10 signs it’s time for a new job
Even if you are not actively looking for a new job, there may already be obvious signs that you are out of place. In this article, we list the 10 most important signs.
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Time to get a new job?
Pay attention to these 10 signs
Perhaps you sometimes have doubts about your job. Are you still in the right place and what is a good time to switch? Often convenience, familiarity and loyalty win out over the urge for change. In any case, it can’t hurt to compare your wishes and ambitions with your current position from time to time.
But even without consciously analyzing, there may already be signs that you are no longer in your place. In this article, we therefore list the 10 most important signs that it really is time for a new job.
#1 Your development is standing still
If by now your entire job consists of routine tasks while you want to keep expanding your horizons, it’s time to look around. You learn the most in the first three years of a new job. If you feel you are stagnant in your development, that there is no more challenge or even that you are bored, that is definitely a sign to move on.
In a new job, you usually face a steep learning curve and so your development is faster than in a familiar place. Haven’t had any promotion opportunities in a long time? That too can be a sign that, for whatever reason, there is insufficient room for your potential at your current workplace.
#2 Your salary is your only motivation
If your salary is OK, it is no longer a major source of motivation. If you notice that your salary is actually the main thing you do your job for, then there is clearly something wrong with the other things that could intrinsically motivate you, such as purpose, autonomy and growth. So, an important indicator to start exploring your career opportunities further.
#3 You don't feel valued
Recognition for your work is important. If you feel that there is no appreciation for what you do, it will lead to more and more irritation and dissatisfaction. And without appreciation or recognition for the quality and importance of your work, your chances of being promoted are also nil. So if you feel a lack of appreciation for your contribution to the whole then that is also a signal to update your linkedin profile again. Especially if colleagues do receive that appreciation, because then it is not due to a corporate culture where everything is taken for granted and compliments are not given.
#4 You are less interested in your colleagues
You slowly withdraw more and more. You have less interest in your colleagues than you used to, and you look up to company parties. You entrench yourself more and more on your own little island and no longer feel the need to “bond.” Could it be that you are (unconsciously) already distancing yourself?
#5 You live for the weekends
The first week in the new year, you’re already in full swing looking at which days you can best take off. During the week you count down the days until the weekend and on Friday you hang out the flag. Only to take that Sunday afternoon off again because you are already looking forward to yet another long working week. If you enjoy your work so little, then it really is seriously time to take a break.
#6 You're on social media too often
If you keep on inventing more and more activities to avoid your actual work, if you keep on postponing certain tasks and spend too much time on social media and chatting in the coffee corner, then you may find that you really don’t like your work anymore. If you succumb more and more often to this avoidance behavior, if you no longer feel like going the extra mile every now and then and only do the bare minimum to avoid complaints, then you have to be fair to your employer and draw your conclusions.
#7 You get no satisfaction from your work
At the end of the day, we all want to feel like we did something useful. That it matters that you were there or what you did. That you helped people, that you participated in a project that improved society or made the lives of others easier. That your work contributes to a better world, or at least doesn’t make it worse for people, animals and the environment. In short, is there enough purpose in your work for you? Can you still enthusiastically and proudly tell a birthday party what you do and where you work? No, that too is an alarm bell.
#8 You would not recommend others to come and work here
If you don’t recommend your employer because you simply wish your family or friends a better place to work, why not wish yourself a better place to work? Everyone has a temporary dip from time to time, but be kind to yourself and don’t get stuck in a harmful environment.
#9 You have structural symptoms of stress
Your work never gets done. You have trouble getting out of bed and feel lifeless. You also have trouble concentrating or keeping your head in the game. Or you just don’t manage to achieve a fine balance between work and private life. For a long time. Chronic stress is not okay. Your body is in a constant state of alert and does not recover.
Symptoms of chronic stress include poor sleep, irritability, tenseness, a tendency to withdraw, decreased appetite or an increased craving for sweet things, moodiness and fatigue. You are also more susceptible to pain. In this sense, stress makes numerous conditions and ailments worse, including headaches and migraines, abdominal pain and back pain. Furthermore, stress can rekindle previously experienced psychological problems, such as addiction, anxiety and depression.
Do you recognize these symptoms? Then it really is high time to see if you can do something about it within your current job. Can’t do that? Then you know what to do.
#10 You get (secretly) excited by the idea of a new job
You have already updated your Linkedin profile and are already looking for alternative jobs from time to time. Already activated some job alerts as well? Fine of course to explore what the job market has to offer you. And also to see that the grass really isn’t always greener somewhere else. But if the itch starts to grow, if you can no longer muster any enthusiasm for your current job, if you no longer know what you liked so much to begin with, then it is time to take the next step.
How to move forward?
Hearing multiple alarm bells going off? Are you ready to draw conclusions and go get yourself a new job? There’s no need to rush into anything. Start by making a wish list, what would really make you happy. In terms of work and working conditions. If you no longer know what makes you happy or where you fit in well, it may help to work with a career coach. Or start with some online personality or career tests. For example:
- Occupational choice test 123test on Intermediair
- Occupational choice test hbo en wo van Jobspersonality
- 16 personalities test
The Recruitment Consultants of Exactpi Recruitment are also ready to exchange views on your career. Please feel free to contact us. Whatever you do, hopefully you will end up Exactly where you wanna be.
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