He was stalled in his job search and the frustration was beginning to mount. We were scheduled to work on a few of his stories–edit them, polish them, make them high-impact–but I changed course when I sensed his mood and tone. He wasn’t excited by the field he was in, and the idea of finding another opportunity in this field was slightly depressing.

So, we changed course and started focusing on what type of job would be his ideal opportunity. I asked questions: “What are you passionate about? What sort of work can you spend hours on without tiring or losing interest? What are your top five interests? What are your values? Your strengths? Your weaknesses?”

He then came up with his area of prime interest. My next question produced an answer that shocked us both. I asked, “Do you know anyone in this field in the city of Chicago?” where we both live. He said, “Not only do I know this person,” who was a thought leader in her field, “I’ve known her for almost twenty years. She’s a good friend.”

I stared at him in both disbelief and joy. He had the key lying in front of him the entire time, but could not see it. He then asked, “Do I set up an informational interview with her? She’s got connections throughout the city and the country.” I said, “No. She is your friend and she will want to help you, but she will not sacrifice her important contacts to you unless you make her feel completely comfortable that these contacts are safe in your hands. Therefore, you need to master the art of informational interviewing by conducting a few with other contacts of yours and then, when you are ready, set up an informational conversation with a friend, not an informational interview with a stranger.”

What is our takeaway from this exchange? Two things seem to be the most important. First, coaches help jobseekers to see the obvious and the not so obvious. Second, our approach to problem solving needs to be reworked. Problem solving is not only the Operating System (OS) of business, it is the OS of individuals. It touches everything, and is the platform supporting our navigation through this maze called life. [The blog folder entitled “Problem Solving” details my approach. Please start with the first blog post and work your way forward.]