Five Signs that Indicate it’s Time for a New Job
We all have bad days at work. Even those of us who love our jobs and find our careers to be fulfilling have days when we feel like we just can’t take it anymore. After a stressful project is finished or a long week is over, do you still find yourself fantasizing about leaving your current company for another role? If so, these five signs may indicate it’s not just a bad day, it’s time to consider moving on.
1. Stifled Professional Development
One of the most telling signs of a healthy career is that you are continuously learning and receiving advice. It’s important to have a manager that is actively involved in your professional growth and offers you regular, productive and specific feedback. If your boss isn’t giving you constructive feedback, is giving you unhelpful criticisms, or isn’t giving you any feedback at all, it’s going to be hard to grow professionally.2. Feeling Unchallenged
Have you learned anything new at your job in the past three months, six months, or even a year? A job worth keeping is one that offers you new opportunities to challenge yourself, learn new skills and contribute to your professional development. If you are feeling stagnant or unchallenged, it might be time to move on. Make sure that you’ve made a solid and consistent effort to improve your circumstances by asking for new projects, suggesting growth opportunities and seeking out work that challenges you.3. High Employee Turnover Rates
Does it seem like there is a constant revolving door of employee resignations? One of the signs of a toxic work environment is a high turnover rate. If you’ve noticed that top contributors and skilled colleagues are leaving the workplace, it might be time to reevaluate your future with the company. How is senior management handling the departures? If your organization is ignoring the situation and isn’t doing anything to solve existing problems, improve communication or strengthen the work environment, it is unlikely the scenario will improve.4. Lack of Growth Opportunities
If you’re stuck in a position that has limited upward mobility, you may want to consider jumping ship before wasting years waiting for a role to open up that might not exist. First, talk to your supervisor or human resources team about your options for growth within the organization. If they aren’t able to work with you to develop a career map or growth plan, there are many companies out there that are willing to support your advancement.5. There’s Room to Grow… Just Not For You
If you’ve been passed over for a promotion multiple times even though you’ve been excelling at your current position, you should be thinking seriously about the future of your career. While there could be many reasons why you were not promoted, being shorted several times indicates that your organization may not be invested in helping you advance. Before you decide to pull the plug on your current job, make sure you have exhausted every avenue to get a good understanding of the situation. Have you spoken to everyone involved in the decision making process to ensure that you understand the factors? Ask questions to determine how much of the decision had to do with your performance vs. how much has to do with something or someone out of your control. Life is too short to remain in a role that limits your career growth. Whether you are looking for greater professional development opportunities, you feel unsupported by your organization, or it’s just a natural time to move on, VanderHouwen can help. We are experts in career counseling and can support you through your job search.Ready to make changes to your career? Contact us today!
