The path in your career forward isn't always clear. Does this sound true to you?
-
"Should I stay or should I go?"
-
"I want to change direction, but don’t know how."
-
"I’m qualified but keep getting passed over."
-
"I’m navigating a confusing job market or skill gap."
-
"I want to grow but feel blocked by risk or bias."
-
"How do I navigate organizational complexity?"
-
"I’m stuck despite doing everything right."
-
"I have multiple paths but no clear way to choose."
What you may want
If your challenge is figuring out direction, navigating complexity, or working through the “messy middle” of a career decision, that’s where a buyer’s perspective and strategic guidance add real value.
What you may not want
If your main challenge is resume tweaks, interview prep, or a single application, HR and recruiting pros are better suited for that. That’s execution, not exploration.
What could happen next?
Different stages of your career call for different support. Some moments require direction and exploration (that’s where this approach helps). Other moments call for execution and application (that’s where HR and recruiting excel). Often, success comes from combining both—just at the right time.
Most career advisors come from HR and recruiting backgrounds, bringing valuable expertise in organizational talent systems and internal mobility. I come from a different background: 20 years of enterprise business development at companies like eCornell, Dale Carnegie Digital, and Rosetta Stone.
This gives me something different: a buyer’s perspective. I spent my career selling learning and development solutions to Fortune 1000 companies. To do that successfully, I had to deeply understand how they made buying decisions about talent development—what skills and capabilities they actually valued and invested in, not just what they listed in job descriptions, but what they put real budgets behind.
About Robert Merlo
Meet a different kind of career advisor.
Who I Serve
Students and New Professionals
Build your career foundation before you even start applying. Learn what organizations actually value—not just what job descriptions say—so you can think strategically from day one. Leave with clarity on how to position yourself and what capabilities actually matter.
Early-Career Professionals
Navigate advancement when the path isn’t clear. Understand how organizations make investment decisions about capabilities, how to position yourself for opportunities that might not exist yet, and how to build what matters. Leave with confidence about your next moves and strategic positioning.
Mid-Career Professionals
Navigate complexity, transitions, and non-linear moves. Whether you’re dealing with organizational politics, considering a major change, or feeling stuck despite success, the buyer's perspective helps you see possibilities you might have missed. Leave with clarity on direction.
What You'll Gain Working Together
You won’t walk away with a perfect roadmap—life rarely offers those—but you will leave with a clear direction. A heading that fits your strengths, your reality, and what matters most to you. You’ll move from feeling paralyzed to moving with purpose.
You’ll learn how to decode what organizations truly invest in versus what they say in job descriptions. This buyer’s perspective helps you position yourself for the skills and behaviors decision-makers genuinely care about—not just the lines that look good in a posting.
Using the Waysfinder framework, you’ll have a structured way to explore options without feeling chaotic or unfocused. You’ll run safe-to-fail experiments, work inside a thoughtfully defined option field, and set direction without locking yourself into unrealistic destinations.
You’ll gain a deeper understanding of how to position yourself for opportunities—including ones that haven’t been created yet. You’ll learn how to navigate organizational complexity and internal politics with insight from someone who has seen how decisions really get made.
The Waysfinder framework isn’t just for this moment. It becomes a reusable tool you can return to anytime a complex career decision shows up again—which it inevitably will.
Most clients work with me for 3–6 months through bi-weekly or monthly sessions. You’ll leave with clarity on direction, a sharper sense of your strategic positioning, and the confidence to move forward with intention.
The Waysfinder Career Development Process
Clarify your reality and direction.
We start by understanding your current context, capabilities, and constraints, then set a clear direction—not a fixed destination—so you can move forward without locking yourself into premature decisions.
Explore options with smart guardrails.
Using the Waysfinder framework and a buyer’s perspective, we create safe boundaries for exploration, surface adjacent possibilities, and test options that align with what organizations actually invest in.
Sense, adapt, and build confidence over time.
Through a regular assessment of your options, resources, feedback loops and iteration, you learn how to assess what’s working. So you can adjust course, and apply this navigation framework to future career decisions with clarity and confidence.
Why Robert Merlo?
What Makes My Approach Different—and When It’s Most Useful
Many career advisors come from HR or recruiting, with deep insight into preparation, internal talent systems, and hiring processes.
My background is different: 20 years in enterprise business development, selling learning and development solutions to Fortune 1000 organizations.
That experience gives me a buyer's perspective and a clear view of how talent decisions are made from the other side. Resulting in a clear way for you to navigate complexity when the path forward isn’t obvious.
How this shows up in practice:
-
I help you decode job descriptions to understand what truly drives hiring decisions versus what sounds good on paper
-
I identify the gap between stated priorities and real investment—what gets budget, not just attention
-
I translate vague terms like “strategic thinking” or “leadership” into what they mean in your specific target organisations
-
I help you position your capabilities in the language organisations use when evaluating ROI, not just keywords
-
I use the Waysfinder framework to set direction without locking you into a single, fixed outcome
-
I create space for safe exploration, feedback loops, and informed course-correction as you move forward
Helpful Articles and Resources
Stategic Career Advisory Programs
Access a strategic career advisory using the Waysfinder framework—designed for navigating uncertainty with clarity and confidence.
The Waysfinder Framework
The Waysfinder framework helps you navigate messy career transitions with clarity and confidence. Instead of getting overwhelmed by endless options or stuck on a single rigid path, we create a clear exploration space—identifying where you are now, where you want to go, what boundaries keep you focused, and what realistic next moves make sense. Think of it as bringing strategy to the messiness.
Career Navigation for New Professionals
Navigate the transition from classroom to career with clarity and confidence. Add-on sessions are available after you have completed a program for $150 each.
Accelerators for Early Career Professionals
Build momentum and position yourself for advancement while navigating the messy middle. Add-on sessions are available after you have completed a program for $175 each.
Transitions for Mid Career Professionals
Design your next chapter with intention—whether transitioning roles, industries, or redefining success. Add-on sessions are available after you have completed a program for $200 each.
Career Transition Relief Rate: Get 20% Off Any Program
Recently experienced a layoff or unexpected career disruption? I understand the uncertainty and financial pressure that comes with transition. Valid for 30 days from initial inquiry when you mention this offer during your discovery call.
Connect and Schedule
In Person or Online
I work with clients both in person and online with simple Zoom scheduling to provide flexible, accessible support wherever you are.
Located in Rochester, NY
Based in Rochester, NY, I collaborate with clients locally and travel globally to share insights and build meaningful partnerships.
Select Evenings and Weekends
I’m available for career consultations on Tuesday through Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. Book a career clarity call to get started.
