How to figure out your next career move (without guessing)
Most people don’t have a clear next career move. They just know they don’t want to stay where they are
You might not be unhappy in your current role. In fact, you might be doing reasonably well. But you know you could be doing more or moving faster.
So you start looking. Scrolling job listings, comparing titles, wondering if you should move, stay, or try something completely different.
Why this isn’t going to work
It’s natural to look at job titles, salary bands, and what your peers are doing. If it feels like a promotion, it must be the right step, right?
The problem is, that tells you nothing about whether the role actually moves you forward.
Job titles are one of the worst ways to decide your next move because they tell you almost nothing about what you’ll actually be doing. A higher salary doesn’t always mean better long-term growth. And applying to everything and hoping something sticks isn’t a strategy. Either you don’t get traction, or you end up in a role that doesn’t get you where you want to go.
What a good next move actually looks like
If you’re feeling a bit stuck in your caree , it helps to break the process down into something practical. A strong career move isn’t about finding the perfect job. It’s about identifying the right next step. And you aren’t going to find it scrolling through job boards.
In practice, that usually means three things.
1. Look at what you have
Start with where you are. What are you actually good at? What do you enjoy doing? Where do you consistently perform well?
Most people underestimate how much usable experience they already have. They focus on the parts of the job ad that tells them what they lack. Getting clear on your strengths and transferable skills gives you a much more grounded starting point.
For example:
- If you’re in a customer service role, you’re not just “handling queries”, you’re building communication, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
- If you’re in operations, you may already be managing processes, timelines, and cross-team coordination, all of which translate well into project or programme roles.
- If you’re in marketing, you might have experience across content, analytics, and campaign execution that can open up more specialised paths.
2. Be realistic with your next role
Most people ask: ‘What job do I want?’ when a much better question is: ‘What roles can I actually move into next?’. The market isn’t lacking for options, you just need a filter.
Don’t be afraid to think laterally. What are some roles that sit adjacent to your current one, that draw on your existing skills but still push you in new ways?
They might be in a different function, team or industry but they’re not a complete reset.
- Someone in retail supervision might move into operations coordination, training, or area management roles.
- A teacher or educator could transition into learning & development, instructional design, or corporate training roles.
- An engineer might move into product management, technical consulting, or solutions roles depending on their strengths.
3. Identify what's missing
Once you’ve got a bit of a shortlist going, the next step is to understand the gap.
What skills or experience would make you a stronger candidate for those roles? What exposure are you currently lacking? Is it technical capability, stakeholder management, leadership experience?
If you’re in no rush to leave your current role, this is where you get ahead. Instead of waiting for opportunities, you’re actively preparing for them.
- If you’re aiming for a leadership role, you may need more experience managing people, giving feedback, or owning outcomes.
- If you want to move into a more strategic function, you might need exposure to planning, decision-making, or cross-functional collaboration.
- If you’re targeting a career switch into a new domain, you may need to build credibility through certifications, projects, or relevant experience.
A few things to avoid
Jumping into a new role without a clear plan can set you back further than it moves you forward. So just be careful of some of the common mistakes we’ve seen people make:
- Chasing salaries - look, in this economy, who doesn’t want to be paid more. But if the role doesn’t build the right skills or open the right future doors, you might still be stuck asking the same question a year later.
- Trying to make a big leap - moving too far from your current experience can make a transition much harder than it needs to be.
- Relying on job titles to make judgements - these days, there are 500 different variants for a job title, and two with the exact same name can offer completely different levels of responsibility, learning, and growth.
Where structured support can help
Understanding the steps is one thing. Actually figuring out how to apply it to your own situation is a whole other ordeal.
This is exactly the kind of thinking Polaris is built around, helping you break down your experience, map realistic next roles, and build a clear plan with the right support. Through one-to-one coaching, career assessments, and a structured approach to planning, you’ll walk away with a clear, personalised career action plan.
If you’re serious about figuring out your next move, that kind of structure can be incredibly valuable. So before you scroll through SEEK again tonight, let’s figure this out properly.
Plan your next career move with confidence
Polaris is our 8-week, one-on-one career coaching programme supported by Workforce Singapore designed to help you get clear on what's next and build a real plan to get there. There are two programmes to choose from, both $87.20 (incl. GST) and SkillsFuture Credit eligible.