Looking for a new job is a pretty daunting experience – and many avoid it at all costs. Even when the cost is their mental and physical health. But when do you know it’s time to look for a new job?
With the job market bouncing, and many organisations on the look out for top talent, now might be a fantastic time to dust off the CV and find a role that makes your Monday mornings sing.
In fact, a recent survey shows that since the start of the pandemic, half of all UK employees are currently. on the hunt for a new job.
If you’ve started wondering about moving on, here’s five sure-fire signs that it’s the right time to find something new.
1. You're not sleeping well
If you’re struggling to get to sleep because you’re unable to switch off from worrying, or if you’re having to drag yourself out of bed in the morning to start work, then it’s probably sign there’s a problem. Sleep is crucial to your health and wellbeing, so if your job is affecting your sleep, you’ll feel the impact of that in every area of your life. You might find yourself becoming more irritable, which will only make things worse at work.
2. You're bored
Do you find yourself wasting time on social media? Have you been in the same job for a long time, and still doing the same job you were doing on day one, with no prospect for growth? Have you stopped finding your job challenging? If you feel like you’re just petering along, passing the time, maybe it’s time to give things a shake-up. If you’re bored at work, you’ll never feel rewarded, and you won’t grow and be able to take the next step on the career ladder.
3. Your motivation has waned
Remember those early day of your job, when you’d bounce into work, ready change the world, to make your mark, to have an impact? Now of course no one is expecting you to feel first week enthusiasm every day of your job, but if you’ve found that you’re at a point where you don’t really feel excited about going to work anymore and you’re just waiting til the end of the day, there might be an issue. If your low in motivation, it’s pretty good sign that it’s time to look for a new job.
4. Your attitude has nose-dived
Have you found yourself moaning a lot more than usual? Or not getting on with your colleagues particularly well? Sometimes complaining is legitimate and even necessary, but sometimes complaining can be an indicator that you’re feeling disgruntled and ready for a change. If being at work causes unnecessary negativity then take yourself out of it and find something that helps you to feel positive about life again.
5. You've no work/life balance
This is a huge one, especially after the year we’ve all just endured. Sometimes overtime is necessary, and in a job where you’re feeling happy and rewarded, it doesn’t feel like a chore to go above and beyond every so often. But if you’re regularly in a position where you’re working late into the evenings, or being expected to give up your weekends, then something is not right.
Your work life balance can make all the difference to your mental health, so it’s an important thing to protect. Flexibility is increasingly at the top of the list for employees and most reasonable employers offer flexibility to some degree now, so if you get none of it in your role, perhaps it’s time to find one that does?
Ultimately, if you’re finding yourself thinking about what life could be like in a new role, it may very well be time to start revamping your CV to see what’s out there. You have an enormous amount of value to add to a company somewhere, so make sure you look for a job that makes you feel valued.