Yahoo Finance 3 Reasons to Move on From a Job You Love
What happens when you're immersed in a job you enjoy for a boss you respect, but something just feels off? How do you decide if it's time to move on and find another job -- and how do you accept it?
There are a few situations where there's no question you need to say your bittersweet goodbyes. Take, for example, a topic that's been making headlines lately: ethics. It's one of the most important elements of how you conduct yourself professionally, and yet regardless of how you and other employees try to represent yourselves as an extension of your employer, sometimes companies just unfortunately miss the mark. Shocked and dismayed, you may want to remain loyal, but reality is, their ethics are completely clashing with yours.
[See: 25 Awesome Business Jobs for 2016.]
You may be thinking that even if you love your job, situations like the above are a no-brainer that you need to leave. However, sometimes the cause isn't something as questionable as ethics. For example, you may feel like your emotional intelligence surpasses leadership. When you start examining leadership's roles and soft skills, do they measure up? Are they people you aspire to be like as you progress in your career, or would you feel frustrated stuck in an environment that, due to your peers, is lackluster at best?
Or maybe you're simply not learning. Your peers aren't learning. There isn't any money in the budget for training. This is important for employees at entry level all the way up to executives. If your employer isn't investing in its people, what is it investing in and what could be more important than you?
These are some of the main reasons why you should accept that it's time to look for a new job. You need to spot the situation and deal with it. Sure, you may be grappling with not wanting to leave because you're comfortable, your commute is ideal or fill in the blank, but in truth, deep in your heart, you know that it's time to move on. And once you recognize these kinds of vital signs in your job, here's your guide to effectively and efficiently make a change.
[See: 10 Reasons to Quit Your Job Already.]
Accept the situation. The longer you lurk in denial, the more difficult it will be to get out of that dark place. When I was a recruiter during the recession, hiring was frozen, so my employer temporarily transformed my role into transitional outplacement coach. While it was challenging to work with employees who had been let go, it was also empowering to leverage recruiting skills to help them find their next role and ace their interview.
Here's what I discovered: When two candidates had nearly identical resumes, the departing employee who exuded an excellent, relaxed attitude that this was for the best was the person who landed a job literally within six weeks.
Meanwhile, his counterpart was stuck in a murky place asking, "Why is this happening to me?" Several weeks went by, his exit date came and went, and he still wasn't employed. While this particular situation involved layoffs, the same mindset applies to seeing your employment situation as it truly is -- whether that means lack of ethics from leadership or training opportunities. Acceptance is critical to successfully moving on and finding a new job that you can love just as much, without that icky feeling in the pit of your stomach.
[See: The 8 Stages of a Winning Job Search.]
Next, sit with it. Before you jump into action mode, you need to take the time to digest. It's OK to be fine with not knowing what you're going to do next. The key is just to not stay in that headspace too long. Whether this means going for a longer run than usual to sort out your thoughts or asking a mentor for guidance, you need to face the music in your own way, at your own pace (within reason, of course). Take stock, be clear with yourself -- whatever you need to do to come to the realization that this experience is actually a gift that's providing you with an opportunity to grow.
Finally, empower yourself by taking action. Instead of lamenting the loss, begin to mentally reframe the situation as a win. And it is! It's an impetus for you to find a better job, one where your values align with the company's, one where you are on the same wavelength with leadership and one where you feel valued by a company that invests in your training and development.
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