People in job transitions who are not certain about their career direction always dread the question: "So, what do you want to do next?" Thinking that they must reply with a specific job title, they may dodge conversations that could potentially be helpful in their transition.

These days, job titles, even in specific industries, are not standardized as they once were. Plus, there are so many more titles in the marketplace than ever before. "The Dictionary of Occupational Titles", now called O*Net lists more than 12,740 occupations with brief descriptions, for anyone who wants to try to locate their dream job. There certainly are some zany titles out there that make it difficult to zero in on a position by its title. For example, if you want to work in tech support at Disney, you'd better look for the title "Imagineering", at a New York ad agency, all staff has non-traditional job titles, like "grand master of client satisfaction" for the manager of customer relations. You won't find those titles on any job search engine.

So, if a person does not identify a job title, how do they explain to others what it is they want to do? I advise my clients to be clear about what they do best (and also enjoy doing) and be able to communicate it in four or five sentences. Period. Rambling on and on will only give the impression you don't really know what you want. Be concise yet informative; then ask where those tasks are performed in the person's organization. The answer will direct you to your next step in your transition: talking with the person who is using the skills you want to use in your next job. At this point, it doesn't really matter if there is a position open or not. Situations in the marketplace change from minute to minute. A job vacancy can occur at any time and it's good to be prepared and know what it is you want—short of a specific job title.