Career Control: 7 Key Considerations Before You Make Your Next Move.

Changing jobs is an important event for most people, although arguably perhaps less significant than it once was now that the idea of a job for life is a thing of the past.  Whether it’s a move into a new permanent position or a new interim position there’s a long list of things you should consider before taking the plunge. So before you consider your next career move, here are the 7 most important considerations for your checklist.

What are you moving away from and what are you moving towards? Too often in their haste to find a new job people don’t fully evaluate what they are actually looking for!  Consider the aspects of your current role you do and don’t enjoy. What don’t you currently do that you would like to? What skills/experiences would you like to develop further? How does this fit with your medium to long term career plan.

 

On that note think of any move like a game of chess. Whether a permanent or an interim move, where can the next role lead, how does it assist you to achieve your goals? Don’t just think about the role you’re accepting, think about the broader opportunity, which means thinking like a chess master; 2, 3, 4 moves ahead.

Pick the right boss. In our opinion this is one of the most important factors when deciding if an opportunity is for you. It’s also one that people often underestimate. If you’re ambitious, you’re usually best served working under an ambitious manager. What can you learn from them? How can they help and support your continued development? What journey can you go on with them? What will it be like working with and for them day-to-day? Of course, you play an important part on all of those, but having a talented, supportive, inspiring manager clearly helps!

 

What’s in a job title? Your job title is far less important than the jobs responsibilities. Plenty of people have made the mistake of picking a grander title but with inferior responsibilities and ended up regretting it. Don’t be that person!

 

Despite what the league tables and valuations may suggest, the biggest companies and best brands don’t always make the best employers. Don’t get starry eyed by a big brand or cool company. Be as thorough in checking their suitability for you as you would a less well-known company. A great role with a fantastic manager in a smaller or less well-known company will usually beat the wrong role and manager with a bigger brand.

 

Money. We could all do with a bit more couldn’t we!? Salary and package will usually be an important part of the criteria when searching for a new job. Although often it’s not actually the most important factor. With a new role most people will want a salary increase, depending on your current salary this is usually c.10%. The salary on offer clearly forms part of the whole decision of whether an opportunity is right for you, don’t let it be the driving factor. After all, taking the best available opportunity will usually have a greater impact in your future earnings and job satisfaction.

 

And finally, understanding your own motivations for any move is crucial. A tried and tested method is to sit down and list your motivations, wants and needs. Once down on paper give them a number or weighting in order of their importance. More often than not the first point you’ve listed is not the most important one!

 

Moving jobs is easy when compared to finding the right career opportunity, which takes patience, preparation and commitment. Next time you are considering making a move, build a checklist using these 7 pointers to help you get a better understanding of what that next career move should look like. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, so if we’ve missed anything that you feel is more important, please let us know below.

Author: Mark Thomas, Director