How to know it is time to leave your job (and how to do it right)
Some
jobs tell you when it is time to leave by making you miserable. You dread
getting out of bed and making the commute, walking into the office and
strapping yourself in for another eight hours of misery. There is no ambiguity
here; if that’s how you feel about your job, then you should find something
else, for both your well-being and the good of the business. It may not feel
like it when you’re in the depths of despair, but companies don’t want
employees who hate being there and aren’t interested in the work.
What
I’m talking about is when you don’t dislike your role, you might even love it.
However, it may not be right for you anymore. These are some of the signs that
you’ve outgrown your current job:
You don’t feel challenged
Even
jobs we like and employers who we respect may not be right for us anymore.
Sometimes it’s about finding a job that will lead you somewhere new and
exciting, rather than let you spin your wheels and stay comfortable. If you
find yourself switching off when you get to work and sleepwalking through your
day, it might be time for a change of pace.
You have your own business on the side
In
today’s “gig economy”, you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who isn’t doing
something else on the side. If your passion project is where your interest
lies, then perhaps it is time to take the plunge and make it your full-time
job. There’s a good chance this job takes up more of your brain power than your
day job already and it might be time to strike out on your own. Being your own
boss will invigorate you in a way that simply changing employers probably
can’t.
You're bored all the time
Even
the most initially complex role can become “just a job.” If the role doesn’t
continue to teach you new skills, then there is a good chance you’ll become
bored. The most rewarding roles make employees feel like they are valued for
the skills they possess and are recognised for their potential to acquire new
ones. If perform the same tasks every day, once you have conquered the initial
learning curve, boredom will start to creep in. This can manifest itself in
many different ways, but most commonly bored employees will begin to disengage
from the company culture and become increasingly less productive.
Your skills aren't being tapped
Worse
than not learning anything new, is not being able to use the skills you have.
Sometimes this is because you’ve taken a role that you’re over-qualified for
and your responsibilities are too limited, or because you’ve found yourself in
a more administrative or managerial role than you initially signed up for. It
could also be a case of your employer not recognising the full breadth of what
you can offer the company. Whatever the reason, it could be time to see what
else available for someone with your skillset.
Perhaps you don’t need to leave at all…
Of course, none of these on their own are necessarily good reasons to leave your job and you might just need to sit down with your boss and have a discussion. If they’re excited by your desire to learn something new, take on new responsibilities, or solve a skills shortage they’re experiencing, then you may be able to create new, exciting role without changing companies. If your boss isn’t willing or able to change your role to better suit your skills, experience, and ambitions, then you probably have your answer.
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