“I’m starting to think moving home will cost me my career”

Today I’m analysing the situation of Daniella. Daniella reached out to me via LinkedIn enquiring about my Creative Career Level Up programme. 

Daniella has spent years building an impressive career in London. She’s worked for well-known companies, built strong experience, and developed a level of commercial and strategic thinking that’s hard to replicate.

But now she wants to move home.

And suddenly, the career path that once felt clear feels incredibly complicated. Because while moving home makes sense personally, professionally it feels like she’s stepped into a completely different world.

She’s gone from building her career in the UK to job hunting in a much smaller European market.

One with fewer opportunities. Smaller teams. Lower salaries. And far less understanding of the value she brings.

What’s the challenge?

Daniella’s challenge isn’t capability. It’s positioning.

She’s applying for roles and finding herself stuck in an awkward middle ground. Some companies see her as “too senior”. Others worry she’ll expect too much money. Some question whether her international experience is even relevant in their market.

And after enough rejection, even highly capable people start second-guessing themselves.

That’s what stood out to me most in this conversation. 

At times, Daniella knew she was capable of more. At other times, exhaustion was making her consider roles that didn’t truly align with the career she wants.

That’s what job searching can do when you’ve been in it too long without a clear strategy. You stop thinking about what you actually want and start reacting to whatever appears in front of you.

How can she move forward?

The biggest shift Daniella needs to make is moving from reactive job searching to intentional job searching.

Right now, she’s largely responding to what’s available. But in small markets like this, especially when returning home after years overseas, that approach usually creates frustration.

Because the reality is this:

Most companies may not fully value her background. But the right companies absolutely will. International businesses. Growth-stage companies. Brands that value commercial thinking, global exposure and strategic marketing experience.

Those opportunities do exist. There are just fewer of them.

Which means the goal isn’t applying for more roles. The goal is to identify the right ones earlier and build a strategy around them.

My advice

1. Stop using volume as the strategy

 When people panic in a job search, they usually apply for more. More roles. More industries. More “maybe this could work” opportunities.

But broad job searching often creates emotional burnout very quickly. Daniella doesn’t need more applications. She needs more precision.

2. Build a target market before applying

 Before sending another application, I’d want her to get crystal clear on:

• Which companies are actually likely to value her background
• What type of environments does she want
• Which roles genuinely align with her strengths
• What trade-offs is she and isn’t she willing to make

That clarity changes everything.

3. Don’t let exhaustion lower your standards

 One thing I see often with high performers is that prolonged uncertainty slowly chips away at confidence. Eventually, they start convincing themselves they should settle.

But temporary exhaustion should never dictate permanent career decisions. Especially when you’ve already built strong experience.

4. Accept that fewer opportunities can still be enough

 This is important. When moving from a major market into a smaller one, there probably will be fewer “dream” opportunities. That’s normal. 

But you don’t need dozens of perfect roles. You only need one right fit.

And often, those opportunities come through intentional networking, positioning and targeting, not endless applications.

I help people in the Marketing & Creative & Tech Industries to find their next perfect role. 

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

Or use the link below to find out whether the Creative Career Level Up is the right fit for you.