10 signs
it's time to change your job
ANALYSIS
Having recently just quit a job I had held for nine years and four
months, I have given the topic of job-changing a great deal of thought. However
bad a job may be and however much you dread Monday mornings, making the
decision to leave the job — especially one you have held for some years — is
never an easy process. Even if your boss is an ogre, your pay raises haven't
kept up with the cost of living and your skills haven't been relevant for six
years, you know you can handle this job.
There's a large degree
of comfort in your current responsibilities and the company you're familiar
with. Part of your brain knows you're capable of more, but another part is
fraught with self-doubt and wakes you from sleep at 2am in a cold sweat,
beaming an image of you in your new job frozen by ignorance, out of your depth,
and facing termination.
So how do you know when
it's time to go? Based on my recent experience, here are my top 10 indicators
that it's time to make the change.
#1: You know you aren't
performing to the best of your ability
We all go through slumps, bad days, even bad weeks when we just don't care,
don't give it our best... but what if that week turns into months? If you just
don't have what it takes to give it your best, something needs to change. This
is a common sign of burnout or of being overworked, under-worked,
under-challenged or out of your depth.
If lack of motivation is
the only issue, it may be possible to effect change within your current company
by requesting different responsibilities, more training or another position.
But if none of these options is available, it's time to update your resume.
#2: You start
gravitating toward co-workers you can be disgruntled with
Think about the people
with whom you choose to socialise at work. Whose company do you seek out? Are
you drawn toward the malcontents, the people who derive pleasure from
complaining about their boss, the declining benefits and the unreasonable
overtime? When people ask you what you like about your job, is it rather like
when your uncle asked, "What's your favourite subject at school?",
and all you could think of was break-time?
#3: You can't picture
your future with your current employer
Do you remember those irritating questions the last time you were interviewed:
"Where do you see yourself in three years? Five years? Ten?" Perhaps
it's time to ask yourself those questions again. But this time ask, "Do I
see myself HERE in three years? Five years? Ten?" If the answer to any of
these questions is no, what is your plan? Where do you want to go? When were
you planning to make your move?
As much as we'd all like
to simply wake up one day to find ourselves in the perfect job, the chance of
it happening is probably slightly slimmer than a one-eyed, polka-dotted
aardvark materialising in your kitchen sink. If you know that you want to be
working somewhere else at some point in the future, it's never too soon to make
a plan.
#4: You take inventory
of your job's pros and cons... and the cons win
If you're having a hard time deciding whether to change jobs, try this simple
exercise. Create a document with two lists — things you like about your current
job, and things you dislike. Next, apply a weighting to the items. This can be
as simple as a value from one to 10 to rate the importance of each factor. For
example, if the stringent dress code is on your list of cons but it isn't that
important to you, give it a 1 or 2. But if the excellent health insurance is a
pro, it would probably warrant at least a 7 or an 8.
Next, add up each list.
If the cons outweigh the pros, it's probably worth at least considering a
change. If nothing else, this exercise will force you to focus on what you specifically
do and do not like about your current position and give you a more concrete
idea of what to look for in a new position.
#5: You look for ways to
improve your current situation but you can't turn it into what you really want
Another useful exercise is to take your list of pros from the previous exercise
and expand upon it. Elaborate on the items already on the list and add other
items you wish you could claim about your current position. When you're
finished, review the list for items you may be able to make happen at your
current company.
If you want more responsibility or more flexible
hours, you might be able to work that out, whereas if you work for a missile
manufacturer and happen to have developed pacifist beliefs since accepting the
position…
… your only
reasonable option is to seek a position in a different company. In other words,
before jumping ship under the assumption that a new position will make all your
problems vanish in an instant, make the effort to effect improvements in your
current position. If trying to make changes proves futile, you'll be more
confident that seeking a new position is the right thing to do.
#6: Your
skills are lagging and your position offers no opportunities to update them
How is your skill set? Are you able to keep your skills up to date? What would
happen if your company went under today and you were forced onto the job
market? Would you struggle to find a better or even an equivalent position
because your skills are out of date? If this is the case, is there anything you
can do to rectify the situation in your current position? Are there training
opportunities you haven't been taking advantage of?
If it's not
possible to stay employable in your current position, it's definitely time to
make a change, even if you enjoy the job and your company seems stable. You may
be able to supplement your company's deficit by paying for your own training,
but without the opportunity to use your new skills in a work environment, such
training will be of little value. To determine the current marketability of
your present skill set, try searching for jobs equivalent to yours. Do you meet
the minimum requirements?
#7: You
can't get enough positive reinforcement to keep your spirits up
Do you feel valued? Feeling valued in your job is one of those almost
indefinable benefits or forms of compensation that can't be measured by any
objective means. The degree to which someone needs to feel valued to be happy
in a job varies greatly from person to person. Some people are perfectly content
never to receive a word of praise or public acknowledgment of their
achievements. For others, this type of recognition is more important than a
generous salary.
The first
step towards obtaining an appropriate position in this respect is to become aware
of your own needs. The next step is to develop some techniques for determining
whether these needs will be met when considering a new position, perhaps by
asking appropriate questions during interviews or by finding current employees
willing to talk. If you're already in a job that you otherwise like, figure out
what you need in order to feel valued and find ways to communicate these needs
to the appropriate person.
If the only
time your boss talks to you is to tell you that you need to do better or improve
your attitude, try explaining that it would also be helpful to know when you
are doing something right. Try being proactive and ask your peers, your users
or your superiors to let you know if there's more you can do to help them. This
could have the pleasant side effect of eliciting some positive feedback when
they tell you that they're perfectly satisfied with your current level of
service. If you still can't get the validation you need, it could be time to
seek it elsewhere.
#8: Your
salary just isn't enough
Are you paid what you're worth? Although receiving inadequate financial
compensation for your efforts is rarely the sole or even the most important
reason that people change jobs, it's a significant factor. For most people,
being paid what they're worth — at or above the going market rate for their job
function — is an essential aspect of feeling valued. Don't know what you are
worth? Try looking at comparable positions on job hunting Web sites, review
compensation surveys, or update your CV and submit it to a headhunter to
solicit feedback.
Being paid
inadequately can be particularly galling if you happen to find out that one of
your less experienced and/or less qualified co-workers is being paid more.
Early in my career, I was given the task of training a new employee, an
assignment I took on quite willingly until I learned that despite her lack of
experience, her salary was almost exactly double mine. Although I continued to
train her, my enthusiasm definitely waned.
My request
for a mere 5 percent pay increase was denied, so I took the only reasonable
course of action and secured a position with a different company. In this case,
salary was not the only factor, but it was the one that finally persuaded me to
make a change.
#9: You want
to live somewhere else
Have a great job but hate the location? Even if you have the perfect job,
unless your career is the single most important aspect of your life, disliking
the area in which you live or having a burning desire to live someplace else is
an important factor in deciding to change jobs.
Since
accepting my first IT job, the need to relocate has been a significant force in
my decision to change companies three out of four times. In fact, of those
three, I relocated twice without even having a job to go to.
#10: Your
company or work situation has changed radically since you were hired
Your job used to be perfect, but now it has changed. Maybe your company was
bought out or your boss retired or got reassigned. Or perhaps your company had
a significant shift in operating philosophy or in its mission, and now you're
no longer working in the same environment into which you were originally hired.
If such
changes occur, you basically have three choices: go with the flow and make the
most of the situation; quit; or stay and complain. These types of changes can
be so far-reaching in their impact upon your daily life that the result is not
dissimilar to being forced to change jobs and companies. You may be going to
the same physical location each day, but every other aspect of your job has
been transformed.
Even if
you're not unhappy with the changes, this is a good opportunity to re-examine
where you are in your life and make sure you take full advantage of the new
circumstances.