Finding a satisfying job can be a long and winding road. Few people are lucky to go into the workforce with a clear idea of what they want to do. Gone are the days when employees used to stay loyal to one employer all their life. Instead, people are now looking for work benefits beyond a good paycheck and demand more flexibility and wellness benefits. This, in addition to the constant need to find meaningful work, has led to a wave of resignations, aka “The Great Resignation.” With job-hopping on the rise, it can also lead to a total career change for some of us. In fact, the average person has had 12 different occupations by the age of 50 in an attempt to find the “right fit.” Approximately 6.2 million workers left their existing jobs in one year to pursue work in completely different industries. So, if you’re thinking of changing careers or jobs, you’re not alone.
How To Decide If Job Switch Is Ideal?
Deciding to change the job without burning bridges can be difficult. Switching job roles or finding a new job, especially in the middle of a career, can feel like a step backward for some of us. But, if you are unhappy at work, it’s never too late to consider a change.
Each stage of the career offers an opportunity to learn, including:
- New skills
- Passion projects
- Different types of people
- Work culture
Sometimes, career choices that we consider “mistakes” typically turn out to be the most instructive and transformative path to a fulfilling career.
Overstaying at a job can do more harm than good, and here are the signs to identify it’s time to leave/change the current job.
12 Signs It’s Time To Change Your Job
Statistics show that about one-third of Americans have considered making a career change since starting their first job. Almost 39% of those who wish to have a career change say their reason to change a job was salary increase.
Some signs that tell you right away its time to change your job and employer are:
1. Everyone Looks At You For Assistance
Being the go-to person in the team may sound
In many situations, you may feel like you’ve become an extension of your boss’s arm, but this has no bearing on your income. First and foremost, this speaks a lot about you and the caliber of your work. You’ve done such a fantastic job at the workplace that people feel at ease and seek your assistance on their own, even though you don’t have a title that should suffice. However, it might also indicate how extensively you have delegated your duties and obligations in your present job, which your colleagues are fully aware of.
2. There Are No New Challenges/Difficulties At Work
The worst thing is when self-confidence develops into boredom, which happens after a time in the same position. If you believe you have reached a plateau in your company development, it is time to broaden your horizons and learn new talents rather than “enjoy the old glory.”
3. You Don’t Receive Helpful Comments
Your employer never gives you constructive criticism or input on how you can improve. Of course, being the greatest feels fantastic, but there are few possibilities for advancement and growth.
4. Stress Physically Makes You Sick
Do you find yourself dragging your feet and lacking the spring in the step you once had on your commute to work? Do you find that your sleep is being disrupted regularly and that you’re becoming irritable or depressed as a result?
These can be the signs of increased stress, which can be an early warning indication that something isn’t quite right. Stress can impact your mood and immune system, making you more prone to illness and affecting performance; more serious health problems might develop if left unchecked.
It is a way for your body to send a message across, listen to it, and don’t take the risk of harming your health. Taking care of yourself when stressed out is essential, not to cause burnout and other serious medical conditions.
5. Your Job Is On The Line
If you’ve recently been cautioned that you’re not working hard enough, your job may be at risk. The fear of being fired is a strong sign that it is time to shift employment. However, it should be noted that it is usually preferable to look for new work before leaving your current one.
5. You’re Eager To Try Something New
If you believe you are at a stalemate and have no more possibilities to advance in your current position, it is time to search for a job that will allow you to do so. Do things that make you happy and do not make your life stagnant. If your current job makes you feel like a burden, remember it’s never too late to try new things out.
6. The Current Job Makes You Desperate And Unhappy
If your life priorities have shifted and your current business schedule no longer suits you, you should seek a position that will allow you to work more flexible hours and devote more time to your personal commitments.
Typically, stories about leaving revolve around how to seek a new job while still working or negotiate terms on current employment. However, in this article, we outline factors that every employee should consider while leaving their former work after they have decided to dismiss and maybe found new employment.
There are various subtleties in dismissal tales, and we all know that this is not a black and white scenario. However, as long as the reasons for leaving are not more severe problems, but rather a normal process of seeking new information, experiences, and a fresh work environment. It is in the best interests of both you and the (soon-to-be ex-)employer to part ways on good terms.
7. It Is Affecting Your Personal Life
Work should be challenging but not exhausting or causing continued stress. If you’re constantly tired, sleeping poorly, getting headaches, or having other physical problems, your body may be telling you that your job isn’t good for you.
In addition, being constantly stressed might harm social relationships too. If your job makes you miserable or bitter, start looking for hobbies that can help you reclaim your identity.
8. You Dream About A New Career
You spend your lunch breaks daydreaming about what you’d do in “your future life,” and you’re looking forward to delivering your two-week notice. In addition, you start to grow envious of your friend’s career, wondering how they secured such “great” jobs, and you start to browse job boards instead of work emails.
When others ask what you do, you grimace because you wish it were something else. You’ve considered leaving, and you’ve even mentioned the possibility to pals in passing. Would you quit your work if you had the option? If that’s the case, it’s time to leave.
9. Doing Work For The Sake Of It
You are hanging by a thread and doing the job for the sake of it. Let’s understand this with the help of an example; you go to work disheartened and motivate yourself that you have to stay at work for certain hours.
You constantly check the work and just do the work since you have bills to pay and experience to gain. If this sounds like you, do not dread to resign from your current job and do something that makes you happy and healthy, something that you look forward to.
10. You Have Grown Out Of Your Current Role
It can be difficult to accept that a role, no matter how much you appreciate your employer or how well you get along with your coworkers, is no longer meaningful enough for you. However, staying in a career that you’ve outgrown out of a sense of loyalty or apprehension about change might be demotivating in the long run.
You’ve gained experience and soft skills at your job over time, and you’re ready to take on new challenges. However, sometimes an employer simply lacks the resources or the business case to develop you fully, and other times your career requires the type of step change that only a job change can give.
11. Your Skills Do Not Match Your Personal Interests
People occasionally go for jobs that they are quite excellent at but don’t particularly enjoy. Perhaps you’re good at selling software but want to work in marketing. Maybe you’re good at spreadsheets, but you’d rather be out meeting clients than sitting in front of a computer all day. Maybe you’ve found yourself practicing in one field of law when you’ve always wanted to practice in another.
It’s normal to desire to connect your personal interests with your professional activity, even though it’s not always easy to do so – and the more you wait, the harder it becomes to switch as you become more specialized in a sector that you don’t believe is truly you.
12. You Have A Toxic Work Environment
An incompetent boss or a toxic work environment are both red flags that it’s time to make a shift. On top of that, being disrespected at work is non-negotiable.
Give yourself a deadline for the situation to improve, and keep preparing to re-enter the market. There’s no harm in changing jobs if you’re not doing your best work and are not happy. To acquire a precise image of what you want in your next career, embrace new possibilities by recognizing what you don’t like.
Things To Consider Before Changing Your Job
Having an exit plan for a successful separation from your current job helps make the process smooth and light for current and new employers.
1. Reach An Agreement With Both Companies On The Transfer Date
If you resign, the best-case scenario is that a new job will be ready for you, and during the talks, they will ask you when you can start. As thrilling as it may be to accept new challenges as soon as possible (perhaps on better terms), don’t rush into counting down the days before your notice period ends and committing to a cancellation date you haven’t yet announced.
Do not guarantee precise dates
If you have not yet communicated your preferences to your present employer and agreed on a leaving date, do not set precise dates in the future since you may end up in problems with both the old and new employers.
It is critical to not burn bridges with your current boss or employer, as the potential employer or the new boss can contact them to learn about you, and fairness is always at risk.
2. Remember That Accuracy Is Also Visible On The Opposite Side
Even though you have already confirmed your transition to a new job with a future employer, do not place yourself in a position where your present employer has to pinpoint and correct you.
Learn About Your Notice Period
Unless otherwise specified in the employment contract, the Labor Law requires an employee to serve a notice period to use any unused annual leave. However, most individuals are unaware that they have any unused annual leave, whether the remaining days from last year’s vacation or a proportionate amount of the current year’s vacation.
An employee may terminate an employment contract with a specified or agreed-upon notice time without providing a cause. It is crucial to note that if the employer cancels the contract, the shortest prescribed notice time is determined based on the length of continuous employment with the same employer, as specified in the Labor Law.
However, if a worker quits an employment contract, the notice period cannot be more than one month unless he has a compelling cause to do so. In either case, a new job is unquestionably a compelling argument.
Compensate Unused Holidays
The duration of your yearly leave also falls within that time frame, and you have the legal right to utilize it. According to the Labor Act, your present employer must enable you to use it or compensate you for days you did not use it. Thus, you can influence a collegial and acceptable dispute with your employer by deciding to take yearly leave.
Some businesses will find it more convenient for employees to use their yearly costs rather than facing an unexpected charge.
Help In Recruiting New Employees
In any event, it is ideal for striking a balance that allows you to rest between jobs while also giving everyone in the firm enough time to prepare for the transfer of work and recruit new employees.
3. Prepare Your Coworkers For Before You Leave
Regardless of whether the employer or the employee terminates the employment contract, the employee is typically required to fulfill the notice period.
This clause, among other things, allows the employer to adjust to the changing circumstances:
- one less person on the team
- the learning curve for the new joined who replaces the leaving employee
- project deadlines
- bandwidth shift, etc.
It is not wise to have an ‘I’m leaving, and I don’t care’ attitude. People remember things, especially if you decided to leave the job during critical deadlines or during an intense pace of the project.
Try your best in the knowledge transfer process, and help the new colleague understand his roles/responsibilities better. Requesting dismissal soon after paid training and without following the notice period demonstrates that your objectives were not fair from the start.
4. Leave Sensitive Data And Projects Behind Securely
While changing jobs, it is critical to delegate all related paperwork and equipment, the transmission of expertise, and work status.
- Projects
- Papers
- Reports
- Presentations
- Code
- Authentication
- Templates
- Design
- Business proposals
- And other company-related data
All these should be returned to the employer as stated in the employment contract, which is generally the case in big corporations, particularly in the IT industry.
After all, it is de facto company property that many firms state quite explicitly in their contracts. Employers have the authority to seize any paperwork and require you to restore it to them or can even sue the person violating these terms.
5. Are You Still On Good Terms With Your Previous Employer?
Leaving behind the old job with “unsettled and tense” relationships won’t benefit in any way.
If you have made the final decision about changing jobs, the first sensible thing to do is, talk to the supervisor and convey it in a more polite way instead of just sending the notice and leaving just like that. The worst thing to do would be to leave a job on bad terms.
What Kind of Employees Do Companies Hire?
It’s a two-way street when it comes to professional fit. Since happy employees are more productive, most companies like their employees to be:
- Problem solvers
- Lifelong learners
- Willing to work in an inclusive & diverse work environment
- Show excitement, engagement, and fulfillment in the job role
Having said that, recognizing when it’s time to leave your current job to explore other interests might be a win-win situation for everyone.
Concluding Thoughts,
After deciding on changing your current employer and job, the next task is developing a plan and following it to do something you love. You may consider the following factors while deciding your next move:
Do you see any of the signs mentioned above? If yes, do not hesitate to take the necessary steps and consider changing your career path/job. Remember, you are not alone, and if anyone can do it, then it’s YOU! Stay in touch with us to read more such relatable articles.
Key Takeaways On Signs It’s Time To Change Your Job
Your Job Is On The Line
Things To Consider Before Changing Your Job
What Reasons Should I Consider Before Job Change?
Should I Change My Current Job?
If you’re leaving because you didn’t get the promised wage raise this year or because the new position offers a better designation/brand or a shorter commute, you’re only filling a momentary void. Additionally, if you see any of the signs mentioned above in your current jobs, then it’s time for you to change your employer and job.
