Finding Your Why

The Jobseeker Series - Part 1

Finding Your Why

New year.

New goals.

New job.

New you…?

The start of a new year often feels like an invitation to begin again. But for many of us, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, January is more about rest than reinvention. It’s not until February and March that the real shifts begin.

That’s when the thinking starts.

Is this still working? Do I want something different? Is it time to move on?

For many people, this questioning leads to one thing: a job search.

And with job applications comes the inevitable next step — the interview. For many, that’s where the nerves really kick in.

WHY interviews feel so hard

Interviews are evaluative situations. We are being judged by another person (or people) to decide whether we are worthy of joining the team. Psychologically, it can feel a lot like standing on the line in a school sports class when choosing teams for a game; waiting to be chosen, exposed, vulnerable, and deeply aware of the possibility of rejection.

We dread not being liked. We dread not being wanted.

But an interview is a two-way street.

Yes, they are interviewing you to see if you fit the role and the team dynamic. But you are also interviewing them. You are gathering information, consciously or unconsciously, about whether their values, ethics, expectations, and culture align with yours.

At different stages of life, the balance of power may feel uneven. In a first role, your why might be simple and practical: you need experience, or you need financial stability. And that’s valid.

But as your circumstances change, your why changes too.

The power of a clear WHY

One of the most striking examples of this comes from New Zealander, Sarah Wynn-Williams, who describes in her recent book ‘Careless People’ her experience interviewing for Facebook in its early days.

She didn’t apply for an advertised role. She believed Facebook needed her.

She researched the organisation, found connections, made appointments, and pitched her own job — multiple times. Then, after the Christchurch earthquake in 2010, Facebook became a critical communication tool. Wynn-Williams describes putting together a script for a call to highlight how Facebook could work with governments after disasters to communicate essential information, how connection, in moments of crisis, can feel like a lifeline.

She writes:

“I want to show how powerful Facebook is. How Facebook could work with governments after disasters to communicate essential information.”(Careless People, p.29)

And later:

“Getting each person I interview with to see the problem, the potential, the solution: me.”

Her desire to articulate her value was relentless, and inspiring.

She got the job.The job she pitched.

This is an extreme example, but the principle applies at every level.

If you want something:

• You go for it

• You find a way in

• You look for connections

• You build trust

• You try, and try again

It takes time. And it starts with clarity.

Finding your why

Before you polish your CV or practise interview answers, there are two questions worth sitting with:

Why do I want a job?Why do I want this job?

Your answers don’t need to sound impressive. They need to be honest.

Some people like to write pros and cons lists. Others brainstorm, journal, talk it out, or sit quietly with the question. However you do it, the goal is the same: to understand your purpose and be grounded in it.

Two sentence starters can help:

• I want to work in this role because…

• I want to work here because…

Right now, my own why is very specific. I want to be able to walk my son to school at least three days a week. Whatever my job is, it must allow for that. That clarity shapes every decision that follows.

When you know what you’re working towards, your confidence shifts. Your answers become steadier. Your choices become more intentional.

And that clarity directly supports the next step in the process: how you approach an employer.

In the next post in this series, I’ll explore different ways to approach employers, from cold calls to warm leads, and the practical scripts you can use to start those conversations.

Because confidence doesn’t begin in the interview room. It begins with knowing why you’re there in the first place.

And if you’re starting this journey and would like some support along the way,

Let’s chat.

Ashleigh