20 Questions to help you think about career change

Thinking about a career change? If so, working through some of the following questions will help you understand your motives for making the change.

Taking time to explore the issues you are facing will help you plan a change that is well-thought through and motivational; avoiding a knee-jerk escape that might not give you the career satisfaction you are seeking.

The questions below will help you to understand if you really want to change career or not. Most people find it useful to do this Q&A exercise on a piece of paper:

1. Why did you choose your current career / position / company?
2. On a scale of 1-10 how satisfied are you at the moment?
3. What would move you further up the scale?
4. What is making you feel dissatisfied or unfulfilled?
5. Thinking about your current career - what motivates you the most? Why?
6. Thinking about your current career - what de-motivates you the most? Why?
7. Thinking about your current manager, salary, work culture and company - what impact are they having on your decision to consider making a change?
8. What would happen if you stayed?
9. What would happen if you left?
10. What could you achieve in your current position?
11. Is your current position what you thought it would be?
12. Is your earning potential at the level you want it to be?
13. What skills and expertise are you not maximising in your current position?
14. If you made a career change - what would you be willing to compromise to make it happen (salary, level, commute etc.)?
15. If you made a change - what would you gain and what would you lose?
16. If you have dependents, how supportive would they be of the change and the possible sacrifices?
17. Thinking about your personal and professional networks - who can help you work through and make the change?
18. What preparations can you start now to support the change?
19. How urgent is the need to change?
20. What short, medium and long term career goals to you have?

These questions are by no means exhaustive. They are just some of the challenges and prompts that I use with my coachees to help them think more deeply about career change. I hope you find them useful and perhaps cause you to pause and reflect before taking a plunge.