Career decision starter

A guide to navigating your next professional move

Start with self-awareness

Changing employer rarely fixes an unclear goal. The clearer you are about what you want, the easier every step that follows becomes.

Take 30 minutes this week and answer honestly:

  • What energised me most in the past year, and what drained me?

  • What are my strengths, and where do I need to develop?

  • Which of my skills are in demand, and do I need to upskill?

  • What are my goals for the next year, and the next five?

  • What would make this move genuinely worth it?

Write your answers down, revisit them a week later, then talk them through with someone impartial.

Abstract digital illustration of two overlapping women's profiles with geometric shapes and textured backgrounds.

The voice within

What mattered to you when you last changed roles may not matter now. Your next move may come down to one of below three areas, which one is pulling at you?

  • Career prospects — proof of career advancement, development, challenging work, and compensation and reward.

  • Company Culture — flexibility, manager support, equity and inclusion, financial security, and environment.

  • Company Values — political voice, integrity of leadership, socially and environmentally responsible and philanthropy.

Then ask whose voice you are actually answering:

  • Will my partner see this move as risky?

  • Will my peers think this company is impressive?

  • Does this align with the identity I want to project?

These are worth noticing, but they are other people’s measures. The move that lasts is the one your own voice keeps returning to.

Making the decision

Reflection only pays off if it turns into a choice. Test any job opportunity against what you have just said matters to you.

Reflection only pays off if it turns into a choice. Test any job opportunity against what you have just said matters to you.

For each option in front of you, including staying where you are, ask:

  • Does it move me towards my goals, or just away from what I am unhappy with?

  • Which of my three areas does it satisfy?

  • What would I need to give up, and can I live with that?

  • If nothing changed here in twelve months, how would I feel?

You are ready to decide when:

  • You can explain the move in one sentence, without justifying it.

  • The reasons are yours, not other people’s.

  • You are moving towards something, not just escaping something.

If two options still feel equal, the difference is how you feel about it tomorrow. Sleep on it, then notice which one you keep hoping for.

Once you know what you are moving towards, the next job is to be seen for it. Your CV and profile speak for you long before you are in the room.

Making an impression

Your CV — lead with achievements rather than duties, and back them with your training and experience. Give it the time it deserves.

Your LinkedIn — your professional calling card, and often the only lasting impression someone forms of you. Make it say who you are, not just where you have worked.

Before you send anything out, check:

  • Can a stranger tell what you are good at in ten seconds?

  • Does each role show a result, not just a responsibility?

  • Would you be found for the job you want next, or only the one you have?

There is no right or wrong way to position yourself, but the time you put in here is what gets you seen.

A woman sitting on a beige armchair in a sunlit room, holding a mug, with a large potted olive tree, a wooden bench, and a table with folded towels, a vase, and a bottle nearby.

Your next step

Skills date faster than job titles. You are likely to find that the people who move well are the ones who keep learning and keep talking to others.

Industries are changing constantly, so staying close to market trends and to your network is what keeps your options open. Pick three things to do in the next 30 days:

  • Reconnect with two people working in the industry you want to be in.

  • Choose one skill that is in demand in your field and take an hour to learn more about it or upskill yourself.

  • Ask someone impartial to challenge your thinking before you commit to a decision.

Small actions can make a big difference. Take the time to reflect and don’t rush your decision.

Opportunities don't happen, you create them” - Chris Grosser

Reflect on what you want, test it against what matters to you, decide, then be seen for it.

Small, deliberate steps are what move a career. You do not have to work it out alone.

Want to go deeper? I offer one-to-one career coaching — details at Career Decision Resources

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