Next Move, Best Move

Next Move, Best Move Plot Summary

Introduction

In today's rapidly evolving professional landscape, career advancement rarely follows a linear path. Many of us find ourselves at crossroads, feeling overlooked in our current roles or sensing we're capable of much more than our job titles suggest. You might be wondering why colleagues with seemingly similar qualifications advance faster, or perhaps you've mastered your current position but remain uncertain about your next strategic move. This uncertainty isn't uncommon, but it doesn't have to define your professional journey. The pages ahead offer a framework for intentional career development—not just for securing your next position, but for building a fulfilling professional life aligned with your values and aspirations. Whether you're feeling stagnant in your current role, contemplating an industry change, or simply seeking to maximize your impact, the principles and practices explored here will transform how you approach career navigation, helping you move from reactive job-taking to proactive career-building.

Chapter 1: Identify Your Core Values as Career Foundations

Core values serve as your career compass, guiding decisions and defining what success truly means for you. Rather than abstract concepts, these values are practical tools that reveal why certain work environments energize you while others drain your spirit. When your professional choices align with these fundamental principles, work becomes more than just employment—it transforms into a fulfilling extension of your authentic self. Kimberly Cummings discovered this truth through her own career journey. During her time as a personal banker, she quickly recognized a misalignment with her values. While she excelled at building client relationships and solving complex financial problems, the high-pressure sales environment where colleagues sometimes competed for clients contradicted her core value of collaboration. "I thrive in environments where I feel that the department or team is working toward a common goal," she reflects. The camaraderie she experienced during her initial financial services training energized her, but the cutthroat sales culture that followed left her depleted. This revelation became transformative when Kimberly transitioned to higher education as an assistant director of admissions. The shift wasn't just about changing industries—it represented a fundamental realignment with her values. Education was something she "would always believe in," and the collaborative environment matched her natural working style. This move taught her that core values "are the essence of what makes someone happy" in their professional life. To identify your own core values, examine your greatest professional accomplishments and what she calls "do-better moments"—situations where you wish you had performed differently. For Kimberly, completing her master's degree early while working full-time represented achievement and excellence, while failing to advocate for herself after being denied a promotion highlighted the importance of self-advocacy and recognition. The common themes across these experiences reveal your fundamental values. When evaluating potential opportunities, assess their alignment with these core principles. This means looking beyond salary and title to examine whether the company culture, leadership style, and day-to-day responsibilities resonate with what matters most to you. Remember that with a 40-hour workweek minimum, job satisfaction isn't optional—it's essential for your wellbeing and sustained performance. Your core values aren't just preferences; they're non-negotiable aspects of your professional identity that will guide every strategic career move. By understanding and honoring them, you create a foundation for making decisions that lead not just to career advancement, but to genuine fulfillment.

Chapter 2: Map Your Skills to Market Opportunities

Understanding how your unique abilities intersect with market demands forms the critical bridge between aspiration and opportunity. This strategic mapping process involves more than listing qualifications—it requires translating your experiences into a compelling professional narrative that resonates with potential employers and opens doors to meaningful advancement. Kimberly experienced this firsthand during her transition from financial services to higher education. Initially uncertain about how her banking background would translate, she discovered that her transferable skills told a powerful story. "I had acquired the skills of quickly taking in new information, building and maintaining client relationships, and matching client needs with products and services," she explains. Rather than presenting herself as simply a former banker, she reframed these abilities in terms relevant to university admissions: learning about educational programs, connecting with students and families, and matching applicants with appropriate educational pathways. This reframing process transformed what could have been perceived as an irrelevant background into a compelling qualification. When Kimberly "scrubbed all the industry-specific information" from her resume and focused instead on underlying competencies, interview requests began arriving. Her success wasn't accidental—it came from deliberately connecting her past experiences to her target role's requirements. To apply this approach to your own career, start by taking inventory of every position you've held, including part-time roles and internships for recent graduates. Beside each role, list all skills acquired, then highlight those you wish to continue using while crossing off those you'd prefer to leave behind. For example, Kimberly's experience as a marketing analyst at an office supply company provided customer service, data management, and relationship-building skills, while her banking position developed abilities in quick learning, client relationship management, and product matching. Next, identify patterns across these experiences: Which skills represent your greatest strengths? Which have produced your most significant results? Which do you naturally teach others? These patterns reveal your professional "toolkit"—the transferable capabilities that distinguish you regardless of industry context. When targeting new opportunities, research thoroughly to understand what skills are most valued in your desired role or industry. LinkedIn profiles of professionals in positions similar to your goal can provide valuable insights into common career paths and skill requirements. Then craft your professional narrative to emphasize the relevant connections between your experience and these requirements. Remember that transferable skills are your career currency. By communicating them effectively in interviews, networking conversations, and professional documents, you transform disparate jobs into a coherent professional journey heading purposefully toward your next opportunity.

Chapter 3: Build Strategic Relationships for Career Growth

Relationships form the invisible architecture supporting every successful career trajectory. Far from mere social connections, strategic professional relationships provide crucial insider knowledge, create advancement opportunities, and offer guidance during challenging transitions. The quality and diversity of these connections often determine whether your talent remains hidden or receives the recognition and opportunities it deserves. Early in her career, Kimberly dismissed networking as something only "affluent families and business owners did at the local golf club." She believed hard work alone would propel her forward. While attending a professional development event years later, she nervously approached a respected leader in higher education. "I remember telling her that I loved her jacket and noted that she would probably love The Limited's Scandal collection," Kimberly recalls. "I still recall that short conversation, and I kicked myself for only mustering up the strength to complement her attire, but it was a start." Despite this seemingly insignificant beginning, Kimberly maintained contact over the next two years, following the leader's work on LinkedIn, attending her speaking engagements, and gradually establishing a genuine professional connection. This relationship eventually led to a job opportunity that significantly advanced her career. "I had never dreamed of working at the university," she reflects, "but through this connection, multiple rounds of interviews with stakeholders across the university, and a final presentation to a large portion of the current team, I secured the role." To build your own strategic relationship network, focus on cultivating four essential relationship types. First, develop peer relationships with colleagues at similar levels across departments or companies, as they can provide support, share information, and potentially influence future hiring decisions. Second, identify coaches who can teach you specific workplace skills or organizational navigation strategies. Third, establish connections with mentors—professionals who have walked your path and can provide guidance based on firsthand experience. Finally, cultivate relationships with sponsors—senior professionals who can advocate for you in high-level conversations and create opportunities. The quality of these relationships matters far more than quantity. In virtual environments especially, intentionality becomes crucial. Schedule virtual coffee chats, participate meaningfully in online professional gatherings, and recreate the informal interactions that would naturally occur in physical workplaces. For instance, if you would typically debrief with a colleague after a meeting, reach out for a quick call when virtual meetings end early. When building these relationships, approach each interaction with genuine interest rather than immediately asking for favors. Remember Kimberly's alumni network advice: "While you may not be able to write a check, look for unique ways to donate your time." By offering value first—whether through volunteering, sharing insights, or simply showing authentic interest—you create reciprocal relationships that sustain themselves over time and genuinely advance your professional development.

Chapter 4: Craft Your Personal Brand Story

Your personal brand story communicates the unique value you bring to professional environments. More than self-promotion, it represents the consistent experience people have when interacting with you—the reliable qualities, skills, and perspectives that distinguish your contributions and make you memorable in competitive professional landscapes. Kimberly learned this distinction during an interview when asked about her strengths and weaknesses. After giving what she considered a solid response about her three greatest strengths with supporting examples, an interviewer challenged her: "Are those the only things you're good at?" The question left her flustered. "I was beside myself when I heard the interviewer's response," she recalls. "I recall rattling off a few other strengths that I felt were strong, but I was so caught off guard that I knew my nerves were showing." This experience taught her that effective personal branding goes beyond generic professional attributes like being hardworking or detail-oriented. Your brand must articulate specific value-creating abilities that solve meaningful problems for organizations. "Personal branding is the manifestation of your skill set and the impact it has on the workplace," Kimberly explains. "Even if you sell the same product or interview for the same role as someone else, you must think about your unique skill set and impact." To develop your authentic brand story, examine both internal and external elements of your professional identity. Internal elements include your character (core values like emotional openness, self-confidence, or generosity) and consistent actions (showing up early, providing honest feedback, or pursuing development opportunities). External elements encompass your accumulated experiences (roles, education, volunteer work) and specific skills (abilities you've mastered that others recognize and seek out). When assessing your current brand, gather feedback from 3-5 professionals by asking questions like: "What has your experience been like working with me?" and "What are three adjectives you would use to describe me and my work?" This input helps identify gaps between how you perceive yourself and how others experience your contributions. Then research professionals in your desired role to understand how their brand positioning differs from yours, identifying specific elements you might incorporate into your development plan. Your brand manifests across all professional interactions—from LinkedIn profiles to interview conversations to salary negotiations. In fact, Kimberly emphasizes that salary negotiation "begins the moment you interact with the company through your personal and professional brand." A clearly articulated brand that communicates consistent value often results in stronger initial offers rather than requiring extensive negotiation. While maintaining authenticity, strive to align your professional brand with your career goals. This doesn't mean pretending to be someone else—it means intentionally developing and highlighting the aspects of your professional identity that best support your desired trajectory. As Kimberly advises: "Every professional has his or her own special sauce because we are all individuals!" Your task is to identify, refine, and effectively communicate yours.

Chapter 5: Navigate Transitions with Confidence

Career transitions represent both opportunity and vulnerability—moments that require careful navigation to transform uncertainty into strategic advancement. Whether moving between roles, companies, or industries, these pivots demand intentional preparation and clear decision-making frameworks to ensure each move strengthens rather than fragments your professional trajectory. Kimberly faced a pivotal transition moment after a discouraging performance review. Despite exceeding goals, creating innovative programs, and building cross-departmental relationships while pursuing her master's degree, her manager denied her a full performance-based salary increase, suggesting she had "untapped potential" to exceed goals further. "I was angry beyond measure," she recalls. "I had worked so hard that year. I could not understand why I was not being promoted when others in the office received promotions while doing less work and made fewer contributions to the office than I had in the past year." This disappointment became transformative when Kimberly decided to "take control of my career versus waiting to be recognized." Rather than remaining resentful or disengaged, she initiated a strategic job search focused on advancing within her field but at a different organization. This marked her first truly strategic career move—not just escaping dissatisfaction but deliberately advancing toward greater impact and recognition. To navigate your own transitions effectively, first determine whether your current situation genuinely warrants a move. Kimberly identifies seven common indicators: persistent boredom despite strong performance; outgrowing your role without growth opportunities; inadequate compensation despite proven value; unresolvable workplace conflicts; misalignment with company mission or culture; personal circumstances that make your current arrangement untenable; or encountering a clear "glass ceiling" limiting advancement. Before making any move, exhaust internal options through honest career conversations with your manager or skip-level leader. Request specific feedback about your performance, understand realistic trajectory possibilities within your current organization, and assess industry conditions that might affect your transition. These conversations ensure you're making an informed choice rather than an emotional reaction. If external opportunities become your focus, build a strategic foundation before submitting applications. Research target companies thoroughly, conduct informational interviews with current employees, and prepare specific examples of transferable accomplishments relevant to your desired role. Kimberly emphasizes that "being strategic" means thoroughly preparing for your next environment rather than simply escaping your current one. Remember that timing rarely aligns perfectly with readiness. After multiple interview rounds for a director position she deeply wanted, Kimberly faced devastating news—she wasn't selected. When the chosen candidate later withdrew and she received a second chance, scheduling difficulties ultimately led to the university changing direction entirely. While crushing at the moment, this disappointment cleared her path for an unexpected corporate opportunity just months later. "That was one of those what's-for-me-will-be-for-me lessons," she reflects. "This devastating experience was setting me up for a career opportunity that was coming just a few months later."

Chapter 6: Negotiate Your Worth with Authority

Salary negotiation represents a critical professional skill that directly impacts not just immediate compensation but lifetime earning potential. Beyond the technical aspects of research and bargaining, effective negotiation requires projecting quiet confidence in your professional value and creating compelling narratives that justify the compensation you seek. Kimberly emphasizes that negotiation begins long before the actual salary discussion: "The truth about salary negotiation is that it's much more closely tied to your personal and professional brand than you may think." From your first interaction with a potential employer, every communication shapes perceptions of your value. Effective negotiation means "(a) positioning yourself as a leader in your industry from the moment the company interacts with you, so they automatically provide you with a solid offer; and (b) reiterating your personal and professional brand, accomplishments, and professional track record of success." To negotiate effectively, follow Kimberly's three-step framework. First, assess your professional value by cataloging your career accomplishments and the specific skills you've developed. When Kimberly reflected on her early marketing analyst role, she initially dismissed it as irrelevant data entry. Upon deeper examination, she recognized valuable insights gained about customer relationship management and tiered pricing structures—knowledge that distinguished her in subsequent roles. "When I thought objectively and pulled out the skills I gained instead of my feelings, I realized how to leverage this experience in the future," she explains. Second, research thoroughly to understand market compensation for your target role. Consult LinkedIn's salary tool, Glassdoor, PayScale, and comparable job postings, noting that titles vary between organizations and geographic areas significantly impact compensation. Kimberly discovered this when applying for an assistant director position that other institutions labeled as "admissions counselor"—understanding these equivalencies enabled accurate salary benchmarking. Establish both a target salary range (typically $10,000-$15,000 spread) and a "hell-no number" below which you cannot accept an offer. Finally, develop a strategic approach to the negotiation conversation itself. Practice skill-based and accomplishment-based discussions that clearly connect your experience to the value you'll deliver. When receiving an offer, express enthusiasm but always request 24-48 hours to review the complete package. "The No. 1 tip I share about salary negotiation is never to accept the first offer on the phone. Never!" Kimberly emphasizes. "You lose most of your negotiating power if you get too excited and immediately say yes." Before negotiation conversations, review your professional "win list"—documented achievements that demonstrate your ability to deliver results. This preparation builds confidence and provides specific examples to support your compensation requests. Remember that you're not asking for more money based on personal needs; you're requesting fair compensation based on demonstrated value and future contributions. Perhaps most importantly, "ask for what you want versus what you think you can get." When you ground your request in concrete accomplishments and market research rather than personal insecurity, you transform negotiation from confrontation into a professional discussion about fair value exchange. As Kimberly notes, "Fear is the No. 1 reason people don't ask for a raise or negotiate salary," yet the worst possible outcome is simply hearing "no"—a small risk compared to the lifetime impact of consistently advocating for your professional worth.

Chapter 7: Create an Actionable Career Development Plan

An actionable career development plan transforms abstract aspirations into strategic advancement through deliberate skill-building, relationship cultivation, and opportunity creation. Unlike vision boards that merely visualize success without mapping the journey, effective career plans outline specific milestones that progressively build toward your long-term vision while remaining flexible enough to accommodate unexpected opportunities. Kimberly learned this distinction through personal experience. Early in her career, she believed that "my supervisor was supposed to make sure I was considered for salary increases, invite me to participate in new projects, and look out for my overall development." A disappointing performance review where her manager failed to recognize her contributions despite exceeding goals taught her "the hard lesson that this was not the case." She realized that "only you can take full responsibility for your own personal and professional development and overall career strategy." To create your own actionable plan, begin by conducting a thorough self-assessment of your strengths, weaknesses, and skill gaps. Unlike many professionals who avoid acknowledging weaknesses during interviews, Kimberly notes that self-awareness about development areas allows you to "create a plan for how to get them up to speed more efficiently." This honest inventory provides the foundation for identifying which capabilities to leverage and which to systematically develop. Next, establish clear short-term and long-term objectives that build logically toward your ultimate vision. Kimberly recommends working in three-to-six-month increments to establish achievable milestones while periodically reassessing your longer-term direction. Remember that your five-year vision serves as a directional compass rather than an unchangeable destination. "Your long-term vision is a moving target," she emphasizes. "You may also have an experience that radically alters where you would like to take your career." For each timeframe in your plan (current state, 6 months, 1 year, etc.), identify specific focus areas, milestone achievements that signal readiness for progression, and concrete tasks to complete. These might include mastering specific systems or skills, completing educational programs, developing relationships with key stakeholders, or joining professional organizations. The specificity of these tasks ensures measurable progress rather than vague aspirations. Once your plan is documented, share it strategically through what Kimberly calls a "roadshow" or "listening tour" with managers, mentors, and potential sponsors. "Professionals in your network will not be able to advocate for you if they have no idea where you'd like to go," she explains. These conversations not only build support for your development but often reveal unexpected opportunities aligned with your goals. Unlike rigid corporate career paths that prioritize organizational needs, your personal development plan centers on your unique aspirations while remaining adaptable to changing circumstances. Review and revise it quarterly, celebrating achievements while adjusting to new information or opportunities. As Kimberly advises, "always leave room for magic to happen" by remaining open to unexpected pivots that might accelerate your progress. The ultimate power of a well-crafted career plan lies in transforming passive hoping into active creation. "When you're consistently putting in the work to navigate your career, implement your career strategy, and leave yourself open for unexpected pivots, you will build the career you always wanted," Kimberly promises. "Even just 90 days of focus can catapult your career forward if you're intentional with your actions."

Summary

Throughout our exploration of strategic career navigation, one fundamental truth emerges: intentional career development requires both clear vision and consistent action. The professionals who thrive aren't necessarily the most talented, but rather those who deliberately craft their career paths through self-awareness, strategic relationships, and continuous skill development. As Kimberly Cummings powerfully states, "I've learned that believing in yourself is step one and the most important step you must make if you would like to achieve any goal in your life." Your next career move begins today—not with a dramatic resignation or impulsive application, but with honest self-assessment and strategic planning. Take time this week to identify your core values, inventory your transferable skills, and document your professional accomplishments. These foundational steps will clarify not just where you want to go next, but how your unique capabilities can create value in environments where you'll truly thrive. Remember that exceptional careers don't happen by chance; they emerge through consistent, purposeful navigation guided by your authentic professional identity and supported by meaningful relationships.

About Author

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Lindsey Pollak

Lindsey Pollak is a New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s leading career and workplace experts, with a special focus on early career success.She was named to the 2020 Thinkers50 Radar List, which honors 30 global management thinkers whose work is shaping the future of how organizations are managed and led. Lindsey’s next book, a response to the Covid crisis, "Recalculating: Navigate Your Career Through the Changing World of Work," will be published in March 2021. Her other books include "The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace," "Becoming the Boss" and "Getting from College to Career." Lindsey’s speaking audiences and consulting clients have included more than 250 corporations, law firms, conferences and universities.She has been featured in such media outlets as The TODAY Show, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and NPR.

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