Ways You Can Tell When It’s Time for a Move in Your Career
In the past, a person graduated college, found a job and stuck with it until retirement. Their career was basically the same as their job. What many fail to realize is that a career is an occupation you select with opportunities to move up.
Today’s job hunters often find themselves searching every two to four years for a new opportunity. Companies merge, businesses fail and life changes. Even though switching jobs isn’t the right decision for everyone, most people will make a move at least once. Here are some ways to tell when it’s the right time for that move.
- You lose motivation.
You no longer get to work early, excited to be there. In fact, you barely drag yourself in. You focus more on how to plan and use your PTO than how to complete a project. If this sounds like you, it’s an indication that the job no longer meets your needs.
- You lose focus.
If your job has become routine, your mind may wander. You’re bored and you spend most of your time watching the clock that doesn’t seem to move. This tells you that the job doesn’t stimulate your brain.
- You day dream and look at job openings.
You read the job listings, hoping for something that will inspire you. If you’re already browsing the employment ads, you know it’s time to take the next step and actually apply for something that interests you.
- You feel exhausted when you go home.
Even though you don’t feel like you’re doing anything at work all day, you still leave feeling exhausted. Being in a job you don’t like is draining, and you lose your energy from doing nothing. A job where you feel rewarded will leave you tired but content, feeling like you accomplished something. If you have no energy when you leave your job, you need to examine your work-life balance.
- You transform outside of work.
You’re not the same person outside of work as you used to be. If you don’t want to talk about how your day went and you don’t feel energetic when enjoying your evening, your dissatisfaction at work is probably leaking over into other areas of your life.
- You envy others.
If you feel envious when your friends get a promotion or talk about their jobs instead of being happy for them, it’s a sign that you need to make some changes. When any job your friend has sounds more exciting than where you work, it’s time to look for a job that makes you happy.
- You’ve lost all positive vibes.
If you can find nothing about your job to be thankful for and all of your talk is negative about where you work, it’s an indication that you need to look for a different job. When you no longer have respect for your boss or thankfulness for having a job, you’re no longer effective in your job, and it isn’t fair to you or to your employer to continue to stay.
If you see one or all of these signs in your life, you need to make a move. Find out what needs to change. Do you like your career but hate the job? Or maybe you don’t even enjoy the industry anymore. Look for a career that makes you look forward to going to work again.
