Before you fire off your CV, you need to get clear on what you want – so you avoid jobs that drain you and focus on ones that match with what you’re good at, your interests, work style, lifestyle, and the kind of environment and people that energise you.

When you do that, you’ll know what to look for, what to ignore and how to position your CV when the right job shows up.

So how do you get that kind of clarity?

1. Figure out what you’re good at (and what you hate)

If your current or past job made you miserable, figure out what work actually energises you – the stuff you’re naturally good at – so you can move away from what burns you out.

• What you're good at: Think of all the things you like about your job - what parts of your job come easy to you? When were you most productive in your career? And what was the work environment that facilitated this? What do people ask for your help or advice on?

• What you dislike: Then look at the flip side - remind yourself of all the parts of your job that stress you out the most. When do you feel the most drained or exhausted? What kind of work do you want to do less of?

Things that come easy to you are hell for others because we’re all wired differently. We all have certain strengths. Identify yours and double down. That way, you can aim for roles where your natural abilities are seen as assets. You want to mould a job around who you are, rather than moulding yourself to a job.

2. Find the overlap between your skills and interests

Once you’ve reflected on what you like and don’t like, start exploring roles that fit your skills and interests.

• Career tests:

  • Complete the Holland Code Career Test. It’s free, takes a few minutes to complete, and provides you with a list of jobs that match up with your interests, along with a full breakdown of what each job entails.

  • Other tests to give you ideas are the Myers-Briggs Career Test and the O*NET Interest Profiler.

• Use ChatGPT to brainstorm:

  • Prompt: “I’m good at [list strengths] and enjoy [list interests]. Suggest roles or industries where these are valuable and include examples of daily tasks.”

  • Example: “I enjoy organising schedules and working independently. Can you suggest roles that don’t require client-facing responsibilities?”

• Finding jobs you enjoy:

  • Go to a job site and in the search bar, type in the parts of your job you enjoy (e.g. presenting, training, analysing data, mentoring). This helps you discover roles that use the skills and tasks you already like doing.

• Research further on career guidance websites:

  • National Careers Service

  • 80,000 hours

3. What are your non-negotiables?

This could be salary, industry, commute, working pattern (remote/hybrid), company values or the type of work you refuse to do again.

For me, I was a CV writer and it destroyed my spirit – so I made a promise to myself that I can never go back.

Work environment, industry and company type

• Do you prefer remote, hybrid, or on-site work? How far are you willing to commute?

• Are you drawn to public service and work-life balance or the private sector with higher pay potential?

• What industries genuinely interest you or align with your values?

• Which companies do you admire for their mission, ethics or products? 

  • Visit their careers page and check their culture, flexibility and benefits (many offer flexitime, compressed weeks, or family-friendly policies). Check their vacancies page, read through the job specs, and while you’re here – set up alerts and/or sign up to their talent pool.

Salary & benefits

• What’s your target salary and your walk-away number (the lowest you’d accept)? Aiming for a 10–15% increase over your current pay is a good starting point. To find the fair market pay rate:

  • Review job listings for your target job title.

  • Review salary calculator websites or Google “UK [Your Target Industry] salary guide”.

• Don’t forget to weigh up the benefits that matter to you; pension, healthcare, maternity leave, holidays, etc.

Long-term goals

• You have a magic wand and 5 years from now, you could have whatever you want. What would it be? Money you’d be earning, job title, personal goals achieved. Now work backwards: What kind of job or career path will move you toward that future?

So start mapping all of this out. Once you’re clear on what you want, you can start applying with intent. That gives you the best chance of landing a role that suits you, your life and your future goals.