When you feel like it’s time to start looking for a new job, it can be hard to know what to do next. Before quitting your current job, I suggest creating two simple lists. These are lists you can revisit as you continue to work and consider what you want to do next. When you start them, brain dump everything you can think of, then as you move forward, come back and add to them when anything else comes to mind. 

These lists will help you prepare for your job search and create clarity about what you’d like to pursue next. You’ll thank yourself later! 

List #1 – Everything I Do Now 

If you’re thinking about finding a new job, you know what you’re going to have to do – update your resume. Making this list will help you prepare to create your resume and represent your current role in future interviews. 

Write down everything you do in your current role – I mean EVERYTHING. Go beyond your job description. Get down to the nitty-gritty. Think about meetings you run, how you prepare for presentations, reports you create, how you manage projects and people, reminders and communications you coordinate, the initiatives you oversee, tasks you perform proactively or without prompting, etc. 

Consider all the tasks you do: 

• Daily 
• Weekly 
• Monthly 
• Quarterly 
• Semi-annually 
• Annually 

This will start as a tactical list. As you jot down everything you currently do, go back and add the impact. What metrics can you share which show your value in this role? How did you personally impact your team’s/department’s/company’s goals? Ask others about your impact if you can’t see it yourself. 

The more specific you get, the better. Recruiters and interviewers will ask you about these aspects of your role in the future. Be kind to future you and gather this information while it’s still fresh. 

Creating this comprehensive list gives you a holistic picture of what you’ve done in this position and an incredible resource to help support you for future interviews. 

List #2 – What I Want Next 

There’s a reason (or a few) you’re thinking about leaving your current job. That’s what this list is for.

Make two columns for this list. In the first column, keep track of “What I Want Next.” In the second column, list “What I DON’T Want Next.”

For your “What I Want Next” column, consider all the ideal aspects of your next job, including: 

• What do you want to do on a daily basis? 
• What kind of company do you want to work for? 
• What would you like your manager to be like? 
• What kind of work environment/culture would you like to work in? 
• What kinds of growth opportunities would you like to see? 
• What salary + benefits do you want? 
• What are your negotiables and non-negotiables? 
• How would you like to work (in-person, hybrid, fully-remote)? 

In your “What I DON’T Want Next” column, think about: 

• What aspects of your current job would you be happy if you never had to do again? 
• What have been some of your biggest challenges in your current and past roles that you’d like to avoid in the future? 
• What do you know now that you didn’t know when you took your current job? 

While you’re thinking about what comes next for you, add to this list anytime a new realization comes to mind. Refer back to this as a checklist to remind you what’s important as you move forward. 

While relatively simple, the act of capturing this information for future use is a proactive way to save you stress and time when you decide to start your job search. Plus, creating these lists while you’re still actively in your current job makes your preparation more accurate than if you were to complete them in retrospect. Now you have two fabulous guides to help you update your resume and confidently share about your current job during future interviews.