Increase your chances of making your next career move a good one by analyzing your motivations and understanding how to effectively evaluate an opportunity. In this article, we go into detail how to weigh your current role and employer to your ideal role and organization. Additionally, we outline how to comprehensively consider a particular career opportunity to ensure it will be beneficial to your career, personal life and future.

1. C o n s i d e r
a
N e w
C a r e e r
O p p o r t u n i t y
t h e
R i g h t
W a y
A
recent
study
conducted
by
CareerBuilder
found
that
21%
of
full-­‐time
employees
plan
to
change
jobs
in
2014.
If
you’re
one
of
those
thinking
about
pursuing
a
new
opportunity,
chances
are
you
understand
that
choosing
to
do
so
is
a
big
decision.
After
all,
it
takes
a
substantial
amount
of
time
to
update
your
resume,
research
available
positions
and
prospective
employers,
and
interview.
Quite
frankly,
looking
for
a
new
role
can
be
a
full-­‐time
job
in
itself.
Analyzing
your
motivations
before
contemplating
a
career
move
and
knowing
how
to
effectively
evaluate
a
new
opportunity
will
help
to
increase
your
chances
of
making
the
right
move.
Assessing
Your
Current
Position
&
Employer
vs.
Your
Ideal
Those
who
decide
they’re
ready
to
make
a
change
typically
share
common
motives
for
doing
so.
According
to
Deloitte’s
September
2012
report
entitled
“Talent
2020:
Surveying
the
Talent
Paradox
From
the
Employee
Perspective”,
job-­‐seeking
professionals
cite
the
following
as
the
top
reasons
they
would
consider
looking
for
new
employment:
✓
27%
–
Lack
of
career
progress
✓
22%
–
New
opportunities
in
the
market
✓
22%
–
Dissatisfaction
with
manager
/
supervisor
✓
21%
–
Lack
of
challenge
✓
21%
–
Lack
of
compensation
increase
While
these
are
all
valid
reasons
for
wanting
to
leave
a
job,
the
decision
to
pursue
a
new
opportunity
is
not
to
be
taken
lightly.
Three
important
pieces
of
advice
are:
➡
Don’t
explore
or
take
a
position
just
because
you
want
to
get
out
of
your
job.
There
may
be
times
when
you’re
interested
in
an
opportunity
simply
because
you’re
looking
for
a
way
out
of
your
current
position.
The
new
opportunity
may
seem
great
at
first
but
it’s
best
to
take
time
to
consider
if
it’s
really
something
you
want
to
do
and
is
a
step
in
the
direction
that
is
closer
to
your
personal
and
professional
goals.
➡
Don’t
explore
or
take
a
job
just
because
you’re
dissatisfied
with
your
compensation.
You’ve
probably
heard
this
advice
before.
Truly,
it’s
rare
that
a
person
is
satisfied
a
few
months
after
taking
a
new
job
simply
because
it
gives
them
more
spending
money.
➡
Never
leave
your
current
job
unless
you’re
leaving
for
something
else.
Having
a
gap
in
your
resume
looks
suspicious
enough.
Furthermore,
having
a
resume
gap
that
was
self-­‐
inflicted
can
make
you
seem
irresponsible
to
a
prospective
employer.
In
either
case,
resume
gaps
are
often
viewed
negatively.
Analyzing your motivations before contemplating a career move
and knowing how to effectively evaluate a new opportunity will
help to increase your chances of making the right move.

2. Consider a New Career Opportunity The Right Way
Beyond
the
aforementioned
recommendations,
it’s
important
to
understand
why
you’re
willing
to
explore
new
career
opportunities.
As
executive
search
consultants,
the
majority
of
our
candidates
are
passive
job-­‐seekers,
meaning
they
are
not
actively
looking
for
new
roles.
And
that
may
be
the
case
with
you.
However,
you
still
need
to
understand
why
you’re
willing
to
pursue
an
opportunity
and
the
characteristics
of
your
ideal
role
and
organization.
If
you
are
discontent
with
your
current
position
or
employer,
analyze
why.
Reflecting
on
your
situation
helps
you
realize
what
it
is
you’re
seeking.
Winter 2014 Navigator
After
you’ve
considered
all
of
these
elements
of
a
career
change,
you
can
feel
confident
that
you’re
properly
prepared
to
begin
updating
your
resume
and
looking
for
positions
and
organizations
that
are
truly
in
your
best
interest.
Evaluating
a
New
Opportunity
The
following
is
our
advice
on
what
to
consider
before
beginning
to
explore
new
opportunities:
As
you
begin
to
review
specific
job
opportunities,
ask
yourself
the
questions
outlined
below
to
evaluate
the
fit
of
the
potential
role.
Doing
this
will
also
help
you
structure
answers
to
questions
that
a
prospective
employer
may
ask
during
the
interview
process.
Your
current
role
/
employer:
Role:
➡ What
are
the
responsibilities
or
challenges
of
your
position
that
you
do
not
enjoy
or
that
make
you
dissatisfied?
➡ What
are
the
responsibilities
and
challenges
of
the
position?
Compare
them
to
your
current
and
ideal
job.
➡ What
aspects
of
your
role
do
you
not
like?
(i.e.
co-­‐
workers,
reporting
relationships,
compensation)
➡ What
skills
lead
to
success
in
the
position
and
do
you
possess
them?
Will
the
role
utilize
and
expand
your
skills
and
expertise?
➡ What
are
the
characteristics
of
your
employer
that
make
you
feel
like
you
do
not
belong
there?
(i.e.
work
environment,
corporate
culture,
organizational
values
and
principles,
short-­‐
and
long-­‐term
objectives
and
strategies).
Your
ideal
role
/
employer:
➡ What
types
of
responsibilities
and
challenges
do
you
enjoy?
➡ What
are
the
short-­‐
and
long-­‐term
expectations
of
the
role?
Are
you
familiar
with
those
types
of
expectations
and
executing
such
initiatives?
How
is
performance
evaluated?
Do
you
feel
you
would
flourish
in
the
role?
➡ Does
the
opportunity
support
your
current
and
long
term
career
aspirations
and
is
it
a
step
in
the
right
direction?
What
advancement
opportunities
exist?
➡ What
do
you
really
want
to
do
with
your
career?
What
are
your
professional
goals?
➡ What
impact
does
the
role
have
upon
the
organization
itself?
Will
you
have
an
opportunity
to
make
a
difference?
Does
it
provide
meaning
to
you
personally
and
does
it
support
your
values?
➡ What
are
your
personal
goals
and
what
does
your
career
need
to
offer
to
support
those
objectives?
Team
&
Reporting
Relationships:
➡ What
are
your
skills?
What
is
your
expertise?
➡ What
meaning
do
you
want
from
your
job?
➡ In
what
type
of
corporate
culture
do
you
thrive?
What
values
and
principles
does
your
ideal
employer
support?
➡ What
is
your
ideal
work
environment?
➡ What
type
of
organizational
structure
best
supports
your
work
style?
➡ Who
does
the
position
report
to
and
work
closely
with?
Are
those
individuals
happy
within
the
organization
and
are
they
planning
to
stay?
What
are
their
personal
and
professional
traits,
and
are
they
similar
to
your
own?
➡ How
well
does
the
team
interact
and
communicate?
What
are
its
strengths
and
weaknesses?

3. Winter 2014 Navigator
Consider a New Career Opportunity The Right Way
Corporate
Culture:
leads
to
happiness
and
satisfaction.
However,
there
are
➡ What
is
the
work
environment
(cubicles,
offices,
or
the
new
flexible
type
of
workspace)?
compensation
considerations
to
take
into
account:
➡ Is
the
compensation
package
being
offered
commensurate
with
your
experience?
Is
there
incentive
compensation
and
how
is
it
determined?
➡ How
is
the
organization’s
leadership
viewed?
Is
executive
management
respected
and
trusted?
If
appropriate
to
your
role,
consider
the
backgrounds
and
the
personal
and
professional
characteristics
of
the
executive
team.
➡ Does
the
compensation
warrant
leaving
your
current
position?
➡ What
are
the
commute
and
travel
requirements
of
➡ What
are
the
organization’s
overall
values
and
the
position?
Do
they
support
your
lifestyle
and
family/friend
obligations?
principles?
Do
they
reflect
your
own?
➡ What
are
the
organization’s
short-­‐
and
long-­‐term
objectives
and
strategies?
Lack
of
cultural
fit
is
a
primary
reason
that
many
new
hires
fail
so
it
is
imperative
that
you
give
this
appropriate
consideration.
For
more
extensive
insight,
read
our
article,
Organizational
Culture:
A
Candidate’s
Perspective.
Compensation
&
Other:
As
mentioned
earlier,
we
never
recommend
taking
a
new
position
just
because
of
compensation.
Doing
so
rarely
Finally,
consider
the
reasons
you
identified
as
to
why
you
are
dissatisfied
with
your
current
position
and
employer,
and
make
sure
none
of
those
issues
are
likely
to
occur
or
play
a
part
in
the
prospective
role
and
organization.
It
may
seem
like
these
are
a
lot
of
considerations
when
assessing
a
new
career
opportunity.
But,
changing
jobs
and
employers
carries
a
level
of
risk
at
any
point
during
your
career.
Giving
an
opportunity
the
appropriate
thought
before
taking
a
leap
benefits
you
personally
and
professionally,
and
instills
confidence
that
you
are
making
a
solid
decision.
Written
by
Sami
Barry,
Strategic
Market
Development
and
Tracy
Boczkowski,
Managing
Director
with
Helbling
&
Associates.
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