Find a new role - worksheet

Originally posted Jun 22, 2026

Almost everybody I know is doing some math on longevity in their current role. Whether it’s moral math (should I go work for a place that’s doing more good in the world, despite it being less money?), retirement math (can I go all-in at an AI corp and retire early?) or figuring out a backup plan (our jobs are all going away, have you heard?), it can feel near-impossible to make decisions about what you want to do next.

Six years ago, I built a worksheet for this! It’s here to help you identify: what do I want in a new role? How can I make sure I find the right place? Where do I even start?

When I coach those who are considering job and role changes, I ask them to make four lists:

1. MUST-haves. These are the non-negotiables. This list will be unique to you, your current context, and what you need going forward. If you’d take a job that didn’t have one of the things in this list, then it belongs in the next list: nice-to-haves.
2. Nice-to-haves. Thinking about the next job or role, what are the things that are really important to you? The things that you really want to acquire, or achieve? You recognize that you won’t be able to have ALL of these things in your next role, but if one or two aren’t there (but all the rest of your must-haves and nice-to-haves are there), you’ll take the job.
3. Don’t-cares. These are the things that might matter a lot to other people, or have mattered to you in the past (and may matter again for you in the future!), but aren’t a requirement for you in this next role.
4. I’m optimizing for. This is a one-liner that sums up your must-haves. At the end of the day, what is the #1 thing you are optimizing for, above EVERYTHING else? What’s the #1 thing that you cannot budge on?

I recommend drawing a 2x2 table, then filling in each list as you brainstorm:

Download the PDF worksheet version here!

Pro tips

Avoid putting a job title in any of these boxes. It’s easy to get stuck in a title-first job search, and our industry is notorious for having titles that mean different things at different organizations. Take a step back and think about each of these four lists instead, remembering that they can be found in different titles at different organizations.

You will likely need to budge on at least one of your nice-to-haves. Any job change will mean tradeoffs; your “I’m optimizing for…” statement will help you reason about those tradeoffs and ensure that your next step is towards the #1 most important thing for you.

If there’s a “well, I guess I would take a job without this” item in your “MUST-haves,” it belongs in your nice-to-haves. Must-haves list will be a tremendously short list!

Give yourself permission to fill out these lists for today, not what past-you might have wanted or future-you might need. We evolve with our careers! In the past you may have needed a particular salary; now you might need a particular health insurance provider. In the past you may have wanted a particular responsibility; now you might be optimizing more for work-life balance. Don’t worry, you can do this exercise again in the future, each time your context and needs change!

Remember your “optimizing for” statement

That “optimizing for” line is your most important tool in this season. Keep it front-and-center. Put it on a sticky note next to your laptop! Share it with the people you trust, so that they can remind you of it.

When you start interviewing and making decisions about what you want to do next, ask yourself: would this actually help me achieve what I’m optimizing for? If you need to make a decision between two really great roles, ask yourself: which of these helps me with what I’m optimizing for most?

Remember: your four lists will be unique to you, where you are in your career, and what you need in this season. While lots of advice out there asks you to think about what you want in your job three or five years from now, I’m finding that long-term future-thinking is less helpful in the current climate. It’s important to acknowledge what you need today, and recognize that what you need will evolve in the future.

Inspiration

Want some inspiration? Here are some real-life lists (shortened for anonymity):