"I don't want to get this wrong again."

Today I'm analysing the situation of Grace.

Grace reached out about joining my Creative Career Level Up programme. She lives in London and is currently between roles.

Earlier this year Grace took a senior marketing role at a small lifestyle brand. It felt like an exciting new chapter. But partway through her probation period, it became clear it wasn't working, for her or for them, and she was let go.

As we talked, Grace was really clear about the practical stuff: the industries she wanted, the team size, even a rough salary number. But underneath all that clarity, there was one thing she kept coming back to.

"I just don't want to do this again."

That's the bit that stuck with me. The pain of being let go was so real. And it was lingering on in her current job hunt. 

What's the challenge?

Grace isn't short on direction. But her last move happened quickly, on gut feel, and it wasn't until she was a few months in that the mismatch became obvious.

Now she's caught between wanting to move fast and being wary of repeating a decision she made too fast last time.

How can she move forward?

Grace doesn't need more job listings. She needs a filter, a clear picture of what she needs personally from this next move, so every opportunity gets run through the same lens rather than judged in isolation.

That doesn't mean finding a company that ticks every box. It means going in with her eyes open, so there are no surprises six months from now.

My advice

1. Do the reflective work before you apply

Most people skip this step entirely and go straight to job hunting. Before Grace sends another application, she needs to understand the environments she actually thrives in, and why. Not just what she wants to do, but who she wants to do it around and what conditions bring out her best work. That's the filter every opportunity should get run through, rather than each decision being made in isolation.

2. Look past the job title to how the company is actually built

Two companies in the same industry can be completely different places to work. The size of the team, who a role reports into, how decisions get made locally versus elsewhere. These details matter far more than they seem to on a job spec, and they're often knowable before you ever accept an offer, if you know what to look for.

3. Don't let one ambiguous signal become a dealbreaker

Grace flagged a role where the marketing position reported into sales rather than into a marketing leader. Her instinct was to rule it out. My advice was the opposite: keep moving through the process, gather more information, and make the call once she's got a full picture, not a partial one.

If Grace's story sounds familiar, and you're trying to make sure your next move is the right one rather than just the next one, the Creative Career Level Up programme might be a good fit.

Check out more details, including testimonials, on our website here