Knowing when to move on in your career can be difficult. Staying for want of an obvious alternative can encourage us to accept stagnation. Leaving may feel like a negative step unless you’re moving directly into a better job. Unless you can satisfy yourself that the move will further your career goals, leaving seems like less of a choice and more of a surrender, an admission of defeat.
At rmg digital we understand the dilemma of having a working life that feels stale and unrewarding while your inner voice insists you should remain. You might feel driven to start job hunting only to be held back by other factors. Of course there are pressing financial concerns involved, but if it’s the wrong job then does your income really compensate for the poor return you get in other ways?
We’ve identified five factors in recognising that the balance between necessity and fulfilment is no longer in your favour. We don’t suggest a reckless leap into the unknown, but we do advise you to take an honest look at your present position. You spend about half of your waking hours working, so you need to make sure it’s worth it.
1. You feel you’ve reached the end of the road in your current job, but you’re worried about the effect it would have on your CV if you resign before putting in a respectable length of service. It might once have been true that prospective employers frowned on an employment record dotted with job changes but if you can show that your behaviour was caused not by restlessness but by an urgent desire to progress then it will reflect positively on you.
2. Do you wake up enthused about the working day ahead? Or do you feel a creeping sense of dread that it’s time to force yourself onto the treadmill again? If the latter sums up your reaction, then it’s pretty clear that your working environment is becoming poisonous to your happiness and well-being. We all have days when we’d rather stay in bed or head off to the coast, but if every day feels like an effort then not only are you sacrificing your happiness, but your ability to do your job will be significantly compromised.
3. One reason for this dread might be that you find your days half empty and your work unchallenging. Sitting around doing very little for hours might seem like earning money for old rope, but it’s pretty unsustainable even for those with a low boredom threshold. For most of us, that kind of enforced idleness not only feels anathema but makes the hours pass slowly, adding up to a day of very little achievement. Being happily employed means feeling you are making a meaningful contribution and stretching yourself in the process.
4. Another reason to dread the day ahead may come from those around you, whether it’s your colleagues, line manager or senior management. You’re not looking for a pat on the back every time you do something well, but you have every right to expect to have your talents recognised and the biggest of your achievements appreciated. In this environment, lassitude can be infectious – if the people you work with take little interest in what you do, it’s not surprising if you start to feel the same.
5. In some companies there is simply no scope for promotion. The top jobs are taken by people who don’t look like retiring for 20 years. It’s worth finding out from the management just how likely it is their company will enable you to climb the career ladder. If the answer is ‘not very’ then you look elsewhere – not least because staying put without progression really doesn’t look good on your CV.
If it’s time for you to move on then let rmg digitals recruitment service help you pursue your goals and find new positions to match your skills and present rewarding challenges.
We have offices in London, Swindon and Amsterdam. Give us a call today.
London, UK Tel: 020 3800 1118
Swindon, UK Tel: 01172 840840
Amsterdam, Netherlands Tel: (+31) 208905766
