Being happy is by far the number one thing we should all strive to be. You should be happy in all aspects of your life whether it is your personal life or job life, all are equally as important.
So what do you do when you aren’t happy at work? Let me break it down. I’ve had my fair share of good and bad moments in the office. My first job I decided to leave just before my 2 year anniversary because I wasn’t in love with the city so my personal life struggled. I absolutely loved my job and that is what made it that much harder to decide to move on. Everyone says that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side and I was worried that I was going to make such a huge mistake leaving a company that I loved. At the end, I decided that I needed to take the leap of faith and listen to my heart and that is how I ended up here. My first job in the city was great, I loved it, until my division got sold off and I had to find a new role within the company. It was hard to do but I was able to find a job that I enjoyed for the time being. I’m not going to go into much detail but I just wasn’t happy and I knew there was something better out there. I recently joined a new company and have been there since January and couldn’t be any happier.
Deciding when it is time to move on and find a new job is by far the hardest steps. I’ve come up with a list of different topics that I’ll briefly touch on to help you if you are going through this right now.
5 TIPS TO DECIDE WHEN IT IS TIME TO FIND A NEW JOB
Understand the difference between a hard week(s) versus being miserable
We are all going to have a horrible week or two here and there at work. It happens to everyone. I just had a terrible week and it was because I was SO incredibly busy and nothing turned out as planned. However, I know that this will only be temporary and the weeks will slowly get less and less busy. On the other side of it, at my old job these horrible weeks turned into months. It wasn’t just that I was busy (I love being busy) but how I was treated and undervalued. I knew I couldn’t be my true self in the office. I was miserable. I would barely eat and my friends and family started picking up on my mood and how I was just miserable all the time. If this happens to you and you have given it some time and spoken to management about your current role and nothing comes from it, it should be a huge sign that it is time to move on.
No future in the company
What is SO important is developing short and long term goals and reviewing them with your manager. You both need to be on the same page and have these conversations every quarter especially for your long term goals. If you want to move up in the organization, talk to your manager and ask what you have to do to get there. The biggest piece of advice is to BE PATIENT. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard coworkers say that they deserve a promotion and they have only been in the company for a couple of months. Start appreciating your role, contribute, and know that the time will come when both you and your manager feel like you are ready for the next step. If there is no movement or open roles, have a conversation with your manager or HR and say that. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself, you know your self worth. Just remember to be respectful and word it in a way such as, I’m looking for the future and want to develop my strengths even more and I feel like a role in this department will help me grow. Positions open up every now and then but how do you expect your manager to recommend you when you never had the conversation with them in the first place?
Be active on LinkedIn
I can’t recommend LinkedIn enough. Be active on this platform even when you are happy with your job! Each week I probably get in contact with 10-20 different recruiters looking for people for their open positions. Even though I tell them I am happy in my current role, I ask them to keep in touch and/or connect when the time is right. You never know what can happen in the future and when you realize it is time to start a new role, you already have that connection established.
Ask yourself, what do you want to do next?
To be honest, I will never know the answer to this question but I do know my goals, strengths, and what makes me happy. Once you have that established, start doing research online. Find a company that you are passionate about or look into different fields. Use the internet to your full advantage since there are so many great resources out there.
Not 100% fulfilled at work? Do something fun outside of work
I’m in business and stare at my computer screen all day putting numbers together. There is nothing glamorous about it. When I was in a funk and was tired of doing the same thing every day, I realized I needed to have a creative outlet. This is why I help Dana! Not only being her brand manager but doing these weekly Elle’s Edits. It gives me a space to be creative, and be myself without looking at Excel. I am able to help Dana by bringing in my experiences from work and helping her run her business. She understands that this is not a full time job because she knows work always comes first. However, I appreciate how she was willing to help me become more creative and let me have something that I look forward to doing. And it is fun doing this with a best friend!
Hope these tips on when it is time to find a new job were helpful whether you are happy or not at work. Please do not hesitate and reach out if you have any questions or need advice!
Thanks for reading Elle’s Edit. If you have any topics that you would like for me to discuss, feel free to email me at elle@itscasualblog.com. I would love to hear from you! xo
