TGIF – Signs you’re ready for a career change
All of us may be struggling at times, all of us experience moments where we don’t feel like going to work. Or worse, working at all. Its true, its logical and its okay. We are human beings and our mood, energy and interest levels have ups and downs. Although, when those downs are a little more long-lasting than they should, its time we look a bit closer to the issue. What are the signs you’re ready for a career change?
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You resent your boss
It may be a strong word to use, but do you? Some of us are lucky enough to have good bosses. Bosses who care, who give, who appreciate, who deserve you. And those are the most difficult to let go.
And the rest of us, well we don’t exactly love them. Some jobs (meaning bosses) are so demanding; you end up spending more than a third of your 24-hour day, in the office. They are constantly angry, disrespectful and moaning. Sometimes they don’t even know your name.
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Money money money
Just for the money: The money is good. And that’s pretty much the end of the story. There is no other benefit for you, your learning or progression.
Not enough money: If that’s the only issue you are currently facing, speak to your boss. There are so many people who want and deserve a raise, but they never ask for it. And I have good and bad news for you regarding this.
Previous studies have shown that women are less likely to ask for a raise than men. According to the Harvard Business Review, nowadays women ask for a raise just as often as men do. The bad news, they don’t end up getting it! Women obtained a raise 15% of the time, while men obtained a pay increase 20% of the time.
Marcus Donald People have a zero tolerance policy regarding discrimination at any level and we are not working with clients making such requests.
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You are not learning
A job is very similar to school. There are rules and targets for you to follow and achieve. You are constantly learning about different people, theories and strategies. If your organisation/role is no longer giving you the chance to learn, its time for you to consider your options. In this case, there are 3:
- Try and change your current role: Speak to your manager, CEO or colleagues on how you can transform your role and make it more efficient. If you ask to be trained or re-trained to receive more on-the-job skills, that means profit for your employer (even in the long-run) so it’s a win-win. Unless your boss belongs to the first bullet point, they will hopefully create a learning path for you.
- You start to develop yourself/skills outside of work. That’s not an easy one and requires a lot of effort, sacrifice and coffee. The bright side is that you get to choose skills which may not be directly related to your work but will help you feel better about yourself or make you a stronger candidate for your next role (a programming course or a new language). You are still going to hate your job don’t get me wrong, but there will be something to look forward to during your evenings.
- Career change. Its not that hard, everyone has done it. Don’t be one of those people celebrating 30 years in the same company being unhappy. 30 years. In the same company. Unhappy.
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You are the definition of TGIF
You live for the weekends. You are so happy its Friday, and so so sad its Monday. Many people are at times, but there should be a Monday or two when you are excited for that meeting, that presentation, that spreadsheet you created. If you’re reading this thinking “no, not really” you need to consider a career change.
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You want to make a different impact
Sometimes the company’s values are slightly different to our own. For example, a highly respectable candidate of ours, Sarah was working at the same company for 11 years.
The reason why she reached out to Marcus Donald People was the fact that her company was financially focused. Every company is but if that’s the main business goal then you are not going to progress. She reached out to her boss during a period of financial upswing with a complete plan regarding improving the company’s CSR practices. Her request was taken under consideration, but never heard back.
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You are losing yourself
Pretty self explanatory. You are feeling different, changed. But not the good kind of change.
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Apathy
You do not care about your targets, your company’s success, your colleagues or your boss. The thought of getting fired doesn’t create any emotion to you. (keep in mind that its not real until its real!). So give it a second thought first. Quite often, a good night’s sleep or talking things over with a friend does the trick. Although, if you are constantly wishing you were somewhere else and work on autopilot, its time for a career change.
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You are reading this
Well it may not be 100% true, but its highly likely you are looking for a career change if you are reading this blog. If you’ve identified yourself in most of the above and want to explore your options, feel free to arrange a meeting with us, 0203 328 0400 / 001 (646) 9050167/ lets_talk@marcusodonald.com
P.S: We placed Sarah to a well-known international client of ours and other than being happy with her new IT role, she is also part of the company’s CSR board.
