🧭 You Are More Than Your Job Title
The first thing to go in a job search isn’t your skills. It’s your certainty.
Here’s what I learned from a few months of unexpected reflection, rejection, and re-alignment.
🧠 Introduction
A few months ago, I found myself unexpectedly job hunting.
I took some time to visit family in South Africa — and while it gave me space to reset, it also meant juggling time zones, interviews, and applications from spare rooms, lounges, borrowed Wi-Fi… even a pub once (which I wouldn’t recommend).
At first, I felt tongue-tied.
I was used to pitching solutions, talking fluently about my company’s products, services, and impact. But now the product was me. And I hadn’t practised that story in years.
The “Tell me about yourself” question — which I’d normally coach others through — left me rambling.
So I stepped back.
I revisited each role I’d held and pulled out the core takeaway and how it aligned to each role I was applying for:
What was the value I drove? What did I learn? What change did I lead? How is this relevant?
That reflection helped me refine my pitch from a monologue into a narrative.
From a timeline into a value proposition.
It helped me go from hoping to be understood…
to making myself understood.
🧩 You’re Often What People Last Saw You Doing
“We’re looking for someone with more recent direct sales experience.”
That line landed hard.
Because I’ve spent over 20 years in direct sales — across three continents.
Enterprise deals. Team leadership. New markets. Growth. Outcomes.
My last few years? I moved into alliances and partner sales. Still sales. Still targets. Still delivering. Just with a different lens.
But when people don’t know the full story, they judge by the last chapter.
And that’s fair — to a point.
👉 You have to own your story. No one else will do it for you.
🔁 Salesforce World Tour Gave Me Clarity
Walking into Salesforce World Tour Sydney, I was “between roles.”
But I didn’t feel uncertain — I felt seen.
I caught up with partners, colleagues, mentors, clients — people who knew what I’d done.
They didn’t care about the job title. They remembered the work. The wins. The impact.
That day reminded me:
Your CV can’t say everything. But your network often can.
It was the contrast I needed.
Outside the ecosystem, I felt like a stranger.
Inside it, I had momentum — and brand equity I’d built over years.
That was my turning point.
I didn’t just want a job. I wanted to keep building on everything I’d already earned.
🔄 Treating the Job Search Like a Sales Funnel
I stopped drifting and went back to what I know: pipeline.
- ✅ Built a Kanban board on my whiteboard (Applied → Interviewing → Final → Offers → Archive)
- ✅ Tracked conversations, timelines, and follow-ups
- ✅ Refined my pitch and focused my narrative
Then I built a scorecard — just three criteria, each rated out of 5:
- 🧠 Impactful Work & Culture – Am I solving problems with people I respect?
- 📈 Leadership & Growth – Will I learn, stretch, and grow?
- 🏡 Compensation & Stability – Can I support my family and plan for the long term?
That clarity helped me say no to roles that didn’t fit — even when they were tempting.
One opportunity with a software vendor I really admire ticked a lot of boxes.
But it was a 14-month contract — and didn’t stack up on long-term growth.
Without the scorecard, I might’ve said yes.
With it, I didn’t second guess.
🔎 What I Took From It All
This wasn’t just a job hunt — it was a reset.
✅ I’m still a salesperson, a leader, a builder
✅ I can rebrand — but it takes intention
✅ My network reflects my value when my CV doesn’t
✅ Rejection isn’t a verdict — sometimes it’s redirection
✅ A bit of structure (Kanban + Scorecard) goes a long way
🧭 If You’re in It Right Now…
Keep going.
Reconnect with someone who knows your work.
Write your story — not just your CV.
Build your funnel. Track the journey. Trust your value.
You are more than your last job title.
And the right role won’t just see what you’ve done — it will recognise what you’re still capable of.
🔗 Further Reading & Related Posts
If this resonated, here are a few other posts you might enjoy:
- Becoming Indispensable in Tech: 5 Lessons from Seth Godin’s Linchpin
(A reflection on standing out, staying human, and thriving in the Salesforce ecosystem.) - Harnessing Grit in the Sydney Hoka Runaway Half Marathon
(A story about finishing strong — and what it takes to keep going when it gets tough.) - The Emotional Power of Giving Thanks in Business
(How gratitude helps in moments of change and uncertainty.)
