Finding the right job

There’s no one right way to get a new job, but there are quite a few wrong ones. So first, make sure you consider all your options. Ask yourself where you are and where you think you can get to. And be realistic.

Then spend some time detailing your skills and experience, while also thinking about what makes you want to do the job in the first place. It can be useful to think back to the ‘highs and lows’ of previous roles, and the reasons why you experienced them.

You should also consider your ‘life balance’ – are you spending too much time at work at the expense of family life? Would you like to spend more time pursuing a particular interest? - put simply, are you leaving time for the different aspects of your life, or is one area dominating the rest? Once you understand this you can begin to plan how you can get a better balance in the future.

What’s the point of all this? Well, the more we know ourselves, the better we tend to be at the things we do. Such as planning our next career move. Thus, you’ll be more focused when thinking through what you want from a new job: what kind of role and company, whether you want to work full or part-time, and what kind of salary and prospects you’re looking for.

Now you’ve got to find the job you’ve identified. You can do this in one of four ways: by responding to an advertisement, either in the press or via the internet; by making a speculative application to an employer; by contacting a recruitment consultancy; or by ‘networking’ among contacts you’ve made or plan to make.

The one thing to keep in mind is this: the clearer you are about what you’re trying to achieve, the more likely it is you’ll find what you’re looking for.