Advice & Resources

3 Tips for Deciding on Your Next Career Move
by John - 2015-02-27

The days of staying with a company from the time you enter the work force until the day you die is over. Today's work force is more mobile than ever and workers don't feel the same sense of obligation to a company that they did in the past. Instead of working hard and counting on regular raises, savvy workers are taking their careers into their own hands, going out and finding better opportunities when they feel their current work environment becomes too stale. If it's time for you to move on in your career, use the following 3 tips to help decide on your next move.

1.) Research a potential career change like an important project. Start by deciding to put the right level of time and energy into researching your next move to make the change as painless as possible.

Some people find that creating a timeline is the most helpful. Timelines can help you dedicate the right amount of time and energy to the process, particularly if you are looking at multiple options or directions for your career to go in.

2.) Spend enough time reflecting on your various options. Don't just decide to change careers based on one bad day. Instead, reflect on your career with the co'mpany you're at as a whole and see how you feel. If you've decided it's time to move on, take the next step in choosing a possible path. Write down all the jobs you may be interested in and then narrow it down from there. Starting with 3 potential jobs is a good approach. That's a small enough number that you can easily tap your professional network to start putting out feelers for what's available and what companies are looking for in a potential employee.

3.) Take a personality assessment. If you're completely lost and don't know what you want to do, try taking an assessment test to determine what your personality is the most suited for. Remember, if you're really interested in a particular field, the technical aspects can always be learned on the job. Even if you're set on a particular career, a personality test can help you determine whether or not it's something you'll enjoy long term. If the results are completely counter to who you are as an individual, you can try taking a course to see if it's something you truly would enjoy doing.

Changing careers can be intimidating, but if you give the process the right amount of time and consideration, you can wind up at a company you love, doing a job you've always dreamt of doing. Finding happiness in your career is possible if you just put the right amount of effort into finding a job that's the right fit for your personality.