How to Know What You Want From Your Next Job
This article is part of the Your Next-Move Profile guide.
Knowing what you want from your next job sounds straightforward. In practice, it requires more reflection than most people give it — and without that reflection, it is easy to make a move that solves one problem while creating several others.
Start with what is wrong, not what is ideal
The most useful starting point is not imagining your perfect job. It is being honest about what is not working in your current one.
Ask yourself:
- What would I change about my current role if I could?
- What am I tolerating that I should not have to?
- What am I not getting that I expected when I took this job?
- What would have to change for me to stop thinking about moving?
These answers point directly to your real priorities — the things that actually matter to you, not the things that sound good on paper.
Translate problems into priorities
Once you know what is wrong, translate it into specific, measurable priorities:
- "I’m underpaid" → minimum salary of £X
- "I travel too much" → maximum patch of X miles
- "There’s no progression here" → a role with a defined pathway to Y within Z years
- "The on-call is killing me" → no more than one in four weekends, properly compensated
Specific priorities are the foundation of a useful next-move profile. Vague ones lead to vague outcomes.