Knowing When it's Time to Find a New Job

Knowing when it’s time to find a new job. Whether we are especially happy with our current role or not, mostly we are passive job seekers. That is, we are not actively looking for new jobs but might consider a position if we were offered one and its terms were attractive. Yet there is a point at which we decide that we are no longer satisfied with the current situation and become active job seekers.

This usually entails actively searching online jobs portals for suitable roles, rewriting our CVs, getting them out there and speaking to recruiters. There are several scenarios that tend to tip us from one category into the other, some of which are rational and some of which are emotional.

We describe five types that may tip the balance:

1. You don't have a job.

It sounds self-evident that you would be looking for work if you are not currently employed, but this is not always the case. People who have been out of work for a period can become very daunted by the application process and lose their confidence, and it can be difficult to get out of this mindset. The best thing to do in this situation, if you have prior experience, is to speak to a recruiter and get some advice and reassurance about what kind of role you should look for and how to get your confidence back. We are here to help!

2. Your life circumstances have changed

Many changes in our personal lives can affect our approach to work. If you have just had a child, have suffered a protracted illness, or are nearing retirement age you may want to work less hours and find that you are more suited to a part-time role. You may find that you would prefer a less stressful line of work, or you may feel that you want to increase your earnings and go for a role that is more challenging but provides you with better prospects and financial rewards. We are here to help!

3. Your current role lacks prospects.

The first two reasons aside, this is the one that tends to motivate people to look elsewhere. If your current role is going nowhere, you are unlikely to get a promotion and you’re not enjoying your work enough to make up for this, then you should certainly think about looking elsewhere. You may even find that the elusive promotion you’ve been waiting for suddenly turns up when you get offered a role somewhere else, so it’s always worth considering your options every few years or so. We are here to help!

4. You are looking to make a career change

Sometimes people work in a particular sector or for a single company for many years and decide they want to do something completely different with their life. This is becoming more and more common as people tend to change jobs more often in any case, and there is nothing to be said against it aside from the fact that if you do decide to make this kind of move you should ensure you have the necessary skills or qualifications, or you could find yourself in a tight spot. We are here to help!

5. Your role is made redundant

This is now more common than you think. There is no longer any shame attached to redundancy, but it can certainly catapult you from being a passive job seeker into an active one. If the redundancy is voluntary, then clearly there is a decision involved on your part. It’s important to remember that when being made redundant you are entitled to a redundancy package, and this can often be quite generous so not only can it give you the opportunity for a change in career it may also give you some breathing space to think about what you want from your next role and to prepare your CV to match this. Most people walk out of a redundancy all for the better. At Talent Network we are here to help!

If you’d like to discuss why and when it’s best to start re-thinking your career path, get in touch with us!