Changing jobs involves several separate questions: the work itself, income, conditions and the transition. Compare the same criteria for staying and leaving before drawing cards. Tarot can help reveal priorities; a contract, budget and reference check provide information the cards cannot supply.
Choose the question and positions before drawing
What needs to be true before a job change makes sense?
Use these positions in order:
- Current role: the four criteria
- New role: the same four criteria
- The bridge between them
A worked example: connect each card to its position
You are comparing your present role with a possible new job. Use four headings for both: pay, hours, development and uncertainty. One difficult week or an appealing vacancy is not enough to complete the comparison.
Current role: the four criteria — Two of Pentacles
The balancing figure directs attention to the current role's actual trade-offs. Pay is confirmed; two recent evenings required overtime. You know the team and can ask about redistribution, but there is no agreed development plan. Mark which overtime is temporary and what could change if you stayed.
New role: the same four criteria — Two of Wands
The outward-looking figure represents the proposed alternative. Record the same four headings: a pay range is advertised but not offered, hybrid hours are claimed but not written down, training is mentioned without a budget, and probation terms are unknown. Attractive wording belongs in the unconfirmed column until checked.
The bridge between them — Knight of Pentacles
The steady rider suggests a bridge built from small verifiable steps. Request written pay, hours, training and probation terms from the new employer. Ask your current manager about workload and development using the same criteria. Check notice and your own transition budget before making commitments.
No option wins this example yet. Staying offers known pay and colleagues but unresolved workload; leaving offers possible changes with several unconfirmed terms. The next step is two conversations and an updated comparison sheet. Decide which conditions are essential before the replies arrive, so enthusiasm does not move the goalposts.
A mistake to avoid
Do not read a positive card as proof that an unsigned offer will materialise.
Continue with a focused next step
Wait for the two conversations before updating your comparison. If confirmed conditions still leave a genuine trade-off between development and stability, examine that remaining choice in a personal reading; check the contract separately. Review the available format and price before confirming a paid continuation.