career

How You Know It’s Time to Find a New Job

find a jobWalking up and going to a job you don’t like is hard. We need to work because we have monthly financial obligations like rent and bills to pay, but does that mean we should be unhappy? If the sound of your alarm clock makes you want to hit the snooze button and the thought of waking up in the morning makes you want to call in sick, it may be time to find a new job.

Does that sound like you?

Starting a new job is scary. Starting over can be unsettling because the familiar is comfortable, however if you truly want to wake up in the morning and go to a job you love – and that isn’t currently the case – then you need to find a new job.

If you feel like this than maybe you’re having a bad day or maybe you’re truly unhappy at work. Maybe you’re happy at work, but want to move on to a new opportunity. People leave their jobs for a variety of reasons.

Here are four ways you know it’s time to find a new job:

If you’re bored at work

Lack of interest in what you’re doing for eight hours a day makes the day very long. This may sound weird, but I’ve quit a job in the past because I was bored. Some people said I should have stayed because I was being paid to do very little work, but the truth was I wanted more.

I didn’t feel my skills were being used to their full advantage and I truly didn’t enjoy the work – so I looked for a new opportunity that I would be passionate about.

If the passion is gone

According to Forbes, a lack of passion for what you’re doing is a definite sign it’s time to find a new job. “If you’re not waking up most mornings with a feeling of excitement towards your job. That feeling you had when you first started working there–thinking about all the possibilities and contributions ahead with a sense of glee—is gone. If you’re not doing what you love, you will never tap your true potential. It will just continue to be a job and eventually each day will seem more of a grind.”

If you want more responsibility

Maybe you want to take the next step in your career and your current employer can’t offer it to you. Some people may wait it out and others may start looking outside their current company. If your current job is bearable and you don’t want to start over at a new company, then you can stick around until the perfect opportunity comes up – but how long is too long to wait?

It may be best to continue performing at your current job while looking around to see what’s out there in the job market. If you happen to stumble upon the perfect opportunity, then send in your application. In the mean time, you still have a regular paycheck coming in.

If your salary is non-negotiable

Starting a new job may be scary, but it’s also a new beginning – and that’s exciting. Although I’m not a fan of change, starting a new job is an opportunity to start over with new colleagues, a new daily routine, new responsibilities and a new salary.

I’ve left a job in the past for the exact same job with a new company and a higher salary. To tell you the truth it was a good decision. I liked my job, but the low salary made me unmotivated to give 100%. Once I found an employer who was willing to pay what I was worth I was motivated to give 110% every single day. Three years and three promotions later I’m still with this employer today.

When did you know it was time to find a new job?

2 Comments

  • We were discussing this today. We both love the work we do (I am self employed, he has his own business as well as a full time marketing gig). However, we have certain expectations in terms of promotions, responsibility etc and if they aren’t met within our time frames, we’d both make changes. For him, that means a new job.

    The biggest aspect to me has always been if there is no room to grow (as in promotions, new skills, expand my knowledge), it’s time to move on.

  • I’m kind of on the fence now. I really enjoy what I do, I have a great work-life balance, and I’m well thought of. The issue is that I feel like I’ve peaked. At some point, it may be time to look for a new challenge.

    But on the flip side, I’ve been in places where I’ve absolutely hated my job, so I’m always grateful that I’m not in that situation.

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