Five Flags Waving You on to Your Next Job

You locate your car in the parking lot’s far corner during your lunch break and barely ease into the driver’s seat before you burst into tears. This job is not what you thought it would be. You expected the rat race, but no one is winning here. How can you tell that it’s time to move on to greener work pastures?

1.  You Hate Your Boss
The movie Horrible Bosses starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman had a basis (even if loosely) in reality. Some bosses really are horrible. No woman should ever stay in a relationship in which she is treated badly, unfairly, or with disrespect. Your relationship with your boss is no exception to that rule. Whether the dislike stems from poor treatment or simple personality clashes, you are unlikely to be working to your full potential if you bristle each time your boss walks past or you hide in the bathroom to avoid seeing him or her altogether.

2.  You are Bored
You are a smart cookie. Don’t waste precious career time on a job that bores you. Sure, you loved your job three years ago; you also loved watching Sesame Street once upon a time, too. Chances are if you are bored, you are not blossoming at your current job. If your boredom means you are not learning anything new, your skillset could become prehistoric compared with those of other job seekers.

3.  You Feel Like Pond Water… Stagnant
If your career path feels like it leads to nowhere, maybe it does. Has it been years since your last raise or promotion? Changing titles and receiving greater responsibilities at work can boost your ego for a while. Tackling additional tasks without a pay increase, however, gets old quickly. Unless your employment reviews indicate that your job performance is sub par, perhaps your superiors cannot envision you in another role in the company. Open a discussion during which you discuss your goals to see if your vision and the company’s align. If feedback suggests that you are no longer part of their corporate vision or you receive little or no feedback at all, it could be time to find a company at which you can continue to grow.

4.  You Justify Staying at Your Job
You would not advise your best friend to stay in a relationship for convenience. Unless (and maybe especially if you would) you would tell your best friend to stay in a boring, pathetic relationship because she might never find another person who is stable, predictable, pays the bills, or is less scary than meeting someone new; don’t sell yourself that pack of lies either. Be your own best friend. With some preparation and networking, you can find another job that will be a better match for you. Most people spend more waking time at their job than they do with friends or family. Break up with your bad job and find a job with which you have a more meaningful connection. Do not talk yourself into staying because the pay is excellent, you have a company gym, or you have a five-minute commute.

5.  Your Job Is Making You Sick
Daily migraine headaches, high blood pressure, and irritability are excellent indicators that a person’s stress level is too high. Being occasionally unhappy at work might not be enough to motivate a person to give notice—although it should prompt a resume update. Alternately, if a person awakens everyday with a feeling of dread that turns to thoughts of vomiting in the work parking lot, it is probably past time to search for greener pastures. The stress produced from working at the “wrong” job can come from many sources: not bonding with coworkers, despising one’s boss, or feeling underutilized, but that stress can produce very real physical effects.

When the warning flags unfurl indicating it is time to take one’s career on a different path, proceed with caution. Success lies where good preparation meets opportunity. Although the idea of walking out of the office never to return sounds like a great move on Friday afternoon, Monday morning will dawn differently.Therefore, before giving notice, prepare as follows:

• Investigate what the norm is for your position at other companies in the industry; maybe your perception of the job is not the reality.
• Revise your resume, or write a new one if it has been a long time since you job-hunted.
• Talk to your supervisor about ways you can change up your current responsibilities to break up the monotony at work.
• Learn new skills on your own. The office is not the only place to gain new experiences or skills. Show some initiative. Taking a class, researching by yourself online, or volunteering at a non-profit can all help you gain new skills for your current job while you position yourself solidly for your next career move.