3 questions to ask yourself to figure out if you’re ready for a new job, from an HR exec
Stephanie Kramer was just a few years into her career when she landed one of her dream companies: In 2007, she joined L’Oreal to manage the global marketing efforts of Ralph Lauren’s fragrance division.
In the nearly 20 years since, Kramer, 43, has worked with iconic fragrance and skincare brands at L’Oreal, then Chanel, and now she’s recently made a career change to return to L’Oreal to become head of HR for the company’s North American operations.
She says some of the best career advice she received came from former boss Maureen Chiquet, the former Chanel CEO, who gave her a three-question framework to figure out whether she was ready for a new job or career change.
“I often ask people three questions when making career decisions,” Kramer tells CNBC Make It.
- What do you want to learn or what do you want to teach?
- Where do you get your energy from?
- What do you need for your life right now?
In 2011, Kramer was working as global marketing director at L’Oreal, had just earned a master’s degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and was curious about taking her career in a new direction when the opportunity to work for Chanel arose.
Kramer says he was attracted to the fact that it represented something different, a private company, a luxury brand, and a company with categories beyond beauty.
“It was something new to learn,” Kramer says. By the way, since Ralph Lauren worked in the fragrance business, he used this information for Chanel No. She felt she could transfer it to working on Chanel fragrances such as No. 5 and Coco Mademoiselle. He says it gives him something to teach when he’s on a new assignment.
As for what energizes him, Kramer says he’s willing to try something he hasn’t done before, with new colleagues and in a different environment.
Finally, Kramer says he needs to take stock of his personal life. At the time, she had just finished her master’s degree, was getting married, and “I guess sometimes in those mega life moments you also think about how you want to stretch professionally,” she says.
Kramer recommends using this framework when searching for a new job and narrowing down the opportunities you want to pursue. He also says that when paired with the “traffic light” method, it can be used to evaluate the business you’re currently in.
“When you feel stuck or stuck at a ‘red light,’ ask these questions to help you get out of the jam with a clearer head and a better understanding of what you want in your current role or with your employer,” she says.
When a career change means returning to an old company
Kramer spent nearly five years at Chanel, first as fragrance marketing manager and then as executive director of skin care marketing.
In 2016, he says, he wanted something different once again and reconsidered his three-question approach.
A position opened up at L’Oreal and offered Kramer the opportunity: Going back to working for a business on a global scale was something she missed when she went to work for Chanel.
For Kiehl’s, it was an opportunity to work with new markets that drive global marketing.
“I was able to work a lot with our travel retail teams in South Korea, China and Asia,” Kramer says. “So there was a huge momentum at Kiehl’s that I got to be a part of, and it expanded me and brought me closer to the consumer in a different way, and I loved that.”
And on a personal level, Kramer says it was a good time to return to the former employer she loved: She had just given birth to her first son and was ready for something different professionally, but at a company where she felt supported.
“I’ve now been able to take the business in a completely different direction at L’Oreal, which was great, and it actually happened after I had my second son,” Kramer says of her move into HR.
Want to give your kids the ultimate advantage? You teach them to read and ride a bike, but often skip money management. Sign up for our new course, How to Raise Financially Smart Kids?, Learn how to create healthy financial habits and prepare them for real-world milestones. Use coupon code EARLYBIRD for 30% off. Offer valid from December 8-22, 2025. Terms apply.
