Your Next Career Move Might Not Have the Job Title You Expect

Most of us search for jobs in a pretty predictable way. You type in the title you already have, maybe add “senior” in front of it, and start scrolling. If you’re an executive assistant, you look for executive assistant jobs. If you work in operations, you search for operations roles.

It makes sense. However, it can also mean you’re looking at a much smaller pool of opportunities than you need to. The job that ends up being a brilliant next step might have a title you’ve never searched for before.

Job Titles Can Be Weirdly Misleading

Anyone who has spent enough time reading job descriptions will know that titles are not always particularly helpful. An “operations coordinator” at one company might be doing almost exactly the same work as a “business support executive” somewhere else. An executive assistant role might involve everything from managing diaries and travel to organizing events, handling projects, and dealing directly with clients.

So instead of asking, “What job title should I go for next?” it can be more useful to ask, “What do I actually want to spend my day doing?” Maybe you love organizing complicated schedules. Maybe you’re the person who keeps projects moving when everyone else is juggling ten things at once. Perhaps you’re great with clients, good at spotting problems early, or happiest when you’re making somebody else’s working day run more smoothly. Those are the things worth paying attention to.

You Might Not Need to Stay in the Same Industry Either

A career move does not always mean doing a completely different job. Sometimes it just means doing similar work somewhere new. Your experience in media, tech, retail, professional services, or another industry could transfer surprisingly well into financial services, for example. The skills are often more portable than people realize.

This is also where specialist recruiters can be useful. A recruiter such as VWA may be able to help candidates see how their existing experience could fit into financial services roles, including positions they might never have thought to search for themselves.

Sometimes you simply need somebody to point out that your experience already fits a door you didn’t know was open.

Read the Description Before You Skip the Job

Here’s another easy trap: deciding a role is not for you based on the title alone. Try not to.

Open the listing and actually read what the person will be doing. You might realize you already handle most of the responsibilities in your current role. On the flip side, a title that looks perfect might turn out to describe work you would hate. The title is really just the headline. The day-to-day responsibilities are what’s important.

Think About What You Want Next

Progression does not have to mean moving into management or chasing a more impressive title. Maybe you want more client contact. Maybe you want a faster pace, more variety, better flexibility, or the chance to work closely with senior leaders. You might even take what looks like a sideways move and end up gaining far better experience.

Careers are rarely as neat as they look on LinkedIn. That’s actually probably a good thing.

The next time you’re job hunting, widen the search a little. Click on the unfamiliar title. Read the description. Look at industries you have never seriously considered before. Your next move might not look exactly how you imagined it. It might turn out better.