Here are some tried and tested actions you can take to achieve your goals and build a more dynamic career.

You have been in your current role for a few years now. You like the organisation, and you work well with your colleagues. But you now have bigger career aspirations, looking for greater challenges and promising career opportunities. A bit of extra money will come in useful too. But you are caught between the comfort of where you are now and the excitement of what might be.

Here are some tried and tested actions you can take to achieve your goals and build a more dynamic career.

1. Decide what you enjoy

Embarking on a new career direction can be challenging. Years of employment have built your current skills, but what if you want to go on a different career path? Take a quiet moment and mull over the kind of activities you enjoy. Do you enjoy leading a team or working alone, or with a small group of specialists?

Do you take risks or are you more cautious? Do you excel with new, big ideas, or are you a dependable implementer? Try to avoid job titles as you do your analysis. Define the behaviours you enjoy. Remember also not to be swayed by friends and colleagues — they may have alluring suggestions, but it must work for you.

Career choices should always be the manifestation of one’s purpose in life. A fulfilling career is a powerful way to making your unique contribution to the world.

2. Consider your career options

Once you have weighed your career choices and confirmed a direction, it is time to do research. What are the positions that require the activities you have settled on? Discover the skills, educational requirements, and personal attributes needed to be successful in that field.

Make a list of the companies that employ people with those skills and follow them on social media. Seek out people who work in those sorts of organisations by asking friends and colleagues who may be in these networks. Look at job portals for suitable positions that come up. Go for interviews, not necessarily to get that job, but to better understand what recruiters and managers are looking for.

3. What is your ideal job?

If you go about tip 2 diligently, you will get to a point where you have identified four or five companies and the role you want to play in them. Now it is about making yourself the obvious choice.