How to Know It's Time to Look for a New Job
I knew it was time to leave a management job I once had when I realized there was no one I admired or wanted to emulate. I wasn’t happy in the job, but if there had been someone I could have learned from, that might have made it worth hanging on.
One of the reasons to consider leaving your job is that you’re stuck in your current position with no opportunity to advance. That wasn’t my situation. I was actually in line for a promotion, and I want to get out before I was promoted; otherwise, they’d conclude I had quit because I couldn’t handle the new position. But if you’re stuck in a status quo situation or you’re not challenged by the work you’re doing, that could be a sign to start looking elsewhere.
Even if you’re not stuck, you may lack the passion you’d like to have for your job. Or your skills are not being tapped, or you’re just plain bored. Of course, in situations like these, it could be foolish to considering resigning before you look around for internal opportunities that would challenge you. But you have to be proactive. Sitting around and moping won’t plunk such opportunities on your desk; if anything, management will view moping as a sign that you’re barely able to do your current job, let alone anything beyond it.
Sometimes, your mood is a sign that your job is getting you down. For example, maybe now you’re laughing a lot less, or when Sunday rolls around, you get depressed because it means Monday is on its way. Of course, if you’re in a nonstop state of job-induced stress or you have a terrible boss, it is time to plot your escape. It could also be that you misjudged the culture of the organization and you just don’t fit in. And certainly, if you’re treated badly to the extent that the job is giving you nightmares, it’s time to move on.
Often, though, it’s worth taking a shot at changing the things you don’t like about the job. I have a friend who was severely overworked. Due to openings not yet filled, she was put in a position of doing not only her own job but also significant portions of two other jobs. “Overworked” barely described her situation. One day she decided she’d had enough. Very calmly she walked into her manager’s office and announced that she was quitting . . . one of her three jobs. Her manager didn’t want to lose her and accepted her resignation. Being down to only two jobs was like a breath of fresh air!
That seems like a good lesson: Before jumping ship, think about how you can improve the circumstances so that you want to stay.
