Many professionals find themselves at a crossroads, unsure about what should be their next step in their career journey. Some may feel stagnant in their current roles or are itching to try something new. Others realize that their present job doesn’t quite match their aspirations.
In this article, we’ll delve into the importance of plotting your next career move and offer guidance on making that decision.
Why is Deciding on Your Next Career Move Crucial?
Pinpointing your next career step is vital as it guides you on the skills you need to cultivate and which immediate objectives will propel you to the next phase of your professional life.
Knowing your desired direction can spur continuous growth. This clarity can lead you to explore avenues for further education and skill development, such as university degrees, certifications, or vocational training. Moreover, it paves the way to expand your network and foster relationships with mentors in your desired field.
How to Determine the Move in Your Career?
1. Identify Your Ideal Working Environment:
Start by envisioning the setting you’d like to work in. Do you prefer home-based jobs, office settings, public spaces, labs, outdoor sites, or a blend of these?
Recognizing your preferred environment can offer insights into the type of work you’d love and how surroundings influence your productivity and job satisfaction. Also, ponder the kind of corporate culture that aligns with your values. Corporate culture encapsulates a company’s ethics, values, and structures, shaping its operations and employee relations.
2. Reflect on What You Enjoy in Your Job
As you navigate your next move, reflect on the tasks and experiences you’ve cherished in your current and past roles. List down the activities that resonate with you, which can guide you towards a role that emphasizes those elements.
Conversely, consider the aspects you didn’t enjoy, which can steer you away from similar roles in the future. For instance, if you relished inventory tracking in retail but craved a non-customer-facing role, you might explore careers in inventory management, logistics, or the backend of sales.
3. Linking Your Skills with Your Core Values
One insightful approach to determining the next rewarding stage in your career is understanding your core skills and aligning them with your values. Values encapsulate the traits and behaviors you hold dear and find motivating.
By listing down your skills alongside your values, you can identify professions, sectors, or roles that cater to both. Your values can also guide you towards the industries or companies you’d love to be a part of, with your skills assisting you in landing a position within them. By identifying roles, industries, or firms that don’t align with your skills and values, you can better focus on the ones that truly resonate with you.
4. Contemplating Skills You Want to Acquire
When mapping out the next steps in your career, it’s also beneficial to explore skills you’re keen on learning. These might include hobbies you want to professionalize, skills that complement your existing ones, or entirely new competencies. Investigate professions or sectors that utilize these skills and see if there’s something you’d like to dive into.
5. Seek Insights from Others’ Career Journeys
Gaining insights from others’ experiences can shed invaluable light on various professions. They can offer a closer look into the day-to-day of a certain job, insights on industry demands, growth opportunities, and organizational nuances. Listening to career stories can also prepare you for potential challenges.
When looking for individuals to glean insights from, consider experts in the desired field. Engage with recruiters or career counselors for detailed role expectations. Connect with friends to see if their sectors align with your interests. Attend networking events and workshops to build relationships with industry professionals.
6. Charting a Five-Year Plan
Setting a five-year goal offers a sense of direction in your career. Whether you’re looking at switching careers or advancing in your current field, establishing a mid-term target is beneficial. A five-year goal strikes a balance—it’s close enough to feel attainable yet distant enough to allow for adjustments. It offers ample time to smoothly transition between professions, or to bolster your skills, credentials, and connections for growth in your present industry.
7. Crafting a Career Development Blueprint
With a clear five-year goal in mind, the next step is plotting out its realization. Draft a roadmap based on qualifications, skills, and experiences you’ll need for the upcoming career phase. Consider acquiring certifications and degrees to fortify your credentials. Workshops and tutorials can expand your skillset, steering you towards your objectives. Contemplating consultancy roles might be a good strategy to accumulate savings for potential career transitions. Lastly, leverage networking and mentoring opportunities, connecting with individuals who can guide you towards your aspirations.
