Hints and Tips for before you Apply

So you’re thinking about changing jobs. There are as many reasons for people feeling like this as there are people on the planet, but there are some universal questions you should answer before taking the plunge into the job market; to ensure you are well prepared. In essence, you should never start looking for a job until you know what you want in the first place. You need to have exhausted all possible avenues of opportunity with your current employer and then start some deep thinking; because we spend a lot of time at work so it’s about as critical a decision as a person can make. On average we’re on the planet for 28,000 days and we work for 10,000 of them, so putting in the effort to consider what you want is well worth it. After all, it’s about being challenged, being rewarded, being happy.

As with most things, planning is the key. Here are some actions and questions to ponder:

Action: You need to establish a clear set of goals and reasons for your move. Write them down and be true to yourself. Be honest as to why you really want to leave your current role.

Question: What are the chances of this reason being a problem in any new role you may take?

Question: Could the problem lie with you? Is what you want realistic or achievable?

Question: Are you leaving for positive reasons rather than negative? It’s better for everyone that you’re seeking a challenge rather than running from a problem but sometimes negative reasons are just as valid (i.e. a dictatorial employer).

Question: Are the ‘push’ factors greater than the ‘pull’ factors of a specific role you have in mind? Do you even have a role/industry/environment/location in mind? Too many of us make decisions based on the flimsiest of thinking. We buy cars because of their colour and not their ability to take us reliably from A to B; we buy products endorsed by stars who are no more qualified to tell us that they are good than we are; and we’ve all taken jobs because they were offered to us, rather than because we wanted them.

Action: List what you want from your career

Question: What do you want from your next role? Flexibility, development, money, status, power, achievement, freedom, a chance to make a difference or feel valued, a clear career path?
You may find you want almost all of the above. Well, that may not be possible in one career. Try working out which is most important. Prioritise them. Think which one you may be prepared to compromise over. No job is 100% perfect 100% of the time.

Action: List what you don’t want
To understand what you really want, it may be easier for you to think about what you don’t want; customer contact, strategic control, people management, travel. All these answers will provide you with a set of criteria for your career. Then you can ask yourself some more aspirational questions.

Action: List your strengths
Knowing what you’re good at and what you’re not, is wisdom itself. Having a clear idea as to what transferable skills you can bring an organisation empowers you to sell yourself better to them, and avoids wasting people’s time too, most of all yours. Try asking colleagues and friends for feedback. Scan past appraisals and look out for common themes. You may want to complete a ‘johari’s window’ analysis of yourself with this information to illustrate your degree of self-awareness and provide some direction to improve it (why not use the Wikipedia find out more about this model?).

Question: What level of seniority would you pitch yourself at realistically?

Question: What is your salary expectation? What is your bottom line? Can you substantiate what you might bring to the role to warrant your price tag?
It’s important to know your market value. But be careful to take comments from friends and general hearsay about the market with a pinch of salt. Salary surveys can also be misleading if overly general and taken out of context. Most roles are personality driven to some degree so the investment in them will be determined by the individual available and not necessarily just dictated by the market. Don’t make the mistake of pricing yourself out of the marketplace by believing the hype that you’re worth X when you might only be worth Y. For more information about salaries why not give us a call to speak to one of our consultants.

Action: Write a vision statement for yourself.
This might be something you could use as the intro on your CV or just something to keep to yourself. Either way, it’s vital to set goals in this way if you’re keen to end up somewhere and not just anywhere.
Question: What will career success look like for you in 3, 5 or 10 years?
Question: In what type of environment can the success you visualise for yourself be achieved?

Answering these questions will empower you to plan properly for your future and help ensure that you end up in your dream job not just the next job. Good luck soul-searching.