How do you know when it’s time for a job change?

Are you experiencing tremendous frustration or dissatisfaction at work, and constantly thinking: “I can’t take this anymore. Should I quit”?

See if you can identify with any of these reasons that commonly spur workers to jump ship:

THE THOUGHT OF GOING TO WORK MAKES YOU MISERABLE

Do you start feeling anxious or depressed on Sunday afternoon as you anticipate returning to work? Do you dread getting up and going to work on Monday? These could be signs that:

• You are suffering from burnout and experiencing symptoms of physical or emotional exhaustion as a result of prolonged stress and frustration. This could arise from performing duties that are too taxing, such as having to be harassed by unhappy customers, take on heavy workloads, or travel overseas on a regular basis.

• The office politics are so bad that your morale and work have been badly affected. For example, there are no clear directions for you to follow because you work for a family-owned enterprise where there’s animosity among the family members or a startup where the partners are always at odds over the running of the business.

• There’s been a change in leadership in your company/department, and you find the new corporate culture/management style too oppressive or unsavoury.

YOU’RE STUCK IN A RUT

You’re performing the most mundane or repetitive tasks day-in and day-out, and your job scope isn’t likely to change.

There’s not an ounce of enthusiasm left in you. You're perpetually counting the hours and can’t wait to scoot off at the end of the day.

The thought of doing the same thing further down the road fills you with dread, and you know there must be a different path that could bring you more contentment and purpose in your career.

YOU’RE OVERWHELMED BY YOUR JOB

You find yourself constantly worried because you’ve been given new roles or responsibilities that are beyond your capacity. And even though you’ve voiced your constraints, there’s no possibility you’ll get the training or support you need.

YOU’RE REACHING THE END OF THE ROAD

The time may be ripe for you to seek greener pastures when:

• You’re a star performer who has been consistently hitting or exceeding your targets, and yet you haven’t gotten the raise you’ve asked for or the promotion you deserve for far too long.
• You’ve done well and worked your way up to the top and find there’s little or no room for advancement. This might be the case in smaller companies, where a limited number of high-level positions are available.
• You’ve researched competitive salaries for jobs similar to yours and discovered that your company is paying less than the industry average.
• Your company is in poor financial health and the threat of downsizing and retrenchment is looming.

YOU’RE FEELING PHYSICALLY OR EMOTIONALLY THREATENED

You’re unfortunate enough to have a boss or co-worker who’s harassing, bullying or making life hell for you in some other way, and there’s very little you can do about it.

CONCLUSION

Unhappy though you may be, switching job is a huge step to take as you’ll be leaving a familiar environment and venturing into the unknown. So make sure you don’t plunge headlong into another job (which could turn out to be a temporary fix) just because you want to run away from whatever’s bothering you at present.

Daisuke Hara, Senior Manager of RGF Professional Recruitment Japan, cautions against changing jobs without getting sufficient information about the new company and making your decision based primarily on the company’s brand,

 “It is essential for job seekers to obtain as much information as possible about the job and the opportunities for growth before joining a company. We encourage job seekers to ask questions during job interviews, do your research about the company and proactively learn more about the job offer from your recruiters to ensure that your job expectations will be met by your new employer,” he advises.

In this article:

Daisuke Hara

Senior Manager, 
RGF Professional Recruitment Japan