Have you found yourself wondering what you actually want from your professional life lately? Perhaps you’re thinking about how to pursue more alignment or renumeration? You’re not alone. As AI reshapes industries and remodels job security, more of us are seeking work that better supports our purpose and values.
Dominique van Rijn, a University of Sydney graduate and founder of NPower Coaching, helps those feeling stuck or misaligned achieve career clarity. Here, Dominque reveals her top tips on making progress at work, having tough career conversations, and seeking clarity above all.
Keep it clear
“Thinking about what you want to do next is scary – especially when we consider money and finances and all these additional layers,” says Dominique. “But between action and reaction, there is a pause, and that pause is where we make the choice.” This moment is critical for providing clarity and building stronger foundations for the future. “That pause is golden,” adds Dominique. “Nothing can follow this moment if we’re not clear first, so we have to slow down and trust that we actually know more than we think we do.”
While her clients are often stuck between wanting to feel like they’re making progress or doubting their next steps, sometimes the simplest option for all of us, is to sit in the silence and reframe our thinking. “What if it goes right? Think about the best possible outcome that could happen,” says Dominique. “Gain that clarity, start building a platform, and do it scared.”
Understand the environment you’re in
Once you’re clear on where your purpose, vision, and values lie, Dominique encourages her clients to map their market. “Think about who’s out there, who do you want to work for, what company's align to your values, where is the growth’?” she adds. Through this intentional stage, we can better create balance and alignment to our personal and career values. “Step away, find clarity, uncover your values, see where it all overlaps, and you’ll better understand your path.”
What if it goes right? Think about the best possible outcome that could happen,” says Dominique. “Gain that clarity, start building a platform, and do it scared.
Dominique Van Rijn
Taking the first steps
“Thinking is great, planning is great, but a plan is nothing without action,” says Dominique. This is particularly important for those seeking a promotion. “Talk to your boss and instead of saying, ‘I want this’, reframe it as ‘how can I prepare myself for this?’” she explains. “Have the conversations early, communicate your intentions, find a pathway towards what you want because this will allow you to move faster and without haste.”
Dominique also recommends being a team player and communicating what you're doing from the very start. “Overcommunicate and ask for help, take a mentor, ask someone in your organisation who knows something you don’t, and continue to upskill,” she adds. “Be ambitious enough to know what you want, and humble enough to understand you don’t know it all yet.”
Act, don’t react
Taking a proactive approach over a reactive response can make all the difference to your professional longevity. “You may be reactive to a certain situation and then a month later there’s a different challenge, which means you’re just reacting to situations rather than being intentional in what you actually want and need,” says Dominique. If this is something you struggle with, Dominique suggests investing in a coach to help you understand your desires and next steps. “I’m a coach and I have a coach, because I know that if you want to learn something new, you take a teacher,” she says. “How can you know where to go next in life if you’ve been in the same spot for ages?”
What you can do in the meantime however is ask yourself the following questions: What’s changed within your professional world? Have you always been unsatisfied at work? Has your ‘why’ changed and now you’re no longer in alignment? “Maybe you don't have to completely change everything to be happy at work – it’s about getting clear on what’s going on, understanding your environment, and then taking action.”
In a professional landscape that’s shifting faster than ever, Dominique’s advice is a timely reminder that the most important career moves are the intentional ones. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” she says. “You just need to be strategic about it.”
About Dominique
Since graduating in 2021 with a double degree in International Relations and Security Studies, Dominique has built a dynamic career spanning a postgraduate role at private equity–backed firm True Search to executive search roles recruiting CEOs and board members for high-growth tech companies.
Driven by a deep curiosity about people - how they think, what motivates them, and how broader forces shape their decisions - she went on to establish a coaching business focused on career transitions. Through her work, Dominique supports individuals navigating pivots, helping them find meaning, clarity, and confidence in their professional paths.
At NPower Coaching, her approach centres on gaining clarity around what you truly want and building the courage to step into the unknown, particularly for those seeking to better align their passion and purpose with their careers.
Written by Alana Wulff for SAM Extra.
Illustration by Jenny van Rantingen (BVA/BAdvStudies '24). Jenny van Ratingen is an illustrator and multimedia artist, primarily working with painting and sculpture. Outside of Jenny's illustration practice, her artwork delves into themes from the Everyday, the complexities of intergenerational conflicts and the laborious dynamics found within the home.
This article originally appeared in SAM Extra. If you are a University of Sydney alumni, update your preferences to receive this monthly e-newsletter.