How to move your career

Moving your career may mean seeking promotion or a change of role within your existing company or seeking an entirely new career. In may be a result of wanting to extend your responsibilities, do something more interesting or learn new skills. Seeking a move may be motivated as much by the desire for new challenges as a feeling that you no longer want to keep doing what you currently do. Making a successful move results from being clear about what you want to achieve, taking advice on how to get there and sustaining your motivation until you get what you want.

• 1

  Understand your motivation. Making a successful career move is equally about understanding why you want to as knowing what you eventually want to achieve. List what you like and don't like about your current job and the top three things that you are seeking in a new position. Establish whether making such a change will be possible within your current career or whether you will need to retrain to do something different.

• 2

  Set goals. A successful move isn't just going to happen. You have to make it happen. Do some research into the type of job you are seeking. There may be opportunities within your existing company or you may need to look at the employment marketplace outside. In some cases you may need to consider moving location to get the job you want. Write down the steps you think you will need to take and turn these into goals. Attach a time-scale to each goal and focus on achieving it. Your first goal may be something like, "Find out about training schemes by June 1".

• 3

  Seek advice. Talk to career and employment consultants about job opportunities and training requirements. Get their views on what you will need to do to make a successful move. Make contact with people who are already doing the type of job you want. Find out how they got there and whether they know of any opportunities. Speak with your current employer or manager. If he respects your contribution and attitude, he should understand your ambition. He may not be able to offer your ideal job but may be able suggest a move to some other interesting arena within the organisation.

• 4

  Take responsibility. There is no one who is more interested in your career than you, so you have to put in the effort to make change happen. Explain to your family and friends what you are trying to do and enlist their support. Work hard at achieving your goals. This may take a long time if your career move requires retraining, but stay focused and optimistic. Don't rely on good luck.

• 5

  Work your network. Increasingly, job opportunities come from people we know rather than through newspaper or online advertisements. Tell people within your existing network of contacts that you are seeking a new role and what you believe you have to offer. Concentrate on building your network. The more people you know, the more likely it is that a job opportunity will come your way.