Twenty-four ways to uncover your next career move

If you haven’t already guessed, I aim to help you find a career to enjoy. This underpins everything I write on this blog.  By unpicking all the layers of expectation that society has laid down, you can begin to understand what works for you. Sometimes that means a stable career; a security blanket when other parts of your life are unpredictable. At other times, you may realise you need a new role!  This may be the point where the trouble starts, and you ask yourself “Where can I go next?” That is where I come in!  Today I will help you create twenty-four ways to uncover your next career move.

Finding the next step in your career can feel like you are hunting for a needle in a haystack.  Working with a coach like me means you begin to open up opportunities for alternative, non-linear routes. Whilst this is my day-to-day work, this may be the first time you have given any focus to your career. Maybe up until now, work has just happened to you. So I’m going to offer you a virtual handhold to help you feel more in control.

When helping my clients with their job searching plans, I often set them homework which is an expansion of the focus of a session. It will come as no surprise, that when working on the next career move, during a session we are reflecting on the interplay of two facets of a career.

Namely, a role and an industry.

During this blog, I am going to give you full access to my tried and tested technique! The best way to generate ideas is to tap into a childlike imagination, by wondering “what if” for a range of combinations based on different perspectives of a role(job) and an industry.   After working through these prompts, per column,  you can begin to narrow down genuine opportunities, and begin to act!

Below you will see a chart that creates AT LEAST 24 combinations of industry and jobs. If you feel I have missed other combinations, just create new prompts! To make this work, you want AT LEAST one answer to each prompt; however, if you have more, job them down! As the list progresses, it can get a little more abstract; do not overthink it, accept the options generated when you ask yourself “what if …”

 

Same Job With	Different job with	Same Department (internal) with	Different department (internal) with	Ideal Role   with	Old Job   with
Same industry	Same industry	Different job	Different job	Ideal Industry	Same Industry
Clients of your industry	Clients of your industry	Previous job	Previous job	Current Industry	Clients of your industry
Suppliers of your industry	Suppliers of your industry		Same job		Suppliers of your industry
Different industry	Different industry				Different Industry
Ideal Industry	Ideal industry				Ideal Industry
Previous Company					Previous Company

 

I expect you are now reviewing at least twenty-four ideas, and probably thinking “great, what do I do now?” You consider which of the 24 are viable. You do so, by asking yourself the following questions, You then reject the ones that are not ideal, and narrow down the ones that have the potential to become your next career move!

 

• Who do I know in this role/sector/organisation?
• How can I uncover the roles?
• Where do I apply through?
• Which skills do I need to highlight?
• Which option(s) excite me?
• What do you need to learn?
• How can I make it happen?
• When can I start?

 

It will be a self-selecting process; there will be roles and industry combinations that spark your interest whilst others will demotivate you. Concentrate on the ones that feel like they have potential and bring them into reality.

So, whilst you may have started this blog wondering “Where do I go next?” I hope you are now reading about a whole host of career opportunities that can get you closer to your career to enjoy!

Buried deep within this list is the next path to take. How does that feel?

If you want extra help, then maybe the career coach that has walked you through the process can help you with the next steps?

 

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