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Career Strategy
6 min
The 7 Indicators to Measure Your Career Progress
What doesn't get measured doesn't get improved. Yet few professionals track their career progression with concrete indicators. Result: we move forward blindly, not knowing if we're really progressing or stagnating. This guide presents 7 key indicators to manage your career like a project, with objective and actionable metrics.
1
Salary progression
Your compensation is an objective indicator of your market value.
What to measure: • Annual gross salary (fixed + variable) • Year-over-year % change • Position relative to market (percentile)
Benchmarks to aim for: • Minimum: +3% per year (inflation) • Good: +5-8% per year • Excellent: +10-15% per year
How to track: • Record your salary each year • Compare with compensation studies in your sector • Calculate your cumulative progression over 3-5 years
Warning signal: If your salary has stagnated for more than 2 years, it's time to act (negotiation or mobility).
What to measure: • Annual gross salary (fixed + variable) • Year-over-year % change • Position relative to market (percentile)
Benchmarks to aim for: • Minimum: +3% per year (inflation) • Good: +5-8% per year • Excellent: +10-15% per year
How to track: • Record your salary each year • Compare with compensation studies in your sector • Calculate your cumulative progression over 3-5 years
Warning signal: If your salary has stagnated for more than 2 years, it's time to act (negotiation or mobility).
2
Level of responsibility
Beyond the title, measure the actual scope of your responsibilities.
Criteria to evaluate: • Size of budget managed • Number of people managed (direct + indirect) • Impact of decisions (team, department, company) • Autonomy in strategic choices
Progression grid:
| Level | Budget | Team | Impact | |-------|--------|------|--------| | Junior | 0-10K€ | 0 | Tasks | | Mid-level | 10-100K€ | 0-2 | Projects | | Senior | 100K-1M€ | 2-5 | Department | | Lead | 1-10M€ | 5-15 | Business Unit | | Director | >10M€ | >15 | Company |
Exercise: Position yourself on this grid today, then define your 3-year target.
Criteria to evaluate: • Size of budget managed • Number of people managed (direct + indirect) • Impact of decisions (team, department, company) • Autonomy in strategic choices
Progression grid:
| Level | Budget | Team | Impact | |-------|--------|------|--------| | Junior | 0-10K€ | 0 | Tasks | | Mid-level | 10-100K€ | 0-2 | Projects | | Senior | 100K-1M€ | 2-5 | Department | | Lead | 1-10M€ | 5-15 | Business Unit | | Director | >10M€ | >15 | Company |
Exercise: Position yourself on this grid today, then define your 3-year target.
3
Skills acquired
Your skills capital determines your future employability.
Categories to track:
Hard skills • Number of technologies/tools mastered • Certifications obtained • Expertise level (beginner → expert)
Soft skills • Self-assessment on 10 key criteria • Annual 360° feedback • Difficult situations successfully handled
Tracking method: Create your skills matrix:
| Skill | Current Level | Target Level | Gap | Priority | |-------|---------------|--------------|-----|----------| | Leadership | 3/5 | 5/5 | 2 | High | | Data Analysis | 2/5 | 4/5 | 2 | Medium | | Negotiation | 4/5 | 5/5 | 1 | Low |
Goal: Acquire 2-3 significant new skills per year.
Categories to track:
Hard skills • Number of technologies/tools mastered • Certifications obtained • Expertise level (beginner → expert)
Soft skills • Self-assessment on 10 key criteria • Annual 360° feedback • Difficult situations successfully handled
Tracking method: Create your skills matrix:
| Skill | Current Level | Target Level | Gap | Priority | |-------|---------------|--------------|-----|----------| | Leadership | 3/5 | 5/5 | 2 | High | | Data Analysis | 2/5 | 4/5 | 2 | Medium | | Negotiation | 4/5 | 5/5 | 1 | Low |
Goal: Acquire 2-3 significant new skills per year.
4
Visibility and personal branding
Your professional reputation opens (or closes) doors.
Metrics to track:
LinkedIn • Number of qualified connections • Profile views per week • Engagement on your posts • Inbound solicitations (recruiters, partners)
Professional network • Number of active contacts (exchanges within the year) • Invitations to events/conferences • Recommendations received
Thought leadership • Articles published • Speaking engagements (conferences, podcasts, webinars) • Media mentions
Benchmarks: • LinkedIn connections: +500 qualified • Profile views: >100/week = good visibility • Solicitations: >2/month = you're identified as an expert
Metrics to track:
LinkedIn • Number of qualified connections • Profile views per week • Engagement on your posts • Inbound solicitations (recruiters, partners)
Professional network • Number of active contacts (exchanges within the year) • Invitations to events/conferences • Recommendations received
Thought leadership • Articles published • Speaking engagements (conferences, podcasts, webinars) • Media mentions
Benchmarks: • LinkedIn connections: +500 qualified • Profile views: >100/week = good visibility • Solicitations: >2/month = you're identified as an expert
5
Achievements and measurable impacts
Your concrete accomplishments are your best argument for progression.
What to document: • Projects completed successfully • Quantified results achieved • Problems solved • Innovations introduced
Documentation format: For each achievement, note: • Situation: The context and challenge • Action: What you specifically did • Result: The quantified impact
Examples of impact metrics: • Revenue generated or savings achieved • Time saved (for you or the team) • Improved customer satisfaction • Optimized processes
Goal: Accumulate 3-5 significant achievements per year, documented with numbers.
What to document: • Projects completed successfully • Quantified results achieved • Problems solved • Innovations introduced
Documentation format: For each achievement, note: • Situation: The context and challenge • Action: What you specifically did • Result: The quantified impact
Examples of impact metrics: • Revenue generated or savings achieved • Time saved (for you or the team) • Improved customer satisfaction • Optimized processes
Goal: Accumulate 3-5 significant achievements per year, documented with numbers.
6
Balance and satisfaction
Professional success means nothing without well-being.
Professional well-being indicators:
Energy • Energy level on Monday morning (1-10) • Frequency of enthusiastic days • Sleep quality
Balance • Hours worked per week • Ability to disconnect • Time for personal projects
Meaning • Alignment with your values (1-10) • Sense of usefulness • Pride in your work
Quarterly self-assessment: Rate yourself out of 10 for each criterion. An overall score <6 is a warning signal.
Reminder: A "successful" but exhausting career is not a success.
Professional well-being indicators:
Energy • Energy level on Monday morning (1-10) • Frequency of enthusiastic days • Sleep quality
Balance • Hours worked per week • Ability to disconnect • Time for personal projects
Meaning • Alignment with your values (1-10) • Sense of usefulness • Pride in your work
Quarterly self-assessment: Rate yourself out of 10 for each criterion. An overall score <6 is a warning signal.
Reminder: A "successful" but exhausting career is not a success.
7
External employability
Your value in the external market is the ultimate test of your progression.
How to measure it:
Market test • Apply to 1-2 positions per year (even without intention to leave) • Measure response rate and offers received • Compare proposed salaries vs current
Passive attractiveness • Number of headhunter approaches • Quality of proposed opportunities • Level of suggested positions
Industry reputation • Are you spontaneously recommended? • Does your name circulate for opportunities?
Positive signals: • >5 qualified approaches/year • Salary offers >+15% vs current • N+1 level offers
Warning signal: No solicitations for 6 months = work on your visibility.
How to measure it:
Market test • Apply to 1-2 positions per year (even without intention to leave) • Measure response rate and offers received • Compare proposed salaries vs current
Passive attractiveness • Number of headhunter approaches • Quality of proposed opportunities • Level of suggested positions
Industry reputation • Are you spontaneously recommended? • Does your name circulate for opportunities?
Positive signals: • >5 qualified approaches/year • Salary offers >+15% vs current • N+1 level offers
Warning signal: No solicitations for 6 months = work on your visibility.
Conclusion
These 7 indicators give you a complete view of your progression. No need to track all of them constantly. Start with the 2-3 most relevant for your current situation. Do a complete assessment once a year. The goal is not metric obsession, but having objective benchmarks to make the right decisions at the right time.