Finding Your Fit: The Skills Matcher Tool

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

EP 3079 Feeling lost in the overwhelming world of job postings and career options? This episode tackles the struggle of connecting your skills and interests to a real-world job you would actually enjoy. We introduce the Skills Matcher tool, a credible, free, government-backed resource sponsored by the US Department of Labor and found on careeronestop.org. The tool is designed to be your launchpad and a great starting point for career exploration, providing ideas for career options based on a quick 40-question skills survey. Crucially, the list of matches you receive are suggestions, not commands, and are not the finish line. Listeners are guided through the most important phase: doing your own homework. This means asking critical questions about potential job duties, required salary, field growth, and necessary education or training to turn a simple suggestion into a real, actual plan. The tool gives you the starting blocks and ideas, but ultimately, the choice of which path to walk down is up to you

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All right, let’s just jump right in. If you’re an executive or really anyone who’s serious about their career, you already know that networking is critical. It’s a huge part of the game. But what if I told you the way most of us are doing it is well, kind of backwards. We’re going to break down a simple but really powerful strategy to get you out from behind your desk and into the rooms where things actually happen. Does this sound familiar? You’re spending hours, you know, crafting those perfect LinkedIn messages, shooting off emails and it just feels like you’re shouting into the void. It’s a chore, right? The return on your time feels tiny and honestly, it’s just draining. If your networking feels more like busy work than building real relationships, you are definitely not alone. So, here’s an idea that can totally change your whole approach. It’s this simple. Be seen where other execs are. This is all about a fundamental shift. Moving away from just broadcasting yourself from home and instead physically or virtually placing yourself right in the middle of the action. It sounds almost too obvious, but it’s a rule that so many of us forget. Let’s give this a name. We’ll call it the be seen principle.

Now, this is not about just showing up to any old thing. No, it is about strategic visibility. Think about it. What’s more powerful? Sending a hundred cold emails into the ether or being one of maybe 20 people in a high value executive round table? One is about volume. The other is all all about impact. It’s about being in the right rooms. Okay, so we’ve got the principle down, but what does the right room actually look like in practice? Where are these places? Let’s build a concrete road map for you. Starting with the most accessible spots to get started. So, think of these as your foundational layers. These are the open arenas. You’ve got your big industry conferences and yeah, virtual ones count too, which are just packed with your peers. Then you have executive roundtables and smaller peer groups that offer a much more focused setting. And hey, do not sleep on webinars, especially the ones hosted by PE firms or major thought leaders. They attract a very specific, very ambitious crowd. These are all fantastic starting points.

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Being seen is one thing. That’s step one. But being remembered, that’s the real goal. For those deeper, more meaningful connections, you’ve got to move beyond the big open arenas. It’s time to start looking for or curated, more exclusive spaces. Now, we’re talking about the inner circles. These are often high commitment, sometimes invitationonly groups like YPO, Chief, or Vistage. And look, they’re exclusive for a reason. They are designed to create a high trust environment filled with vetted peers. Getting into these rooms isn’t just about being seen anymore. It’s about being accepted into a community where the most powerful relationships are built.

So, you know what to do. You know where to go. You’ve gotten yourself into the room. Awesome. Now for the most important part, the how. How do you actually make your presence count? Well, the good news is it’s not nearly as complicated or as scary as you might think. Okay, I want you to really let this next idea sink in cuz it’s a huge relief for a lot of people. You do not have to speak in order to be seen. Let me say that again. You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room. This is your official permission slip to just relax. Being seen is about a different, more thoughtful kind of engagement. It all boils down to this really simple three-step method. Step one, just show up. Seriously, that’s half the battle right there. Step two, engage thoughtfully. This doesn’t mean you have to deliver a speech. It could be just listening intently, asking one really insightful question, or maybe connecting to other people in the room. It’s about adding value, not noise. And then step three, follow up intentionally. A specific personal note that references your conversation is worth a thousand generic LinkedIn requests.

So, if you take away one thing, it’s this. We are flipping the script entirely. We’re moving from passive outreach, you know, the endless emails from your desk to active presence. It’s the difference between hoping someone stumbles across your digital signal and making sure the right people see you in a place that matters with an engagement that actually makes a real impression. The strategy is clear. The steps are simple. You’ve got the what, you’ve got the where, and you’ve got the how. The only thing left to do is well, do it. So, the real question I have for you is this. Where will you choose to be seen next?

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