Deciding when to leave your job can be one of the most stressful decisions of your career. Staying in the wrong job/wrong company however, can result in burnout, physical and mental exhaustion, increased levels of frustration, and loss of confidence. Life is too short.
Leaving one’s job is not a decision to take lightly but here are 10 reasons when you might seriously consider moving on:
- You’re working unreasonable work hours, impacting both your health and relationships.
- You’re on a “performance plan” but there’s little chance you can actually meet the goals.
- Your boss consistently fails to clarify expectations, and then punishes you for not meeting them.
- You work in a hostile environment, which can include issues such as sexual harassment and negative comments about age.
- Your organization is constantly restructuring and goals are unclear.
- You have no opportunity to grow professionally and risk falling behind in your field.
- The company is continually losing money, or is very likely to lose funding in the near future.
- You have a stressful long commute, with no opportunity to work from home.
- You’ve been passed over for promotion and have not been given any new responsibilities.
- You find yourself dreading the idea of going to work in the morning. Every morning.
If any of these rings a bell, it may be time to start taking positive action steps to move on. Most, if not all of these actions can be done while you are still employed. First, identify your strengths (things you do well and enjoy doing) and give some serious thought to where they may be best utilized. Second, determine your “must haves” in your next role. Third, update your resume. Fourth, do your research. What industries and companies may be a potential fit? Once once you’ve determined your next move, activate your network to explore those new opportunities.
A final note: Never burn bridges! If you should decide to leave, always do so graciously and professionally.
Pat Cross, MA Ed., is a highly-sought after Career Coach with over 15 years of experience working with job seekers at levels from individual contributors to executive level staff. In addition to one-on-one coaching, Pat also is an experienced trainer and facilitator in the areas of job search, leadership development, emotional intelligence, management skills, presentation effectiveness and customer service. Pat has also created several mobile applications for Android phones to prepare and help job seekers worldwide succeed in interviews.