How to Know if It’s Time to Change Your Job
Some of us love job-hopping. Whether it’s for the sheer challenge, better pay, or a totally left-turn change of career, we find it adventurous and exciting to say good-bye to one employer and hello to another.
But for others of us, unless we are being cheated, sexually harassed, or treated unethically in some way, switching jobs requires a lot of preparatory work, planning, and well-thought-out (and sometimes agonizing) decision making. Occasionally we can negotiate with our current employer for changes we need or desire, such as altering our hours or transferring to a different division or location. But when that isn’t possible, it may be time to move on. Go for it!
Below you’ll find some fair reasons to change jobs, and below are some tips for doing it smoothly and successfully.
Reasons for a job change:
1. You have a change in your family that requires you to be closer to home or have different hours.
2. You have finished a degree in a different field and want to pursue your dream career.
3. You discover the work you’re doing doesn’t fit your talents and there’s nothing within the company that matches what you do best or long to do.
4. The demands on you exceed those of other employees and your work/life balance is off-kilter.
5. You’re miserable and it’s affecting your family, health, or both.
6. The corporate culture is exceedingly contrary to your beliefs.
7. You need a higher salary because your family demands have changed, such as having a new baby or becoming a single mom.
8. You aren’t being taught, you aren’t getting feedback, and you’re not learning.
9. There’s no opportunity for growth and/or advancement.
10. The company is failing.
Steps for a smooth transition:
1. Be ethical and fair and give your current employer a minimum two weeks notice.
2. During those two weeks, do your work as if you are the company’s most committed employee.
3. If your boss asks you to train someone new, make it a positive and encouraging experience for your replacement.
4. Ask your boss how he/she would like to tell your clients and customers you are leaving.
5. Thank your coworkers for anything you can think of. Whether all one did was make the coffee every day or whether someone truly mentored you, they are all people you want to leave a great impression with as you say good-bye.
6. In your exit interview, be positive, gracious, and complimentary. You want the last memory your boss has of you to be a great one. You never know … you might want to come back some day.
7. Start your new job enthusiastically and ready to learn.
Remember, life is a balance, and this is just one area of life where you need it. Don’t be afraid to live in between careful contemplation and taking risks!
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You’ll also like Got a Problem? Go Direct!, Resting in the Working, Can You Deviate From the Corporate World and Be Successful?, and 5 Tips: Making a Change the Right Way.
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