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You say the job is killing you – here are some questions to help you determine what to consider before you chuck it all.
What happened, you or them?
Somewhere along the line things changed. Your responsibilities shifted. Your work
became redundant. Your boss became unbearable. Your co-workers don’t respect you anymore. Something started looking different and your driven to consider another job. How much is due to other people and actual changes? How much of the problem is something in your personal life? You have to determine the weak links, because whatever they are, if you don’t figure them out first, you’ll bring them with you wherever you go.
What do you know about your strengths and weaknesses?
If the problem is you, then before you make that career transition, get some counseling, coaching, or whatever it takes for you to make a confident, reasonable decision. You can’t afford to be one of the walking wounded when looking for a new job. If you try to pass yourself off as passionate and ready for new opportunities, then you will likely show up as needy. It’s time to do an assessment of your strengths and weaknesses and transferable skills. Sit down, write them out. Know what expertise you will bring and what you will rely on others to provide.
What would you be giving up?
Your current gripes may have caused you to lose touch with what benefits the job held in the first place. Use a list of positives and negatives to measure what you’d be giving up. Then, weigh those positives against the risk of losing them or not replacing them with others benefits.
Will you jog or sprint to the exit?
Assess your pain quotient. No one else can do that for you. If you have the resources and can cope with the lack of security, then leave and devote yourself to downtime and introspection, to prepare for what’s next. However, if you have a low stress threshold and can’t tolerate uncertainty, then line up where you’re going before leaving. You’ll need patience to deal with either the void or things remaining the same.
Laurie A. Sheppard is a master certified Life Coach and Career Strategist to mid-level professional women and women entrepreneurs who want to make quality career and personal changes.
Ready to change your life? Contact Laurie at info@creatingatwill.com or call her at 310-645-2874. Sign up to receive monthly career tips
c. 2006 This article is free to publish in its entirety, with a courtesy email to info@creatingatwill.com
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