You have roughly 1,000 different things you can do as your next job. As a starting point to narrow your job search, I suggest that any job you take on should fit within your purpose, passions, strengths and values. Take out a sheet of paper and answer these four questions:
• What is the purpose I want guiding my career?
• What gets me excited when I do it?
• What am I good at doing?
• What beliefs determine my behaviors?
After you answer these questions you’re in a much better position to select your next job. Some people might argue that in a recession money should be the driving force. In other words, the only question that should be answered is, “How much does the job pay?”
This is not a good idea. If you take a job just for the money and you find no purpose in your work, you have no passion for doing it, you are not particularly good at it, and the work does not match your values, then you are destined to fail. So how worthwhile will that good paycheck be then?
Walk through the following four career moves and picture what they would look like for you:

1. Same organization, expanded responsibilities
The grass is not always greener at the next organization. And if you keep chasing greener grass eventually you will run out of grass to chase. Sometimes the very best career move for you is to stay within your organization.
Is there a possibility that you can expand your responsibilities within your organization as your next career move?

2. Same organization, different responsibilities
If you’ve become a great performer within a particular function in your organization, then your next best move might be to leave that function and dive into a different one. If you know operations, apply for a job in human resources or marketing or sales or business research. Master the different aspects of your organization and make yourself dramatically more valuable.
What function within your organization could you step into to expand your skill set?

3. Same industry, different organization
Sometimes you just need to refresh your perspective, opportunities and relationships. A lateral move to a different company in your same industry may be just the ticket to reignite your career. Like a professional baseball player who finds new levels of success with a different team, you may find that people view you differently when you walk through a different door.
Assess your situation. Are you being perceived by your boss and peers in ways that are keeping you from receiving meaningful new opportunities? Is it them or is it you that is keeping you from advancing in the organization? That’s a tough call to make, but it’s a crossroads we almost all face at some point.
Can you leverage your industry knowledge into a new job that may lead to an even brighter future for your career?

4. Same skills, different industry
This is the move that opens up your career chessboard considerably. It is where some careers accelerate to new heights and where others crash and burn. Leaving an industry is fraught with challenges. For one you’re leaving your contacts and relationships and reputation behind you. The personal brand you’ve built for yourself is no longer going to win you new opportunities. You have to start over and build a brand new one for yourself. If you’ve been a star performer, this can be a daunting mental challenge to overcome. You also are leaving behind all of the industry knowledge you’ve developed that allowed you to resolve issues quickly and move forward effectively.
Turn a dead end into an eight-lane superhighway
If your career has suddenly run into a dramatic dead end, we encourage you to step back and start over. Go back to the original questions concerning your purpose, passions, strengths, and values. Then go through each of the career move options discussed in this article, and visualize what your next job might look like.
• Do you want to seek a different position in your company, possibly in a different function?
• Do you want to seek a job at a different company in your industry where you can leverage your industry knowledge?
• Do you want to seek a job at a company outside of your industry where you can leverage your passions and strengths while still operating within your purpose and values?
• Or do you want to start your own business where you can create an organization that reflects your purpose, passions, strengths, and values?
Your career consists of a series of chapters. Choose each job carefully, execute your responsibilities as well as you can, and take time to step back and visualize your next chapter.