“I hate my job!” This common place phrase is uttered by irked employees almost everywhere in offices. Sometimes, you just know that your job isn’t right for you. The vagueness of it all blinks at you like a massive neon light from the minute you walk into your workplace every morning. Other times it’s a little subtle. It doesn’t reach out and grab your attention but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there!
All of us have been in a wrong job before where we come in everyday just to keep our heads above the water and not get noticed for being incompetent. Disillusionment seeps in swiftly as a job plays out day to day. You realize that your responsibilities don’t mesh well with your personality or talents. But how can you tell when it’s the right time to call it a day? Quitting a job can have a negative impact on your career and can upset your personal life. But staying in an undesirable situation could be worse!
So here are some early warning signs that tell you’re ready for a new job:
You are constantly ‘Bored’ at work:
If boring becomes your favourite word at work and re-tweeting posts or updating your status on Facebook are the only exciting things that you do during the day, it’s time to update your resume. At times, things get a little slow when you’re just learning the ropes, but if the inactivity persists, you need to think about the situation and your career seriously.
Resentment & constant Irritation:
You keep telling yourself that you’ll give up but you never do. This is an indication that you are not completely satisfied with your existing role and this series of “false starts’’ is a sign of something much bigger. Be honest with yourself! Are you frustrated on a regular basis? Do you resent your boss or teammates? If so, don’t let risk-aversion fright you from pursuing an unexplored path or begin a new career.
Your skills are not valued:
You have certain qualities, skills and quirks you are proud of but don’t have the opportunity to use them at work. Parallelly, you don’t derive any contentment from what you do at work. Let’s say you are a people’s person who prides yourself for your communication skills but are stuck in a place where the only interaction you have is with your computer! This disconnect between your work and your skills can be pretty demoralising and its more likely that you are wasting your time and talent at the wrong place.
You have reached a dead end:
Employment is a two-way road and a lot of times people are simply chasing the dollar and compromising on their abilities, intelligence and personal aspirations for a quick buck! Of all the things that can go possibly go wrong with your job, the feeling as if you’re not growing is the most dangerous one. The market is evolving each day, and unless you are growing, too, you run the risk of becoming obsolete. That means it is certainly time to run, not walk, toward new opportunities! While still working, start looking for options or if changing your job is not practical, speak to your manager and voice your professional needs. Be precise as to what you want and be confident to back it up with strong reasons as to why you want what you are asking for. Most managers are very conservative, but with a good “why”, you can surely turn things around in your favour.
If you’re hanging onto a career or job because of the time and money you’ve invested then the first thing you should do is let reality sink in. It’s easy to find yourself on the wrong career path! When that happens, the solution is to stay vigilant for the warning signs, watch for the signposts, learn from those unavoidable detours, get directions, and then slowly start inching your way towards the right career path!
