Planning your next career move
Starting the process of looking for a job upgrade should be exciting but can also be quite daunting as it takes a lot of forward thinking, organisation and can be time consuming.
Make sure you speak to a recruitment consultant to help you cover all bases. You need to have a clear idea of what it is you are looking for before starting another position, you do not want to have to start the process again 3 months down the line after realising you had made the wrong move.
Here are 8 points that we recommend you think about before starting to look for a new position (in no particular order):
1. Location
Are you bored of the long commute? Thinking of moving to a completely different country altogether or prefer a variety of locations to keep it interesting? Either way, this is a fairly important question to consider. Flexible working is becoming more common and companies are seeing the benefits of this for their employees, especially those with a long commute to and from work. There is still a high number (one in five) of employees that will leave a position because of the commute, so make sure you have a clear idea of where you would like to work before starting any sort of process. If you were thinking of moving to a completely different country, there will be more pressing questions at hand such as working visas, the possibility of moving family abroad and essentially starting an entirely new life.
2. Salary and benefits
Do your research! Ask around, check salary surveys/calculators and make sure you are benchmarking yourself sensibly. Your recruitment consultant will be able to give you a good idea on what to expect for your level of seniority and also for the sector that you want to work in. Benefits vary depending on what company you are joining so ensure you make a list of what is important to you (i.e. car, pension, medical etc.) to refer back to.
3. Sector
It is not so uncommon now to move to a different sector from what you have previously specialised in. Companies also welcome the new talent coming through the door. Your knowledge could be incredibly valuable and could benefit both parties. This could also be a great opportunity for a new personal challenge. Again, do your research beforehand, do you have an interest in the sector you are looking at? Do you think you will enjoy it? Do you know anyone who works in that sector already that you can reach out to?
4. Reason for moving
Why are you thinking of leaving your current company? This will be a question you will need to answer so make sure you have your response ready. “I hate my boss” or “I want more money” can of course be valid reasons, but you need to be able to articulate this correctly to your potential employer. Discuss your reasons for wanting to leave with your recruitment consultant and they will be able to guide you on the best way to phrase this.
5. Updating your CV
Making sure that this is accurate is very important for the beginning of your job search. See our HR CV guide page for more information. This is a great way to remind yourself of all of the challenges and projects you have undertaken during your employment – you will be speaking about these a lot during interviews!
6. Upcoming holiday dates
Keep in mind any dates that you have planned to go away so that you can keep everyone in the process informed from the beginning of any process.
7. Notice Period
It is worth checking your contract ahead of time to check how long your notice period is. Your recruitment consultant and your potential employer will both need this information.
8. Aspirations
You need to have an idea of what it is that you want to gain from this move. Do you want to take a step up? Gain management experience? More money? Try to think forward 18 months and imagine where you want to be by then, this should help guide you on your aims which will in turn help you find your aspirations.
Our final piece of advice is to be your own boss in this process. This is your career and your happiness at stake so don’t rush into a decision without thinking it through first.
If you didn’t find what you were looking for, why not read our other HR advice blog posts?