Career clarity equals inner clarity: Four tools to help when your job search stalls

Moving to a new country can be exhilarating and full of possibilities for your future career. But for many expats in Germany, that initial energy is quickly replaced by something else: overwhelm, doubt or just plain confusion. 

Some people feel this right away. They’ve arrived, perhaps on a partner visa or in between roles, and they don’t know where to begin. Others feel it after a few years, when they realise the role they took to "get a foot in the door" no longer fits, and perhaps it never did. Both experiences lead to the same quiet question: 

Is it me, or is it just hard to know what I want anymore?

If that feels familiar, you’re not alone. Many of the professionals I coach come to me not because they haven’t tried, but because the trying hasn’t led to clarity. Not yet. The truth is, real career clarity rarely comes from scrolling; it comes from pausing.

Below are four simple but powerful tools that can help you reconnect with what really matters. These are practices that work particularly well when you’re abroad, because they help ground you in your identity, energy and values, even while everything else around you is changing.

1. Start with your values

If you’re feeling lost, you don’t need to leap into action. You need an anchor. That’s what your core values are. Rather than picking words off a list, I suggest you start with a few key questions:

• Who do you admire, and why?
• When have you stood up for something?
• When do you feel most like yourself?

Reflecting on these helps you name the deeper principles that guide your decisions, even if you've never articulated them before.

2. Reclaim your strengths

A lot of expats I meet have left behind roles, titles or industries. They start to doubt themselves. A good reminder is that your strengths haven’t disappeared; they just need new language.

Try this: Take a free online tool like HIGH5 and identify your top 5 strengths. Ask your two closest friends what they believe your top 3 strengths are. Then pick your own top 3 strengths and look at where these already show up in your day-to-day life, even outside of work.

One client of mine realised her strength as an "empathiser" wasn’t just useful in her old HR role, it was the key to what gave her energy in everyday interactions, even as a parent. That insight opened up a whole new direction towards teaching.

3. Keep an energy journal

Not everything needs to be solved with a spreadsheet. Sometimes, patterns emerge through paying attention. For one week, keep a simple journal of your daily activities. After each, ask: Did this give me energy, or drain it?

You might notice that you come alive when brainstorming with others, or that solo tasks leave you flat. You might find that strategic thinking lights you up, or that hands-on work brings a deep sense of calm.

These are golden clues. They show you what kind of work fits you, not just what looks good on LinkedIn.

4. Redefine your identity

This one is personal and powerful. When we move abroad, it can shake up who we think we are. Sometimes you find yourself clinging to past roles or achievements. Other times, you feel like you’ve lost a part of yourself.

Yet this disruption can be a gift. Instead of asking, "Who am I without that job?" try asking, "Who do I want to become next?" You don’t have to erase your past. Just let your identity expand.

One client reframed his career path not as starting over, but as "bringing his depth into new spaces." That shift alone restored confidence and motivation. 

The clarity you're looking for might be inside

If you're in a tough spot, I won't sugar-coat it: getting clear can be messy. But it's also worth it. Because once you have a stronger sense of self, everything else becomes easier - networking, interviewing, deciding.

So, before you send out another batch of applications, try pausing. Reflect. Reconnect. Then move forward with something even better than certainty: clarity grounded in who you are.

For a personal look into an expat story on using these tools, check out my article, “Finding career clarity and purpose amid doubts as an expat”.