It’s Sunday evening, you have just enjoyed a meal with the family and are feeling relaxed – until you realise that tomorrow is Monday and a feeling of dread comes over you. Sounds familiar? This could be a sign that it’s time to consider your options.
Here are our top five indicators that a career move might be the best next step.
Lack of progression
Perhaps you feel that you have hit a ceiling with your current employer. If your job lacks opportunities for progression, you might want to find another role that offers more responsibility, or that has more opportunities to advance your career. It’s worth thinking about your long-term career goals and considering whether your current job is helping you achieve them.
You are feeling unchallenged
Do you feel like you can complete your main job role in your sleep? If you are unfulfilled in your role and you are not learning anything new, you risk becoming bored and less productive. Try asking for more challenging assignments and projects, and if this doesn’t work, it might be time to consider exploring other opportunities.
Your wellbeing is suffering
Being a hard worker is one thing, but it should never feel like work is taking over your life. If you’re losing sleep worrying about what’s your job, or you’re too busy to have a social life, it’s probably time to make a change. Overworking leads to burnout and exhaustion, and can even affect your personal relationships. You need a healthy home/work life balance.
You feel undervalued
If you feel underpaid and overqualified, that’s a red flag. Try to negotiate a higher salary before you look for a new job. Research compensation packages offered elsewhere and make a case based on your contributions and value. If you struggle to live on your current salary and know you will earn more at another job, it may be time to leave.
You feel like a square peg in a round hole
Perhaps you simply feel you are on entirely the wrong path. It’s never too late to shift career gears. If you feel a complete change in focus is the right thing for you, you will probably need to be prepared to retrain and potentially take a short-term pay cut. But if you don’t make that move you may regret it later. If you know that you will achieve your career goals in a different field, it’s time to take that leap.
UK employees work an average of around 85,000 hours over the course of their career. That’s a long time to feel unhappy, undervalued or unchallenged.
If you feel ready for a change, take a look at our current job listings.
