Changing jobs is no small act. Our jobs, though part of our lives, directly impact our happiness, health and financial stability.
If you are not the type to go start your own business (or are not in the financial position to) finding ways you can control your job satisfaction and career growth can be a challenge – but it is possible.
You may have taken some time as 2015 wound down to evaluate your career satisfaction. The promise of a new year can help us gain perspective about the short and long term.
Often we rationalize our way into staying into less than stellar jobs because of fear of financial failure or a professional derailment. I’m a realist, and some of these concerns are legitimate, until they become limiting.
If you had a small window of clarity in the past few weeks about your professional future, here are three signs that career change is calling your name:
You’ve been saying you need to move on for over a year.
Chances are that if you’ve been thinking about leaving for over a year, it’s time to start exploring. Looking doesn’t mean leaving, it just means looking. Looking smart is also key as you begin to explore. Applying online is just ONE way of looking. In addition to doing some job searching online, it’s critical to start nurturing your network.
What to do if this resonates for you:
- Select 2 people in your network who you feel might be able to offer you insight into the desired job change and set up a conversation or personal meeting.
- Start collecting a list of job search terms and save these search criteria.
Your emotional and physical health is compromised by your current job.
These are major warning signs that it’s time to start looking. Whether it is the content of your work, your boss, the organization or something else that is causing you to experience above average stress, action here is critical. Yes, I understand you can’t just up and quit but you’ve got to start thinking about things to do to help your situation. Small steps towards at the beginning of change can propel you into a healthy transition.
What to do if this resonates with you:
Your relationships are being negatively affected by your job dissatisfaction.
If your professional unhappiness causes excess spats with partners, children, friends or other relatives it’s time to ask an important question: If this continues, what will be the long-term impact on your relationships? If you are taking your job stress home with you or your loved ones are tired of hearing you complain about work, it’s time to get into action. Yes, it can be scary but imagine what your relationships would look like without the intensity of your current job dissatisfaction.
What to do if this resonates with you:
- Start getting your resume and LinkedIn profile in shape. Even if you just start doing this, you will start to feel motivation and momentum.
- Start doing the job search preparation in sign #1 of this blog.
Will 2016 be the year you take a step in the right direction? If rash change isn’t your thing, that’s ok, it’s not ours either. Make a sound career change. Do it for you, your happiness and the people you care about.
Supporting people through the often confusing process of contemplating professional change is truly what I love to do. If these signs speak to you, let’s chat free for 20 minutes to see what 2016 might have in store. Click here to schedule a complimentary coaching session.
The mission of Sound Change is to dramatically increase the number of professionally self-expressed people on the planet.