187. Experimenting, Failing, and Finding Your Job Fit - Catalyze Your Career

Rethink career success by testing, adapting, and staying open to unexpected opportunities.

Career planning isn’t as straightforward as we often assume—but according to Dorie Clark, that’s actually a good thing. Instead of following a rigid path, she believes we should be “treating our careers like a series of experiments”—testing, iterating, and staying open to unexpected opportunities. "People assume they need to have everything mapped out for the next twenty years," Clark explains. "But in reality, careers are built through testing, learning, and adapting—just like a scientific hypothesis."

As a bestselling author and career strategist, Clark has spent years studying how professionals can future-proof their careers in an unpredictable world. She shares why informational interviews, LinkedIn strategy, and quarterly career check-ins are essential tools for anyone looking to make a career shift. “You don’t want to be so mired in your plan that you can’t take advantage of unexpected opportunities,” she says.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Clark joins host Matt Abrahams to challenge traditional career advice and explore strategic personal branding, the power of weak ties in networking, and why “reinvention isn’t a one-time event—it’s a habit.”

This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn. Explore your job potential at Linkedin.com/jobs.

Episode Reference Links:

• Dorie Clark
• Ep.118 Maximizing your Personal Brand: Communicating Who You Are to Help Get What You Want

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Chapters:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (01:31) - The Importance of Long-Term Career Vision
• (03:03) - Testing Your Career Hypothesis
• (04:36) - Being Proactive in Your Career
• (07:07) - Reinvention: Small vs. Big Career Changes
• (09:40) - How to Explore a New Industry
• (11:26) - Transferring Skills to New Careers
• (13:25) - Optimizing Your Personal Brand
• (16:48) - Best Career Advice Received
• (18:39) - Career Regrets & Lessons
• (20:22) - Conclusion