Why alignment matters more than polish

When people come to me for career coaching, they often start with this question:

“How do I make my resume or LinkedIn profile stand out?”

It’s a fair question — but usually the wrong one to start with.
Because before you polish your story, you need to align it.

Alignment is the invisible thread that makes your story feel “right” to both you and your audience. It’s what happens when your experience, your values, and the roles you’re pursuing all point in the same direction. Without that, no amount of editing or optimization will create momentum.

If you’ve ever found yourself chasing jobs that sound impressive but feel off, or writing summaries that sound fine but don’t feel like you, you’re not alone. That’s where the Ego/Want Matrix comes in.

The Matrix: a mirror for career fit

Think of the Ego/Want Matrix as a mirror that shows where your story and your goals intersect.

On one axis is what your ego wants — recognition, title, prestige, validation.
On the other is what you truly want — meaning, challenge, growth, fulfillment.

That creates four quadrants:

1. Dream Job — high ego and high want. You’re doing meaningful work that’s also recognized and rewarded.
2. Your Calling — low ego, high want. The work feels right inside, but external recognition lags.
3. Danger Zone — high ego, low want. You’ve achieved visible success that feels hollow.
4. Paying Dues (or Bills) — low ego, low want. You’re doing what you must to stay afloat.

The Matrix isn’t a judgment – it’s feedback. It shows you how your current story looks from the outside versus how it feels on the inside. And once you know your coordinates, you can start to bring those two views into alignment.

Step 1: Look honestly at where you are

Start by writing a short paragraph — one that answers this question honestly:

“If someone described my current career story, what would they say I stand for?”

Then compare that reflection to what you want next.
Do those descriptions match?
If not, you may be selling the story of your past self — not your next self.

Step 2: Reconnect the throughlines

Alignment isn’t about reinventing your career. It’s about connecting the dots between what you’ve already done and what you now want to do more of.

Ask yourself:

• What themes keep showing up in my best work?
• Which stories illustrate the kind of problems I want to solve next?
• What parts of my experience feel most alive when I talk about them?

Those are your throughlines.
They’re what recruiters, hiring managers, and even algorithms look for — the continuity that makes your next step believable and exciting.

Step 3: Adjust the language, not just the layout

Too often, we treat resume and LinkedIn updates like formatting exercises. But alignment happens in the language.

For example:

• Before: “Responsible for leading cross-functional initiatives to optimize processes.”
• Aligned: “I’m an accelerator. I bring structure to and process to work that align cross-functional teams and simplify how work gets done.”

The second version isn’t just clearer; it signals intent. It connects your method (bringing structure) to your motivation (simplifying work), and points toward the roles you actually want.

Look at your own copy. Are you describing tasks, or telling stories that reveal what drives you?

Step 4: Bridge what’s true now with what’s next

If you’re in the Dream Job quadrant, alignment is about staying fresh – making sure your story evolves as you do.

If you’re in Your Calling, it’s about better lighting – helping others see the value you already know is there.

If you’re in the Danger Zone, it’s about honesty – admitting that the story you’ve been telling no longer fits.

And if you’re Paying Dues (or Bills), it’s about hope – reframing survival as a transition chapter, not a final one.

In every case, alignment means crafting a story that connects today’s reality to tomorrow’s aspiration.

Step 5: Share it like you believe it

Once your story feels true to you, tell it everywhere — not just in applications, but in conversations. Alignment creates confidence, and confidence creates clarity.

That’s how people start to see you the way you want to be seen.

Final thought

Your story isn’t fixed; it’s a living narrative.
The Job Fit Matrix helps you see where it’s misaligned — but the power is in how you choose to adjust the angle.

Sometimes, the smallest shift in how you describe yourself reveals the biggest truth about where you’re headed next.

Take the Self-Assessment

I built a short self-assessment to help you see where your current job – or the one you’re considering – fits on the Job Fit Matrix.

It takes two minutes, and you’ll immediately see which quadrant you’re in.

👉 Take the Job Fit Matrix Assessment