What do you want in your next role?
One of the most common interview questions is ‘what do you want in your new role?’ so it makes sense to think about this before you embark on your new job search.
It’s time to think about you. As Assistants, this is not something we do very often, but when looking for a new role, you must reflect on what you want.
Asking yourself this question will not only help you understand what jobs to apply for, but it will also help you prepare for the interview process and everything that follows.
There are a few questions that you can ask yourself to start to think about what you want from your next role. Do you like what you are doing right now?
Is the Assistant role right for you?
Ask yourself this every time you start a new job search. The Assistant position isn’t for everyone and isn’t always right at different points in your life.
Who do you look up to?
This is such an excellent question to ask yourself. It is always wonderful when you have a clear career path that you know you want to follow and are focused on achieving your goals. When you don’t, it can feel a little more unclear. Think about Assistants you’ve worked with in the past or in your current role who you admire or look up to. Who you thought was doing a great job or was able to take the role by the scruff of the neck and make a success out of it? What do you admire about that Assistant? What did they bring to the role that made them shine? Who did they work for, and did they have a good partnership? Looking at someone you can emulate will help you define precisely what you want and know it is possible.
What makes you happy?
It is essential to work in a role that brings joy. We spend so much time working that our work, not always but on the whole, must make us happy. So think about the elements of the Assistant role that make you happy and go after that. Don’t settle for just having a little of what makes you happy. You want a job description full of tasks and challenges to satisfy you.
What do you want your day to look like?
Again this will give those unsure what move to make to focus on what they want from their next role. Consider what you want your day to look like. Do you want to work at 100 miles an hour, or do you prefer slow and steady? Do you want lots of interaction with those around you, or do you like a quiet office environment. Do you want to work from home? Do you want a hybrid environment? At this point, think of everything you want and go for that. The compromises can come, and I’m sure there will be compromises, but for now, think of everything you want in the role.
Do you want to advance your career?
If you want more challenges in your career, a higher salary, or to work for a more senior Executive, think about how you want to advance your career. What will drive you forward?
Do you want a better work/life balance?
It might be the opposite. You might want to leave a fast pace role for something that gives you more freedom and a better work-life balance. Again, this is where you can narrow down what you want in your next role.
Do you want more responsibility in your new role or more creative tasks?
Going back to that job description. What would it look like if you had a perfect Assistant job description in front of you? What tasks and responsibilities would be on it? Who would you be working for, and what type of personality would they have? Do you want to work for a CEO or a c-suite level Executive? Do you want to work in a department or a team? Do you want multiple Executives? With your work, would you like to run projects, manage staff, and use your creative juices, or do you prefer to number crunch and create systems and procedures? What type of work excites you?
Before you begin looking for a new Assistant role, it is worthwhile defining what exactly you want from your new role and what your aspirations are for your future (not just salary but what you enjoy in your work). I hope these questions will help you define what the new role will look like for you.
Knowing what kind of job you really want and reflecting on your most important needs can take a lot of thought – but it is essential for finding the role that’s just right for you.
Doing this will also give you confidence in the hiring process because you will know what you’re looking for and why you think it’s a good fit. When feeling daunted by the weight of decisions before you, ask yourself these important questions: What am I looking for in my new role? Do I like what I am currently doing? How could my skillset be applied to something more rewarding? By taking time to pause and reflect, we should come away with greater clarity and knowledge of our capabilities, aptitude, experience and professional goals.
Enrolling in the Accelerate Your Assistant Job Search Online Course is a great way to gain further insights into critical job search aspects that could be essential in achieving your career aspirations.
