW, NCOPE, CEIC has stretched me in the best ways.
Our writing sessions aren’t just productive, they’re filled with challenging debates, idea-pushing banter, deep dives into research, and what’s actually happening in the world of work and the future of work. It’s forced me to sharpen how I think, speak, and write about this field. We’re getting closer to wrapping up the book, and we’ll be excited to share what we’ve built together.
So why am I telling you this? Because I jumped on a podcast today and was hit with a series of rapid-fire questions. When they sent the recording and transcript back, I had to pause. I heard and read my own answers and thought, “Wow, that’s exactly how I feel, and maybe the clearest I’ve ever said it.” Perhaps that’s a benefit of being immersed in this book project with Ellen lately. I will share the podcast once it is released in August.
Below are a few of the questions I was asked.
How do you define success?
Success isn’t a universal checklist. It’s not the title, the paycheck, or the number of followers. It’s personal. I would have had a different view in my 20s or 30s.
It’s what you define, and when you meet it, you’ve succeeded in that season of life.
Success means alignment. Between what you want, what matters to you, and what you’re doing. And that definition? It can shift over time, and it should.
Success at 25 might mean income growth. At 40, it might mean flexibility. At 55, impact.
There’s no one version to chase, and that’s the point. You get to define it. You get to update it. And you get to own it. All this takes off so much pressure when we fall into comparison syndrome, comparing our success to others.
What is the biggest leadership challenge that you will face in the upcoming year?
The biggest leadership challenge I face this year is navigating uncertainty, without letting it drain focus or momentum. I’ll admit this has been the most challenging year for me, my business, my industry, and for job seekers in general.
We’re in a time where everything feels unstable: the economy, the future of work, AI, political tensions, and even trust in government. That uncertainty shows up everywhere, from the market to the mindset of your teams.
Leading means staying focused on your company’s vision, even when the path becomes foggy. It means showing up with clarity and energy so others don’t get lost in the noise.
My biggest challenge isn’t the chaos itself, but staying grounded and helping others stay motivated when the world around us keeps shifting.
Finish the sentence: In 10 years, I will
In 10 years, I will be a leadership voice that helps people reclaim their career and write their next story.
After years leading teams, running businesses, and navigating change, I’ll be on stages, in rooms, and in conversations that ignite momentum for others. I want to reach the people who feel stuck, lost, or disconnected from their work and help them see a path forward.
No one should wake up and wonder, “How did I get here?”
I’ll help them ask better questions, take smarter actions, and define success on their own terms. Career clarity fuels life clarity, they are one in the same. And I plan to spend the next chapter of my career helping others get both.
What is the best way to create a work-life balance?
Side note, Ellen and I just spoke about this topic today.
From the employee’s perspective, the best way to create work-life balance is to stop chasing a 50-50 formula that doesn’t work.
In reality, no fixed split formula works. Life doesn’t follow a chart. And trying to force a perfect breakdown, whether it’s 60-40, 70-30, or any other neat percentage, just sets you up to feel like you’re failing at both.
The real goal isn’t balance. It’s alignment, it’s flexibility, it’s integration.
Alignment with your priorities, your energy, and the season you’re in.
Sometimes, you’re upskilling and working late to reach the next level. Sometimes you’re caring for a newborn, sick relative, or dealing with a crisis, and work takes a back seat. That’s not failure, that’s real life.
Work and life aren’t separate worlds. They overlap, collide, and influence one another. The people who find the most happiness aren’t trying to keep them in a set formula; they’re learning how to integrate both in a way that works for them at that time.
What are the top challenges that college graduates are facing today?
Wow, great question and a loaded one. I’d say today’s college grads are navigating a very different career landscape than even a decade ago. Here are some top challenges I see them facing, and I can speak on this topic all day long.
- Uncertainty in the job market.
We’re in a constant state of flux, AI, automation, remote work, geopolitical tensions, and economic swings. The ground under their feet keeps shifting. That creates anxiety, sure, but also decision paralysis. Many grads don’t know where to start, so they stall. And if no one teaches them how to manage a career in motion, they get left behind. Many graduates are coming from a few years of COVID isolation and stagnation, which presents a whole new set of challenges.
- The myth of passion-first careers.
As I mentioned earlier, there’s been this push to “do what you love” as a career north star. Not everyone can go viral on TikTok or YouTube and then monetize it, for many grads, that creates pressure instead of clarity. They think they have to find their forever job right away. The truth is that skills come first. Passion often follows. But nobody’s out there saying, “You can build a great life by being good at something useful, even if it’s not your childhood dream.” They need better messaging. And they need to have passion for what they do now; the rest will come later.
- Lack of real career strategy.
Colleges still don’t teach career management as a life skill. Many grads enter the job market with a resume and vibes and hope that’s enough. They don’t know how to network, tell their story, build a strong LinkedIn presence, or translate class projects into real-world value. That’s not on them, it’s on all of us for not making career skills a core part of education.
- A gap in real-world work skills.
A lot of today’s grads are entering the workforce without basic job experience. Previous generations acquired core work skills, such as showing up on time, dealing with customers, managing conflict, and working on a team, through part-time jobs in retail, hospitality, or fast food and restaurants. Those roles were more accessible back then; working at McDonald’s seemed to be a required college credit.
Today, many of those jobs are filled by retirees re-entering the workforce and by automation. That leaves grads without the early reps that teach work ethic, accountability, or how to navigate a real workplace. So when companies hire them, they often have to start at square one, teaching what used to be assumed. It’s not the grads’ fault, but it is a gap we need to acknowledge and solve. I see this challenge in my recruiting; companies may like the graduates we send them, but feel they are not ready to work and hit the ground running at this basic level.
📌 Thank you for reading my post. I hope you don’t mind me sharing it; I will share the podcast once they release it in August. I was feeling extra proud today.
📌 Don’t enter this job market alone, or think Gen AI can replace the skill set of an experienced career strategist; Team up with your favorite career coach to help you navigate this uncertain job market.
🧿 Book your complimentary job search review session.
Tom Powner
✅ NCOPE (National Certified Online Profile Expert) Course Instructor & Creator
✅ CPRW (Certified Professional Resume Writer)
✅ CCMC (Certified Career Management Coach)
✅ CEIP (Certified Employment Interview Professional)
✅ CDCC (Certified DISCstyles™ Communication Consultant)
✅ JANG (Just A Nice Guy)
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