When someone asks about your ideal next role, do you immediately think "Senior Product Manager" or some other title?

Many people I work with start with job titles. Occasionally they add in things like company size, more money, and industry.

These matter, but they don't tell the whole story.

There’s a critical step I encourage all of my clients to take when working to land their next job. And it doesn’t matter if they have been applying for a year or haven’t begun at all.

It starts with defining your next role—where you want to be.

Like many things, a framework gives you a guide for how to do this.

I’m giving you mine.

But first, let’s start with the why.

Why defining your next role is important

Defining your ideal next role gives you the power to evaluate opportunities on your terms, not just on what's available.

Having objective criteria about what matters most to you makes it easier to decide which interview process to prioritise and when to confidently exit.

Without this clarity, you'll find yourself making rushed decisions when offers come in, potentially compromising on what truly matters to you.

More importantly, though, this exercise shifts your mindset when evaluating a job from starting with "do I have what they want" to "do they have what I want."

This fundamental change fuels your motivation throughout the job search, anchoring your focus on the destination rather than any temporary rejection along the way.

How one client used this method

Just this week I was helping a former big tech Head of Product negotiate an offer for a Staff PM role at an AI startup.

Exciting moment? Absolutely!

But that nagging question of “is this the right fit?” surfaced.

So I immediately pulled up how she defined her ideal next role.

10 attributes, stack ranked.

This role hit 9 out of 10.

And just like that, reassurance that this was the right fit.

Then we moved on to negotiate the offer. You can read my tips on how to do that in a previous issue.

The steps to follow

Here’s the practical framework for defining your ideal role—beyond just titles and pay.

This approach has transformed how my clients approach their job search, making them more selective and confident in interviews.

Part of the inspiration of this framework was form Phyl Terry’s “Never Search Alone” book and the Mnookin Two-pager. Credit where it’s due, right?

If you want a written guide you can follow yourself, just send me an email and I’ll send it to you.

Start with what you want…and what you don’t

Whether you are just getting started or have been searching for weeks or longer, you need to write down what you want in your next job, and what you do not want.

This will help you define the right roles to prioritise in your search, and which to avoid.

Your answer probably wouldn't be "I was a Product Manager at a fintech startup." You'd talk about the team dynamics, the product impact, or the learning opportunities.

You can list out specific work that really gets you going…like doing continuous discovery, launch days, working with design teams.

Me personally? Launch days were the most memorable moments while I was at Amazon. High pressure, high stakes, and hugely rewarding to see years of work come to life.

This starts as an open-ended reflection question. Think about what must be true about the next role or company.

Maybe it’s a Product leader you can learn from.

Perhaps you want more autonomy.

Or it could be you just want to deliver measurable value because where you work doesn’t measure enough (or at all!).

Another open-ended one. You’ve experienced things you don’t like that you want to avoid.

Control-freak Founder? No thanks.

70% tech debt? I’ve been there.

Limited growth? Forget it.

You should consider how the next role will help you get to where you want to be over a longer arc of time. These don’t have to be overly detailed; they could be any of the following:

Become a CPO.

Start my own business.

Achieve healthier work/life balance.

Next: list up to 10 attributes (that matter)

Write out a list.

Make it bullet points to start.

Then, elaborate with specifics.

Here are some real examples from actual clients I’ve helped this year:

• Startup or Growth phase - but should still have established PMF. Not 0>1
• Comparable salary (230K) - I was making a lot before. I don’t need that much but not a huge step down
• IC work - Managing people is such an energy suck
• A good boss - want to learn and be guided. Haven’t had that in too long.
• Flexibility in working hours (not a 9-5 job)
• Intellectual challenge - I don’t want to work on some internal project. I want to focus on work that makes a difference (ROI on my time).
• Scope: Growth-focused, hands-on strategy balanced with tactical

And finally, stack rank those attributes

You’ve got your list of up to 10. Now sort them, starting with the single most important attribute.

Was it one from your ‘must-haves’? Or something else?

Send me a reply with your list!

When should you do this

Honestly?

Right now. Today.

Especially if you’re thinking about your next role.

And if you haven’t asked yourself what your next role should be in the last 6 months, now is the time.

Please don’t let complacency get in the way of achieving your goals. I see it too often.

The outcomes you can expect

Here's what I've learned from supporting hundreds of PMs in their job search:

When clients complete this exercise, their entire job search changes.

They become more selective, more confident, and more authentic in interviews.

They know exactly why they want a specific role, beyond the obvious criteria.

It becomes easier to narrow the job search.

They stop applying to roles that don’t align.

Tailoring their CV becomes simpler and more measurable.

Interview questions to ask flow naturally.

And accepting the offer becomes so much more rewarding.

So take 30 minutes today, or this week.

Write down what you want, what you don't want, and what matters most.

Your future self will thank you.

Wishing you success,
James