One client prioritized location over all because he was part of a dual-career couple, and his wife had committed to a three-year residency and was not relocatable. Another client aspired to be a Chief Marketing Officer, so each of her career moves focused on adding a skill or expertise that she would need for the C-level job – people management, P&L responsibility, digital, etc. At one point, she had the range of skills but had no international exposure, so experience abroad became the priority. Yet another client took a detour from online companies into a brick and mortar business and felt he was losing his tech credibility, so moving back to tech and specifically a well-brand, fast growth start-up was a priority.

What about you? Deciding how you will decide what’s next is the critical first step in achieving the next level in your career.

Here are 40 factors to consider in how to choose your next career move:

  1. Industry
  2. Function
  3. Geography, part one – where are you living and working
  4. Geography, part two – what customer or market are you focused on
  5. Title
  6. People management
  7. Budget/ P&L management
  8. Scope of responsibility
  9. Career path available to you
  10. Promotion opportunities
  11. Learning opportunities
  12. Client exposure
  13. Cross-functional opportunities
  14. Variety of work
  15. Travel
  16. Boss
  17. Colleagues
  18. Senior management
  19. Direct reports/ team
  20. Culture (emotional office environment)

See 20 more decision factors at our SixFigureStart career blog:

http://www.sixfigurestart.com/identify-your-job-targets/choosing-next-career-move/