The longer you stay in a job that makes you unhappy, the more likely it is that your situation will worsen. Things will get out of hand very quickly if you don’t start looking for a new career.
There is a high price to pay in terms of your emotional, social, and even financial well-being if you wait until things have deteriorated to that point.
Is there any way to discern if this is a temporary setback or something more serious? If you recognize yourself in any of the following six scenarios, it’s time to start applying for jobs.
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You’re Dealing with Burnout Symptoms
“Burning out” is often used as a synonym for chronic workplace stress. Although burnout isn’t a medical diagnosis, its consequences might linger for quite some time.
What follows is a concise look at burnout’s telltale symptoms. If any of the following apply to you, it’s likely that your current employment is harmful to your emotional and physical well-being:
- I have been unable to be productive, and it has affected my work.
- My outlook on the upcoming workday is often pessimistic.
- To be honest, I find it most challenging to get up and go in the mornings.
- In my opinion, my job is meaningless.
- There has been a long dry spell between my professional successes.
- Constant exhaustion and weariness are constant companions of mine.
- I used to be patient and kind but now I’m irritable and cynical.
- In this present moment, I feel stuck, helpless, and miserable.
- I can’t seem to get to sleep.
- My inability to regulate my appetite is a major source of concern for me.
- I frequently experience headaches and stomachaches, for example, that I can’t seem to pinpoint to any specific cause while I’m under stress.
- Heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and weakened immunity are just some of the health problems that have been linked to prolonged stress. The effects on mental health are not included in that calculation.
If you’re feeling burned out on the job, it’s important for your own health that you find a new position.
Just the thought of leaving this job is thrilling
Once in a while, you might feel compelled to quickly turn in your resignation. You can’t wait for the day that you can finally retire from your current position. You’re imagining yourself working for a different corporation in your head.
You may have already given it a lot of thought. You may have checked sites like bluerecruit.com and LinkedIn to see if any employers are hiring “just in case.”
You might even have a well-thought-out plan for moving employment, complete with details on how to obtain an interview and how to wrap up any outstanding work.
In either scenario, you’ve already settled on the decision to join the ranks of the unemployed. It is not a big concern if you don’t know why exactly you wish to leave your current work. Don’t put off looking for new work any longer if you’re serious about doing so.
You don’t want to stay in this position forever
If you could see yourself in five or ten years, how would you describe yourself? It’s a cliche, but it’s information that every single recruiter is interested in receiving. However, there is no one to impress when you only have to answer to yourself. In this context, you are simply asked to evaluate how you are feeling and how satisfied you are with the path your life is taking.
Doing the same or similar employment for the following decade will likely leave you in a state of horror. Something as basic as a “Oh no” may throw you for a loop.
As it is, the current place of employment is not the problem. Consequently, this is an indication that the chosen professional path is not the right one for you.
Odds of getting fired or laid off
If your present employer is suffering financial difficulties, furloughs and layoffs may be considered. See if the company or competitors in the same field have previously adopted this strategy. You may be facing a layoff or furlough if your workload has decreased or your customer base has shrunk.
There’s a good chance that you’re worried about losing your job right now. In any situation, resigning is preferable to be fired.
No of the circumstances, doing nothing and hoping for the best is not a viable option. So, if you want to avoid becoming unemployed, now is a good time to start looking for work.
No longer worth it due to low pay
An immediate action, in this case, would be to request a pay increase. However, if your manager has made it obvious that this is not possible at the moment and is not likely to be possible in the near future, you have every right to think about looking for a new position. Finally, the debts won’t be paid by enthusiasm or promises.
You could, on the other hand, decide that the job’s disadvantages are too great to justify the money it offers. Job dissatisfaction, stagnation, a negative culture at work, and similar factors all fall under this category.
Remember that you should aim for reasonable pay. If your expenses have doubled while your qualifications have not, you will not be able to locate a job that pays twice as much as it does today.
Finding work is becoming increasingly difficult
Do you really think you won’t get promoted soon, given your extensive job history? Do you feel like there are no more things to learn or ways to advance in your current position?
If you’ve nodded along, it’s probably because you agree that most of your workdays are boring. It’s clear that you have zero enthusiasm for or interest in your work, and that it provides zero fulfillment.
It’s only natural to feel dissatisfied with a pastime that takes up 35–40 hours of your week. If you are not able to further your career at your current workplace, you should not feel bad about exploring other options.
Conclusion
Although there is no hard and fast rule about how long an employee should remain in one position before moving on, many professionals agree that a year is a good benchmark.
True, your current employer has made an investment in you by hiring you. In the event that your current position is seriously taxing you, there is no such thing as “too soon” to start looking for a new one.
You should start your job search without immediately leaving your existing position. Unfortunately, many people do not have enough funds to last for three to six months while they look for work.