How do you know if you’re ready to change jobs? For many, switching jobs is a huge gamble. This guide will help you ensure key steps are in place to plan a successful job change.
A job change can be a good move or bad, depending on your reasons and whims. There are stories of many people getting up one day and deciding to discontinue their jobs and taking time off to travel, vegetate, or chill. But this kind of luxury is not affordable to everyone. On the other hand, if you are in a job, which patently makes you unhappy or is a dead-end one, then it is time to make a move up or laterally. Before you make a decision, here are some things that you should consider.
Is your job making you unhappy, and at the end of the day you feel drained out due to the negativity surrounding you, then change jobs.
You feel safe and comfortable: Then also it is time to make a move. Feeling too comfortable makes you complacent and lax. It is time to look for a successful career change and a jump. It is advantageous to quit when you are ahead, rather than when you start lagging in your career and the options dry out.
Are you going to a better place or just running away from a bad situation? Make sure that if you are considering switching jobs, the new company has a better work culture. Talk to current employees and people who have worked there earlier to find out if the company culture meets your expectations. Tap your network to find out about your teammates and boss. Make sure you are not ending up in a frying pan running from the fire.
Definitely a better pay is a major part of the reason to take the plunge, but money should not be the only motivator. Good, colleagues, a congenial atmosphere, and a clear cut career path with advancement opportunities is what you should be looking for. Secondly, ensure that you are paid the industry standards commensurate to your position. You might be happy to get a salary jump, but if it is below the industry norm, then it defeats the purpose.
Make sure you get the right benefits and perks with a proper medicare and retirement plan. Ensure that the new place is gender-friendly and believes in diversity and maternity and childcare packages.
Does the new job give you opportunities to grow and advance? It is true that your performance also matters, but the company needs to be committed to help its employees develop and upgrade their skills. Are there opportunities to attend seminars, work conferences, and workshops? A culture of trust and space within the organization helps employees feel invested in their place of work. Too much supervision and structured processes are not conducive to independent thinking and innovativeness.
Find out if the company has an open culture or not.
Is it all work and no play, or the company believes in letting employees have a healthy family life? Do they distinguish between work hours and personal time? These are essential questions if you are looking for an equitable distribution of leisure and work time. Being career driven does not mean burning out.
Lastly, look at the location and commute time. If it is going to take longer than an hour to commute, you could effectively be traveling almost three and a half or four hours up and down in a day. Include an eight hour day, and that means nearly 12 hours at work. The location also matters. If your office is not well connected with public transport or the commute involves changes or is located away from train stations and stops, then that adds up to the commuting time. Even rush hour traffic can slow you down and add to the hours. Studies have shown that long commutes add to the stress and affect your health and general well- being
Also, while switching jobs, make sure that you leave your ex-employers on a good note and do not burn your bridges by not giving enough notice or leave abruptly with no explanations. The world is small; especially if you continue to work in the same field, you are bound to meet some time professionally, so keep all channels open.
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