Your interests and goals naturally change over time, but how do you know if you’re ready to think about a change of job? Here are a few indicators that it might be time for you to make your move.
You’ve been in your job a good while, and you’ve noticed motivation is dwindling. Maybe you don’t feel challenged enough. Or perhaps you feel like you’re not moving in the direction you want any more.
So, you enjoy your current company and have great relationships with your colleagues. However, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't branch out and try something new. Here are some signs that could be telling you it’s time to do just that.
1. You often feel stressed and tired
Do you find yourself dragging your feet on the commute to work, and lacking the spring in your step that you once had? Are you sleeping less well than you used to? Or are you more often prone to bouts of irritability or low spirits?
Any of these could be symptoms of rising stress levels – a bodily early warning system. Stress can affect your mood and your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds and low moods. Moreover, it causes impairing performance and if left unchecked, more serious health issues can develop too.
If you're getting the feeling that your body is trying to tell you something, it’s worth taking a moment to understand the message.
2. You don’t believe in the company like you used to
You began working in your current job that seemed full of possibilities. Furthermore, you felt proud to identify yourself as an employee of your organisation. But recently you’ve noticed a change in the office atmosphere, and your belief or confidence in the organisation isn’t what it was.
Perhaps the company has taken some commercial or strategic decisions that don’t sit well with you? Perhaps a management reshuffle has not been a change for the better in your view? Or perhaps it’s just that your own thinking has evolved. You’re starting to feel that the company’s values don’t align closely enough with your own.
A lack of shared values can be a powerful motivator. If this sounds like you, it might be time to start looking around for a new company that you can really believe in.
3. You're watching the clock
You used to wake up in the morning excited about what you might achieve during the day ahead. Furthermore, you'd even take on extra projects and stay late voluntarily to get extra work done. Now, you're counting down the hours until you can log off and hit the street. You find yourself tempted to just take on the minimum workload.
Everyone deserves to work in a job that they feel enthusiastic about doing; a job that keeps them eager to make a difference. It may be that your job doesn’t stretch you any more. Or your current employer doesn’t have an adequate development path for you. Either way, it could be time to move on to something that ignites your passion again.
4. Your skills don’t match up to your personal interests
Sometimes people get hired for things they’re fantastic at but don’t necessarily especially like doing. Perhaps you’re skilled in software sales but would prefer to be in marketing. Maybe you’re great at creating spreadsheets, but you’d prefer to be out meeting clients. Perhaps you’ve found yourself practising in one area of law when you’ve always really fancied another.
Though it’s not always easy to make it happen, it’s natural to want to align your personal interests with your career activity. The longer you leave it, the harder it can be to switch as you become more specialised in a field that you don’t feel is really you. As Steve Jobs once said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle.” So now could be the time to take the opportunity while you can, and see what you can achieve if you try.
5. You feel invisible
Do you feel that your opinions and contributions sometimes go unacknowledged? You may have been overlooked for a promotion or an important project. You’re finding others get the credit for things you suggested months ago. Perhaps relationships within your team aren’t as cordial or collaborative as they used to be. And team members aren’t socialising enough.
You spend a significant proportion of your time every week working in your team. Therefore, it’s important that you feel a valued member and the atmosphere is friendly, productive and encouraging. If you’ve done everything you can to improve the dynamic, but things still don’t feel right, then it may be time to find something new.
6. You’ve just grown out of your current role
Sometimes it can be hard to accept that a role. Despite how much you like your company, and how well you get on with your co-workers, it is just not substantial enough. But staying in a role that you’ve grown out of, out of a sense of loyalty or hesitation to change, could become a demotivating experience in the longer term.
You’ve developed skills and experience over time, and you’re ready for new challenges. Sometimes an employer may simply not have the resources or business case to be able to develop you adequately. Sometimes what your career needs is the sort of step change that only a job switch can really provide.
If that sounds like you, don’t be afraid to start exploring your options. You owe it to yourself, after all.
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