Written by: Everywoman.com

As you approach a workplace appraisal, don’t fall into the trap of only focussing on what you’ve achieved over the last six months and how you’d like to be rewarded for a job well done.

Make sure you put as much time and thought into considering your next move and what’s currently preventing your transition. Remember: bosses aren’t responsible for your career progression; you are.

Join us as we look at how four women responded to the feedback: “Figure out your next move.” Whether you’re responding to a boss’s critique or trying to answer your own workplace conundrums, you’ll find more inspiration in our workbooks Career planning andPreparing for a successful appraisal.

Prototype all your options in a ‘non-commitment’ way

“I [began] what I call a “self-education program” on something they don’t teach you in school, but is arguably the most important thing of all: what I wanted to do with my life.

I began cold emailing anyone I could think of who I was interested in meeting and learning from. To my surprise, I had a shockingly high response rate. I got to meet with [business] founders, and also various investors and professors. I asked them about their career path, how they’d come to where they were now, and what recommendations they had for figuring out my next move.

I didn’t stop there. I also volunteered at major conferences, so I could meet more people and attend the talks for free. I checked out various events and talks in the region, and even sat in on classes at Stanford (which the professors were kind enough to let me observe). [One tutor] advocated an idea that stuck with me: testing out the different career experiences I was interested in, in the most low commitment way that I could for each option.

So… I began “prototyping” the different work experiences that I was considering — dipping my toe in each — so I could figure out which I liked best. Again using my favorite tactic of cold emailing, I reached out to and secured “shadow experiences”.

Looking back, I’m so happy that I took the time to prototype my different career options — and am grateful for the fact that it was nearly free to do so (much cheaper than say, an MBA, which many people say they take to figure out what to do with their lives). I learned more in those few months than I had in years.”

Businesswoman Jennifer Turliuk, talking to ForbesWoman

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