The world of work has changed significantly during the last few years, and I wonder if your career goals have too?

Let me remind you of several shifts over the last few years.

Remote and hybrid working is now commonplace. ONS data from earlier this year reported that over 44% of workers reported home or hybrid working up from 17% pre the pandemic.

In June 2022 the four-day week experimentation was tested and as I write this checklist over a hundred companies in the United Kingdom have signed up for a permanent four-day working week for all employees without cutting any pay.

We also had the great resignation predicted in the Microsoft Workplace trends report as employers continue to navigate one of the worst skill short markets in history.

In fact, the search for talent has created a pay war with many companies increasing their offers to new employees and counter-offering current employees to stay.

On the downside, costs are soaring, and the supply chain is breaking.

Well-being is a real focus for many organisations as employees suffer from the worst mental health and burnout in history; no doubt impacted by rising inflation.

Though the world of work may appear to be in turmoil companies are growing and opportunities for skilled employees like you are available in abundance.

What’s Next For You?

With opportunity all around you is it time to re-evaluate where your career is going and who with?

A better-paid role with flexibility might now be possible for you and with a company with a great culture.

When was the last time you sat down and reviewed to what extent you are meeting your career objectives and what you now want?

And I don’t mean your annual review with your line manager; I’m talking about your deeply personal career goals, intentions, and ambitions.

Wherever you are in your career journey, it is a good idea to periodically analyse your current position depending on where you want to be. When you dig a little deeper, is everything on track and working out as you expected? How flexible are your employers and do you need to make some changes in order to meet your goals?

To help you measure if your career is progressing as you envisaged when you started out, we have created the following checklist to provide you with a snapshot of whether you’re on the right track.

When you work through this checklist, it is essential to remember the reasons you got into your current role in the first place.

What did you set out to achieve in your career – did you plan on making a certain amount of money in a specific timeframe?

Was your move into your current role related to what was going on in your personal life? For example, were you about to leave home, get married or were you saving for a deposit for a house?

And also, what is important to you about the company you work for? Do you fit in with your company’s culture? Do you have a good working relationship with your colleagues and managers?

If your current role or company is not fulfilling you in the way you had hoped, or if the pace has slowed down recently, it could be a sign that you need to start making some big career decisions – is it time to move organisations?

Read each statement below and decide how much you agree, using the following scale -

1 – Strongly disagree

2 – Disagree

3 – Neutral

4 – Agree

5 – Strongly agree

So, let’s get started!

Career Checklist

• I am progressing the way I want in my career.
• I have achieved some of my career goals, and others are within reach.
• I enjoy my work and look forward to going in each day.
• The people I work with are very supportive and friendly.
• My company looks after my well-being.
• I am paid fairly for the job I do.
• I feel like a valued member of the team I work within.
• My manager gives me the right balance between support/guidance and working under my own initiative.
• I feel I make a difference within the company I work for, rather than just being a number.
• The company I work for really invests in supporting me to achieve my goals.
• I have set performance objectives.
• I have regular reviews with my manager.
• I can see a clear progression path within my current company.
• I am happy with the level of training and personal development offered by my current employer.
• The company I work for believes in me and trusts me to do my job well.
• The company offers me flexible working options.
• I feel that my company enables and supports my focus.
• I am recognised and rewarded for my work.
• The sector I work in really interests me.
• I am happy with the location and commute to my place of work.
• I feel my company offers a fair and competitive commission structure (if applicable).
• The monetary remuneration I receive has enabled me to achieve goals in my personal life (i.e., buy a house, go on my dream holiday, etc.)
• I feel I have the right work/life balance working for my current company.
• I am happy with the way my working day is structured.
• I can see myself staying with this company for a long time.

Results

What did you score?

Tally up what you scored and take a look below at some of the points you may want to consider when thinking about how you want your career to progress in the future:

23-43

Alarm Bells!
This score says your career isn’t going to plan, and you are probably not enjoying your current role. We suggest thinking about why you aren’t enjoying your position or not achieving what you want. It might be time for you to move on or think about whether your current company or role is for you. Do you need a more supportive environment, better career progression, or even a change of sector?

44-64

Room for More
A better score, suggests you enjoy aspects of your job, but there’s lots of room for improvement. For example, you might like the people you work with, but you feel you aren’t personally getting the support you need to achieve your career and personal goals. Maybe your current company doesn’t agree with remote or hybrid working. You need to consider if you can see changes happening in your current company by speaking to your manager, or if you feel working here has run its course and to progress, you need to move on.

65-85

Meeting Some Goals
You’re neither happy nor unhappy, though you wouldn’t describe yourself as completely engaged. This means that if the right opportunity came your way, you might consider it. When you feel this way, sometimes the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. You need to decide if you want to move, and why is this? Understand if it’s just a case of you only feeling like this when you have a bad day or if it’s more often.

85+

Loving Life and Your Job
You are achieving your goals, meeting targets, and enjoying the place you work. There may be small elements that you feel could be better, but they aren’t big enough to make you think about working somewhere else.

If this checklist has prompted you to think harder about what your current role and company are providing you with, and it has made you realise that now is time for a change, then get in touch with us today.

We have been helping candidates like yourself to make positive career decisions for 25 years, and we can help you in deciding what step to take next to further your career.