Partner Article

Six signs that it’s time to switch jobs

Most of us at some time or another will have had doubts about whether our job was completely right for us. But how can you tell if you are just having an off day at work, or whether it is time to bite the bullet and look for employment elsewhere?

Below are six signs that it may be time for a job change:

1. No time for family or a personal life

The reason many parents work so hard is to provide for their families. But if you feel you are completely missing out on family life due to work consuming so much of your time that you don’t get to spend any significant time with your loved ones, because you leave for work so early and arrive home so late, then maybe it’s time to try and find a job with more family-friendly working hours.

Similarly, if you are miserable because you haven’t seen your best friends in a year due to the abundance of overtime you have to put in just to stay on schedule, then maybe it’s time to seek out a job with a more socially friendly workload.

2. Your degree is not being put to good use (and you want it to be)

Many students study degrees and graduate without fully knowing what they want to do with them after finishing, and due to this reason, as well as the economic climate, many graduates will end up being employed in jobs completely unrelated to their degree subject after graduation.

If two years after graduating you are still working in the same meaningless bar job that was only meant to be a two month stint, and you secretly long for the career you have studied for instead, then it’s definitely time for a change. Internships and short training courses can help boost your job chances against fellow graduates applying for the same position.

3. You are not appreciated/ feel undervalued by other staff members

You may actually quite like the type of work you are doing. There is just one problem. Your co-workers. Or worse still, the management not appreciating you. Of course there are laws in place to protect people from unfair or inappropriate words or actions in the workplace, and if you feel you are being unfairly treated by co-workers then management can be informed.

Sometimes, however, these verbal, or even physical actions can be so subtle, or devious that they would be impossible to prove. If the manager or (even more so) the proprietor is responsible and not looking to be leaving anytime soon, then maybe it is time to start afresh with colleagues and senior management who appreciate and value you the way you deserve.

4. Your job is affecting your mental health

Moments of short-lived stress from time to time, or the occasional low mood, or pangs of panic are normal feelings in every job. However feelings of significant work-related stress, anxiety or having feelings of depression that do not go away are another matter. If you are suffering from any of these conditions, then the best solution would be to seek medical advice straight away.

5. You are bored (all the time)

There are countless reasons your job may be boring you senseless. Maybe you are not getting the chance to demonstrate all your skills and strengths, or just a handful of them. Maybe you daydream about your dream job, and it’s not even close to the one you are doing (not even a tiny bit). Perhaps you accepted your job purely because it paid well, even if you knew the work did not personally interest you. Or maybe you are working in the occupation you thought you always wanted to do, but you’ve now discovered it just isn’t right for you. Whatever the reason, if you find yourself tediously bored in your job on a daily basis, without ever really enjoying it at all, then it could be worth searching for a more fulfilling job.

6. No room for progression

Unless you are currently a CEO, or other senior staff member, then it is important that the company you are working for has the opportunity to climb the career ladder. If your place of work does not offer the option of progressing from your current position, and you feel it is time for a promotion, then a new job and a new company will likely be the only option.

Article written by Amy Tanikie-Montagnani and reproduced from employersjobs.com’s blog.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by employersjobs.com .