WHAT IS your typical day like? Do you start your morning with a spring in your step and a song in your head? Or do you drag your feet to the kitchen and curse your pet cat for coming in your way? At work do you hum a little tune while your fingers feverishly pull away at the keyboard? Or do you find yourself making little origami figures with the hard copy of your project proposal?
The objective here as always is to pick and prod. To reflect, contemplate and analyse. To understand. Are you happy with your job or is it time to moved on? If it is then you have to do something about it. Move on. Switch. Find a new job. You may have liked it when you first started, but now the time is ripe for a change. A job is more than just money. It should ideally provide satisfaction, support, hope and fulfillment. Take it away and it is no surprise that people feel like they are sinking.
Agreed, changing jobs is no laughing matter. In fact there are few things scarier than being in the job market again. However, it is not as hard as you think. The job market today is a basketful of opportunities. Statistics show that young people entering the workforce today are likely to change jobs 7-10 times in their careers!
But beware, before you proceed any further, be sure that you really want a change. You cannot afford to dump your job at the smallest sign of trouble. If you leave for the wrong reasons, you will just find yourself wishing to have the old job back. So how do you understand when the time is right? Try this:
Read the signs
There is nothing like a perfect job. Every job will come with its fair share of bad days. A minor annoyance can be set right or even ignored. But closing your eyes to a profound problem is asking for trouble. Here's a checklist of warning signs:
The job has lost its initial thrill and challenge, now you are bored with the work and do your best to avoid it. That vital `something' is sorely missing.
Life has become routine and you are weary of performing the same old tasks day in and day out. The work content offers nothing new to do and leaves you going around in circles.
The job schedule keeps you too busy with barely anytime left for family and friends. Or, you desire a job closer to home because of the rising petrol costs!
The company culture is not your cup of tea because of the prevailing dog-eat-dog atmosphere, absence of team spirit or unending office politics.
There is no potential for growth as you have exhausted all the advancement possibilities be it in terms of promotion, rewards, learning new skills or getting a raise. You have nowhere to go in the job now.
The work does not even use your talent to the maximum and job satisfaction level touches rock bottom. All in all, your career is stagnating and you are hungry for more.
As Jim Hayhurst, author and career coach says, `If you have to contort who you are to do the job then it's time to leave because not only are you being unfair to yourself, you will never be delivering as much as you could.' Whatever be the reason, you have to indulge in some soul-searching and become aware of your values, interests and skills. Try to view the job from a new perspective. It just might be what you always wanted and you may have failed to appreciate its true potential. Is it the job that needs changing or is it your attitude? Consider all your options and make sure that it is not merely a case of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence. If, after weighing all your possibilities, you still feel that enough is enough, and talking over your problems with your manager cannot resolve them, go for it.
The objective here as always is to pick and prod. To reflect, contemplate and analyse. To understand. Are you happy with your job or is it time to moved on? If it is then you have to do something about it. Move on. Switch. Find a new job. You may have liked it when you first started, but now the time is ripe for a change. A job is more than just money. It should ideally provide satisfaction, support, hope and fulfillment. Take it away and it is no surprise that people feel like they are sinking.
Agreed, changing jobs is no laughing matter. In fact there are few things scarier than being in the job market again. However, it is not as hard as you think. The job market today is a basketful of opportunities. Statistics show that young people entering the workforce today are likely to change jobs 7-10 times in their careers!
But beware, before you proceed any further, be sure that you really want a change. You cannot afford to dump your job at the smallest sign of trouble. If you leave for the wrong reasons, you will just find yourself wishing to have the old job back. So how do you understand when the time is right? Try this:
Read the signs
There is nothing like a perfect job. Every job will come with its fair share of bad days. A minor annoyance can be set right or even ignored. But closing your eyes to a profound problem is asking for trouble. Here's a checklist of warning signs:
The job has lost its initial thrill and challenge, now you are bored with the work and do your best to avoid it. That vital `something' is sorely missing.
Life has become routine and you are weary of performing the same old tasks day in and day out. The work content offers nothing new to do and leaves you going around in circles.
The job schedule keeps you too busy with barely anytime left for family and friends. Or, you desire a job closer to home because of the rising petrol costs!
The company culture is not your cup of tea because of the prevailing dog-eat-dog atmosphere, absence of team spirit or unending office politics.
There is no potential for growth as you have exhausted all the advancement possibilities be it in terms of promotion, rewards, learning new skills or getting a raise. You have nowhere to go in the job now.
The work does not even use your talent to the maximum and job satisfaction level touches rock bottom. All in all, your career is stagnating and you are hungry for more.
As Jim Hayhurst, author and career coach says, `If you have to contort who you are to do the job then it's time to leave because not only are you being unfair to yourself, you will never be delivering as much as you could.' Whatever be the reason, you have to indulge in some soul-searching and become aware of your values, interests and skills. Try to view the job from a new perspective. It just might be what you always wanted and you may have failed to appreciate its true potential. Is it the job that needs changing or is it your attitude? Consider all your options and make sure that it is not merely a case of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence. If, after weighing all your possibilities, you still feel that enough is enough, and talking over your problems with your manager cannot resolve them, go for it.
PAYAL AGARWAL
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