Consider your whole life, family, friends and your personal interests, not just your work life! Work takes up about 50% of our waking lives. Happiness is more important than anything. Therefore consider: How many hours do you want to work a week? How much pressure are you comfortable with? How many nights do you want to spend away from home? Where do you want to be in 2,3,5 years time? How would a particular career move effect your personal life? Sometimes you may have to take a similar role, on similar money to progress your career. If the new employer is high - growth, you will progress up the ladder, so look at the long term. Choose your recruitment consultancy carefully. Only send your CV to recruitment consultants who are preferred recruitment partners to the companies you are targeting. Meet them and make sure they have your permission before sending your CV. Having established your career plan, research via friends, the Internet and recruitment consultancies to find which companies meet your criteria. You'll probably end up with 2 - 4 companies. Research those short-listed companies thoroughly. Try to identify contacts who work there or who have worked there. Establish their attrition rate, get the company accounts and any other company information available. Think whether the prospective employer will: Meet your career needs Meet your financial needs Develop you from a product, role or project perspective Meet your quality of life needs Ask yourself whether you can meet the expectations of the prospective employer realistically? Try to meet as many people as possible before joining an employer, so you can verify that you are happy with their company culture. Prepare your CV accordingly. Refer to FASIT's CV guidance Money Whilst money is essential to everybody. Look at the big picture! It is amazing how many people make the wrong moves because they are blinded by money. Don't be greedy, don't be modest. Establish what the 'market' is paying for someone with your attributes. Make a considered career move - view our current roles today