7 signs you should start looking for a new job
We love Forbes Magazine and they constantly have great articles regarding career development and support.
Moving on from your job can be a difficult decision to make due to the many unknowns. We hope this article helps you identify if it is the right time for you to make a move.
It’s difficult to know when to quit your job at any age, especially when you’re under thirty. You’ve graduated fairly recently, and the memories of how difficult it was to even find your current job are probably still pretty fresh.
Plus, you probably don’t want to fall into one (or all) of those classic millennial workplace stereotypes. You know the ones, that “millennials come in and expect things to be handed to them”, anticipate “a promotion in their first year”, are labeled “job hoppers”, or that we’re “lazy and entitled”.
It can be challenging to know if things are really that bad or if they are just in your head. It takes a lot of courage and self awareness to acknowledge that it’s time to move on in your professional career, especially when you may not feel like you’ve “earned” it yet.
How can you be really sure that it’s the right time to finally quit that soul sucking job and move on to bigger and better things? How can you know at the end of the day that you’ve done everything you can to make things work at your current company? Here are some common red flags.
1. Your boss doesn’t like you. In 2015 Gallup released a study that concluded 50% of the 7,200 adults surveyed left their job to get away from a boss. If you can’t get guidance from your boss, it can be really difficult to do your job effectively. The last thing you want to do is try to “push through it” because you don’t want to be a quitter, only to let all the frustration boil over one day and burn the bridge with the company. Swallow your pride and move on.
2. You have no work-life balance. If you still feel like you’re at work after you’ve left, there is a serious problem. In fact, a Monster.com survey found that work-life balance came in at number three for top workplace stressors. Some good signs this is happening is if your friends or family always complain they never see you or you have no time for things you used to enjoy (like movie nights or the gym). You panic every time your phone vibrates because it might be work. You travel everywhere with your Wi-Fi ready to go so you can be “accessible” anyplace any time and find that you can never really be present outside of the office.
3. Your values aren’t aligned with the company’s. If your company is doing something ethically or morally you can’t get behind, then it’s time to go. Especially in our twenties, we are setting the tone for who we will be in our professional lives, sure there will be plenty of decisions “in the grey” throughout our lifetime, but if there is a massive difference in core values then it’s time for you to find a better fit. No need to feel like your selling your soul to the devil this early.
4. You are miserable every morning. If getting dressed and heading to work feels like you’ve just descended into the depths of Hades then you need to listen to your body to make adjustments accordingly. If you want to take it a step further, try to identify if that churning in your stomach happens around anything specific. For instance, when your boss walks by or when you see a co-worker receiving appreciation you yearn. Then use that insight to grow as a professional while seeking employment elsewhere.
5. You can’t have fun at work. Personal story here: when I finally landed my “dream” job, a lot of the above started coming up for me. Then during a professional development workshop with the team we were asked to write down three to five words that we thought should guide us as a team the next year. Ultimately we would choose one to three words that would act as our mission in all of our decisions. We had to share our responses, one of my words was “fun” – the entire team except one other person under 30 descended on me like I had just said a dirty word; “We are here to work, it’s not supposed to be fun!” they said. Needless to say a year later, nobody in the room was still with the company. Work doesn’t need to be fun everyday, but you should feel comfortable laughing in your office, it’s what will help you through the rough patches.
6. The company is struggling. If the company is struggling grab a life raft and start looking for work elsewhere. When a company is in a financial or structural crisis, the employees will feel the strain in the workplace. It usually makes for a more hostile environment, fewer bonuses, and longer hours. Take all of your new skills and negotiate a higher salary elsewhere.
7. You don’t see any upward mobility. We live an achievement driven society. Kindergarten to high school is all about advancing a grade, seeing your progress with each passing year. It fills us with a sense of pride, accomplishment, and self worth. If there is nowhere for you to move up in the company, then what are you doing there? It’s only a matter of time until you’re feeling pretty crumby about yourself.
Really take some time to make a logical decision rather than an emotional decision. Then don’t hesitate. Start making moves to quickly and discreetly to find other employment. It’s always better to have a few offers on the table before leaving your current employer. You don’t want to delay this move and risk burning bridges by either having word get back to your current employer that you’re looking else where, or saying something emotional at work that will get you fired.
Written By Rachel Ritlop
You can find the original article here