Before you can convince anyone else about your career direction and purpose, you must define it for yourself. Determining your objective is a prerequisite to landing your next position. To clearly identify your objective, answer the following questions:
What is my specialty, product, or service?
What need or problem within my organization does my specialty address?
What is the next most logical step in my career?
How does this progression match my skills, strengths, and values?
Now, using the answers to these questions, what are the three most likely titles for your next position?
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Compare your list of likely target positions against your previously identified values, skills, and strengths, and ask,
Which of these positions is available (or will soon be available) within my current organization?
Which position fits best with my long-range career goals?
Which position is best for my life-balance goals?
Which position fulfills my standards from my P2P inventory?
Of the three target positions, which best uses my skills, strengths, and values, and which will allow me to leverage any weaknesses?
What are the biggest obstacles to my getting the promotion?
Use the answers to these questions to help you narrow down your list to one target position. Now you are ready to define the new position in relation to your skill base, and to strategize how to get it.