Your current job may be the best in the world, or so it seems to you. Nevertheless, after some time many jobs become redundant and too predictable. Without challenges, your intellectual growth stalls, which is not at all desirable. That said, it is important that you know when to move on before you get too comfortable in your current job. This post will talk about that.
Read the signs
Do you feel no motivation at all to go to work? Have you experienced a increasing frustration when sitting to do office work? Do you feel there is no value attached to what you do? These may be the first signs that you should start thinking about letting go of your current employment and moving on to a new one.
However, only employees who do self-introspection and continuous self-assessment are able to tell when their job stops aligning with their long-term goals. If these two are not aligned, it’s either time to talk to your manager, or simply make the switch.
Employees who do not reflect on a regular basis in which direction their career is going are at risk of running out of steam, feeling tired and leaving very soon. These professionals do not even realize that they are unhappy about their work until either someone points it out to them or they face an unpleasant incident at work.
Even when they do recognize the futility of their stay at their current workplace, they find it hard to make the change. They will either simply gripe about the whole situation or pretend nothing is wrong at all. That is a grueling situation to be in.
How to move on
Moving on in life is the hardest thing to do, whether it is in relationships or in jobs. In the professional arena particularly, it is tough to say goodbye to people you have known for a long time and an environment you have become comfortable in. So how do you go about achieving this tough objective?
Start preparing for war
Preparation is the key to feeling confident and positive in life. The more prepared you are the better you will feel about yourself. Those who constantly upgrade themselves with the latest skills feel less threatened and insecure when it comes to changing jobs. They know that they are always at the top of their game and this boosts their confidence.
If you have made up your mind about finding a new job for yourself, do not waste a single moment. From the time you make up your mind till the time you find a new job, every moment should be spent wisely towards the pursuit of this objective.
Prepare as if you have to fight a war, for once you start giving to interviews you will find yourself in a battlefield with recruiters shooting questions from all around. Read as much as you can, gain new skills, and find voluntary work to practice those skills. Attend industry seminars, network with professionals outside your company and spread the word to them that you are looking.
Do not negotiate
Once your manager gets the hint that you are looking, he will try to negotiate with you. He/she might suddenly realize your importance to the company, to the team and to him/her as an individual.
If you are really fed up at your current office, even a pay raise cannot help you regain that enthusiasm for long. Therefore, if you start negotiating with the manager your terms needed to stay, most likely you will be setting up yourself for a trap—staying longer at a job you don’t love. It’s alright to be firm while rejecting negotiating. Your biggest responsibility is yourself, and everybody, even your manager knows it.
Make the jump but don’t burn bridges
All said and done, once you get selected for a job at a different company, it’s time to take a pause and revel in the success of your hard work. You had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
As you finally leave the current job for a new one, it’s time to say goodbye to your current employer, manager and teammates on good terms. However, always remember to never burn bridges with your now former employer as this will not reflect well on you as a person or as an employee. The world is a small place and you never know where and under what circumstances you might bump into your former manager or boss.
