TL;DR
Before writing CVs and applying to jobs, decide what kind of move you're actually trying to make.
There are four types of career objective (Obvious, Ambitious, Pivot, and Dream) plus a fifth, the Right Now job, when bills come first. Match your applications to the type, and you'll spend your energy in the right place.
What's your professional objective?
Whether you're actively job hunting right now, thinking about long-term career goals, or even just imagining your future self, your happiness, and your family's wellbeing, it pays to think about your professional objective.
A professional objective, like any objective, is a way to keep you focused on an outcome you actually want. At the same time, it helps to be aware of the different types of objective available to you, because they call for different strategies.
Thanks to Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis for the framework that inspired the four types below. Learn more at amazingif.com.
The four types of objective
The Obvious
Roles closest to your current experience and capabilities. Often a similar role to your current one, but in a different industry, with better pay, slightly more seniority, or some line management responsibility. If you need to build experience or stability, an Obvious objective is often the right call.
The Ambitious
Similar territory to the Obvious, but with a bigger jump in pay, scope, or responsibility. You'll likely need to convince a new employer to take a chance on you and trust that you'll grow into the role. Ambitious moves typically demand a very well-crafted CV, a strong cover letter, and some real hustle and networking to break through.
The Pivot
Something genuinely new. May require additional training, qualifications, or experience. One under-used route: returning to a former employer where you're already known and trusted, but coming back as a new version of you, with new skills and perspective, but still you.
The Dream
What you'd do if there were no constraints. Maybe you've always wanted to start an artisanal bakery, run a yoga studio, found an alpaca sanctuary in Guatemala, find a cure for cancer, or become CEO of a tech giant.
Whatever it is, keep it on the list. It should still feel possible, even if you'll need training, more experience, and a fair bit of luck. It's something to gradually work towards in the background while another objective pays the bills.
We believe in you.
The bonus objective: Right Now
Sometimes, especially if you're out of work, your professional objective is just to get a job. Not necessarily the perfect job. Any job. Right now.
Life coaches and gurus love to talk about "work-life balance" and finding work that "fulfils you". All true. But it's hard to be fulfilled if your monthly bills aren't covered.
The average professional job hunt takes 3–6 months. A typical application takes weeks from submission to offer, and it'll be longer still until your first paycheque lands.
The standard advice is to keep an emergency savings fund covering at least six months of essential bills. Most people don't have that. If you're in that boat, a Right Now job is worth considering.
Options include gig work (delivery driving, warehouse shifts, hospitality) which many people do alongside their main job to make ends meet or build a buffer. Freelancing platforms are another route; setting up a free profile takes an hour or two, and being specific about the service you offer goes a long way. Side hustles can grow into serious businesses.
If your finances are tight, even an "obvious" or slightly over-qualified role is a perfectly sensible move. It's a job to pay the bills. Sometimes dreams, growth, and ego need a short break so you can live with more financial security.
Once you've got a Right Now job, you can resume the bigger plans: apply for something better, build experience, network, get a qualification.
And you never know: do well in a Right Now job and it can lead to internal moves, promotions, and connections that quietly deliver your Ambitious, Pivot, or even Dream objective.
Hang in there. You've got this.