Some people seem to know exactly what they
want to do the minute it’s time to enter the Real World—or
sooner—while others have no idea and spend years exploring
different jobs, refining their preferences, and figuring out what
feels right. Neither way is wrong, and each has its
own challenges. (Sure, your friend who’s known she wanted to be a
neurosurgeon since age 17 might seem like she
has it all together, but trust, she’s probably had her moments of
fantasizing about being a food critic, too.)
Whether you’re looking to figure out
what to focus on for your first job, weighing your
options at a current gig that feels “meh,” or considering whether
to jump ship into an entirely different industry, these seven
questions can help. Career satisfaction guru and International
Emotional Strategic Consultant Shiran Raz shared a few
questions you can ask yourself to shed light on whether 2017 is the
right time for you to consider making a major career move.
If you constantly feel fatigued and blasé when
you’re at the office—but not when you’re at happy hour with friends
or at the gym on Saturday morning—it’s a sure sign that your
current job isn’t infusing you with passion or motivation. “If you
don’t feel like getting up in the morning to go to work, and feel
tension and exhaustion once you do get there, those physical
symptoms betray an underlying disinterest and divestment from your
job,” says Shiraz. Obviously every single hour of your days on
Monday through Friday aren’t going to be a thrilling roller-coaster
ride of passion and excitement, but if
you never perk up in meetings when your
coworkers are talking about something interesting or feel a shot of
motivation when your boss assigns you a challenging new project,
you’ve lost your mojo and should be looking to make your next
move.
If you’re not sure whether your current job or
company is the right place for you, odds are, you’re experiencing
boredom or dissatisfaction of some sort. Shiraz’s first advice in
that case is to do everything you can to grow in your current
role—you might find that you’re much happier once you do.
“Initiate, be proactive, explore, discover, learn, and engage in
new projects,” she says. “If your company or manager doesn’t allow
or facilitate any of this, it’s definitely time to start looking
for something new.” And when you do leave, you can feel good
knowing that you did everything you could to make the situation
work—and have no regrets when you give notice.
Often, unhappiness at work can be channeled in
unproductive ways, like water-cooler gossip, complaining, or
perceiving yourself to be a victim of your unsatisfying job,
company, or boss. Not only are these behaviors unprofessional and
unproductive; they’re actually self-destructive. Realize that your
energy would be much better directed toward the hunt for a new job
and remember that you’re the only one in control of your career.
“If you always tell your boss you’re doing fine even if you feel
overworked, if you procrastinate and feel taken advantage of with
every new assignment, and if you feel generally out of control,
you’re only contributing to your own unhappiness at work,” says
Shiraz. Yes, if you’re this unhappy, it probably means you’d do
well to go elsewhere, but at the same time, it’s important to
realize when you’re the one sabotaging your success—in case you can
salvage the situation and end up being content right where you
are.
Take some time to meditate on what
matters to you most in life. Naming these priorities will give
you important clues as to what you need in a job. Is travel your
biggest life goal? Then you either need a job that involves
business trips, pays well enough that you can take your own trips,
or has the flexibility for you to take time off to travel or work
remotely. Are you most invested in being creatively fulfilled? Then
salary may not factor in as much as a stimulating, innovative
environment. “If you work more hours than you’d like, your job
isn’t as challenging as you’d hoped, or you feel that the company’s
mission is at odds with the things you care about most socially or
politically, you may have no choice but to seek another job,” says
Shiraz.
In case you hadn’t heard, your intuition has
the power to give you super-important intel about whether you’re on
the right life path. That means that one of your most vital tools
for making smart career decisions is already built into your brain
and body. “If your gut, or your inner voice, tells you a current or
prospective job isn’t good for you, don’t ignore it,” says Shiraz.
“Research has shown that when your inner voice tells you you’re in
the wrong place, you probably are, and would be happier elsewhere,
so don’t drag your feet!” Ultimately, if that niggling feeling says
something just isn’t right, listen, and start
applying.
yahoo
