Stop Asking For Career Advice. The Secret To Building Your Dream Career? Looking Internally For the Answers.

Most people think career planning starts with updating your CV or applying for a new job.

But the truth is—it starts way before that.

Before you make any move, you’ve got to pause. Reflect. Ask yourself the uncomfortable questions.

"What do I actually want from my career?"

"What parts of my job drain me?"

"What am I trying to prove—and to whom?"

At Ctrl Alt Career, we work with high-achieving professionals who are good at what they do, but feel like something’s missing. And the #1 thing that helps them find clarity?

Self-reflection.

So, what is self-reflection—and why does it matter so much?

It’s exactly what it sounds like: taking a moment to zoom out and look inward.

The high achiever's pace of life (and work) doesn’t really give us space to do that. Everyone’s busy chasing the next milestone. The next promotion. The next big title.

But without reflection, it’s easy to wake up one day in a job that checks all the boxes—except the ones that actually matter to you.

That’s where career counselling comes in.

Career Coaching Isn’t Just About Resumes and Recruiters

It’s about asking better questions.

It’s about unlearning what you thought success should look like—and building a career that’s right for you.

When we work with clients at Ctrl Alt Career, we start with self-reflection because it lays the foundation for everything else:

• What lights you up?
• What are your non-negotiables?
• What strengths do you want to use more?
• What problems are you excited to solve?

Most of us never got taught how to reflect on our careers this way. Which is why so many of us stay stuck for longer than we need to.

3 Self-Reflection Tools We Use With Our Coaching Clients

If you’re feeling stuck or unsure about your next step, here are a few tools to help you pause and reconnect with yourself:

1. Career Story Mapping

Write down your career journey—like a story. From your first job to now. Highlight:

• What you loved
• What made you miserable
• Why you made the moves you did

Look for patterns. Are there certain tasks or environments you always thrived in? Things you consistently avoid?

💡 It’s hard to read the label from inside the bottle. A coach can help connect the dots.

2. The 10-Year Vision Exercise

Close your eyes and picture your life 10 years from now.

Not just your job title—but your lifestyle. Your energy. Your impact.

• What kind of work are you doing?
• Who are you working with?
• What’s your day-to-day like?
• How do you feel?

Once you have that vision in mind, you can start reverse-engineering your next few moves.

3. Strengths x Joy Matrix

Grab a piece of paper and make a 2x2 grid.

On one axis, list activities you’re good at. On the other, list ones you enjoy.

You’ll end up with 4 quadrants:

• Good at + Enjoy → your sweet spot
• Good at + Don’t enjoy → watch out
• Not good at + Enjoy → growth areas
• Not good at + Don’t enjoy → delegate or ditch

It’s simple but surprisingly powerful.

A Quick Note on Career Change and Clarity

One of the biggest misconceptions?

That clarity comes before action.

In reality, clarity often comes from action.

That’s why at Ctrl Alt Career, we help clients reflect—but we also get them moving. Exploring. Experimenting.

Because sometimes, what looks good on paper is the very thing keeping you stuck.

If You’re Thinking About Career Coaching, Start Here

Ask yourself:

• What’s really not working about my current job?
• What am I afraid to admit to myself about my career?
• If I could start fresh—with no fear, no pressure—what would I do?

Write it down. Don’t judge it. Just get honest.

If you want someone to help you make sense of it all—someone who won’t just tell you to “follow your passion” or “rebrand your LinkedIn”—we’ve got you.

Let’s Chat

Book a free discovery call to see if coaching’s right for you. No pressure, no hard sell. Just a real conversation about what you want next—and how to get there.