How to Find the Through Line in Your Career
I’m obsessed with people’s work stories.
How people got to where they are now, what they studied if they went to college, where they’ve lived, if they like what they do… no two work stories are identical, and it’s why I love writing bios for professionals.
My own work story is complicated: twists and turns, successes and failures, interstate moves, and big changes. I’ve worked for small companies, giant international corporations, and myself as Liz Feezor Creative. I’ve been in multiple different industries and roles, and what I do now is the best fit of anything I’ve done thus far.
I get to write, create, and communicate for a living, something I only dreamed of happening years ago is now my reality. Is it perfect? No. But it feels good; like the closest expression of my true self and the best use of my strengths.
When I work with a bio client, I ask lots of “why” questions. Whether the goal is to get to the next level of an already established path or to make a big career change, getting at the “why” behind it all helps us reveal common themes to create the through line of a work story.
A through line, a consistent theme or common element, helps us connect the past and present to a future goal. When we identify the through line, we can write our story around it—and write ourselves into the next chapter.
The through line of my own work story is using communication and translation (translating between languages and translating concepts and ideas) to help others be successful. The years I worked in employee benefits translating complexity into simple, actionable concepts that the average person could understand helped me get to an HR role, which helped me get into a software consulting role.
Years of blogging alongside my corporate career gave me a creative outlet to keep writing and trained me to manage my time. As anyone who’s ever maintained a side hustle in addition to a full-time job will tell you, it’s hard to keep it all going if you don’t at least enjoy the side project you’re working on. I liked blogging and writing, and I parlayed my corporate + creative experience to create a career that blends the two.
Now, I use words to solve business problems: to sell, explain, and motivate people to act. I communicate and translate concepts into messaging that accomplishes a goal, and I used my own professional through line to get me there.
How do you find your own career through line?
First, look forward. Where do you want to be? What’s the career goal you’re working toward? Is it a promotion in your current career path, a lateral move to a different but related role, or a shift into something else entirely?
Next, take inventory on where you’re at right now. What are the skills and experiences you have that make your career story unique? Do you have a degree, side project, or volunteer role that ties into your career goal?
Then, go backwards. Trace your career from college (or even before!) up to current. What are the common themes? What have you done differently than others? Have there been setbacks, challenges, or opportunities that have helped propel you from one thing to the next?
Now you’re ready to find your through line by tracing the past into the present and on to the future. What’s a common thread that runs throughout your working life? Is it service? Innovation? Leadership? Your through line helps you tell your career story, writes you into your next chapter, and gives you the confidence to sell yourself to potential employers and clients.
Stories sell. Can you sell yourself with your career story? Find and illuminate your through line and you’ll be prepared to go where you want to be next.
The through line takes us from past to present to future. What’s the next chapter in your work story, and have you identified the through line to take you there?
(The image for this post is a photo of Roxborough State Park in Colorado that I snapped in October 2016 during a weekend break from a work training. The job I had four years ago isn’t related to what I do now, but my career through line helped me get there!)