No Shortcuts to the Right Move

Back in October, I hit pause.

After being told—lovingly but firmly—that I needed to rest, I stepped away from work for a health break. No résumés. No Zoom calls. Just time to recover.

A good friend knew this would be hard, so she sent a non-work project: my first LEGO set. I grew up obsessed with music and sound, so I was thrilled to build a record player. It became an exercise in patience.

You can’t force the pieces. You can’t skip steps. And you can’t pretend one brick is another color and hope no one notices. Trust me—I tried.

Every brick had a purpose. Every step mattered. The few times I thought I could outsmart the instructions, I ended up rebuilding.

The job search works much the same way.

It’s tempting to rush results. But the work people often skip—tailoring your résumé, clearly defining your value, reaching out to people, and following up—is the work that creates momentum.

When someone has applied to 100 jobs with no response, I ask whether their résumé is tailored. When LinkedIn feels quiet, I ask whether they are truly connecting with people or simply scrolling and liking.

Progress isn’t always exciting. Sometimes it looks like tailoring one application, reconnecting with one former colleague, or improving one résumé bullet.

Small steps. One brick at a time. That’s how you build a career move with a strong foundation.