You've been at your job for some time now and are finding that your bad days are starting to outweigh the good ones. It's no secret that you are unhappy and would rather be doing ANYTHING else than what you are being paid to do from 9-5 Monday through Friday. But, how do you know whether it's just the inevitable down phase that everyone goes through at work or if it really is time to pack your things and move on?
Here are 11 tell tale signs it's time to move on to the next chapter in your work life (in no particular order).
- You don't aspire to be like your boss(or anyone else in senior management). If you've come to the point where you can look around in all of the executive offices and not find even one person's job who you want to strive to get - it may be a sign that you are no longer in the right job.
- You don't get along with your boss. We all have moments when we disagree with a decision our boss has made or are annoyed that we are called into her office for yet another meeting, however, if you're at the point where you can't stand the sight of your boss' face anymore, this is a bad sign.
- Your stress has become unmanageable. Every job has a bit of stress that is not only normal, but healthy. If you find though that you are unable to keep your job stress in check and often feel depressed and overwhelmed, THIS IS NOT NORMAL. It could be time to dust off your resume.
- You're constantly finding excuses to call in sick. Once you've mentally checked out, it's only a matter of time before you're physically checked out as well. If you are calling in sick for the slightest cough or ache, you need to rethink your current job.
- You no longer feel challenged. Part of what makes a dream job is that you are constantly learning, growing and developing. If you feel that you could do your job in your sleep and that it is no longer stretching your intellectual and/ or creative mind - run out of there as soon as you can!
- You feel like you are living the "status quo". As a high achiever, you are used to pushing the envelope and operating from a place of greatness. If every time you show up to work you feel as though you are just existing and not thriving, your inner voice is trying to tell you something.
- You're depressed and anxious about work - even when you're not there. It's one thing to stare at the clock and want to go home after working a crazy 10 hour day, but it's another thing entirely when you can't even enjoy the weekend or time off because you're dreading having to go back in to the office.
- You're no longer learning. Similar to not feeling challenged at work anymore, if you've hit a ceiling as far as what new information you can get on the job, get with a recruiter! It can be stifling to be in a situation where you're no longer being stimulated intellectually.
- Everyone else is leaving. If the people that got there before, at the same time, and after you have gone, you must ask yourself why. What are you missing? If everyone - especially the smart people - has jumped ship, it's time for you to follow suit.
- It just "feels" like the right time to leave. Don't underestimate the power of your intuition. If nothing is blatantly wrong at work, but you can't shake the nagging feeling that you should be moving on, follow that voice. Oftentimes we know internally what we need to do way before we actually do it.
- Your values no longer align with the company's. This one is a biggie. It's very hard to feel like giving your all to a company whose vision you disagree with entirely. If you feel there's no way to reconcile your company's views with your own, take the time to research other companies that may be a better fit.
If you can relate to even 1 of these signs, you owe it to yourself to take a long, hard look at your current job and decide if it's worth it to start searching for another gig.
