You've decided it's time to move on, so what’s next? 

We've put together five steps that will help light your path on how to determine what you want from your next role. 

Self evaluation 

Critical yet often overlooked, self-evaluating is an essential step before starting any progress towards making your next career move. Take time to asses your skills and achievements and ask yourself the following questions prior to reinventing your CV: 

1. What are your strengths, weaknesses and areas you would like to develop on? 
2. What have been your biggest achievements outside and inside of work? 
3. What are your most unique assets which make you a valuable employee?

Research 

Put in the leg work and do your market research. Industry knowledge will demonstrate good initiative and impress potential employers and will also better prepare you for when you start a new job. 

Talk to recruitment consultancies and other professionals about current market and salary trends; which sectors are recruiting and how long the recruitment process is likely to take. 

Sign up for job alerts that match your chosen role criteria to ensure you are always across the most up-to-date roles on the market.

Find a partner you can trust

An established, specialist recruitment consultancy with a good reputation, will be able to support you throughout the process.

Agencies have access to a number of hidden roles that are not publicly advertised. They will be able to provide you with a wealth of knowledge about the organisation, interview tips and areas of development, which will ultimately give you the advantage over the competition. 

Network your way to the top

By being well-connected, you are not only enabling yourself to tap into the 'hidden' job market, but you are also giving yourself a real advantage over other candidates. Make valuable connections in your chosen field, whether it be past and present co-workers, bosses, colleagues from business associations or friends.

You can expand your network by using social media sites such as LinkedIn, attending trade shows and business seminars, organising informational interviews and by volunteering. 

Company culture

Assessing the company you would like to work for is equally as important as assessing the career you would like to pursue. Eight hours a day, five days a week - If you don’t thrive in that culture then your job can become toxic pretty quickly.  Think about what you would like from a company and what values are important to you, so you don’t waste any time when applying for organisations you don’t see fit.