5 Ways To Know When It’s Time To Find Another Job is an InformationWeek article based on the advice of experts from Challenger Gray & Christmas and Monster.com that lists five signs that it may be time to dust off the ol’ resume and start looking around.
The article explains the reluctance of high-tech workers to leave their current jobs, even though such reluctance may be unwarranted:
After the dot-com bubble burst several years ago, a lot of high-tech workers simply felt lucky to have a job–any job. Gone were the days when chief security officers, Java developers, and project managers could pick up a new, and better, job as easily as picking up a latte. Human Resources managers stopped worrying about how to keep good employees from leaving for better jobs. People who had decent jobs counted themselves lucky, kept their heads down and just hoped they weren’t next to be outsourced or otherwise pink slipped.
Those days are gone. High-tech jobs are being created. There are new positions to move into. A lot of people, though, aren’t picking up stakes and moving on. They’re stuck in that head-down mentality and maybe they’re missing the opportunity to find that great next job.
Here are the five signs…
- If you’re not learning anything anymore. “If you’re no longer learning, the indication is that your time there is over. If you have a really good boss, it can be hard to leave that. But if you’ve learned everything you can from that company and that great boss, you’re not helping yourself by staying.”
- If the rumor mill says things are going to get worse, especially if your company’s just been merged or acquired. “It’s rare that rumors stay alive when there’s nothing behind them. Pay attention to the rumor mill when it’s about acquisitions, mergers and layoffs. Mergers and acquisitions are a real red flag that some of you will go, if not all of you. There’s a lot of rumors but when everybody is talking about layoffs and it’s being said and said and management isn’t coming out and denying it, then that’s not good Your job is in the most jeopardy if your company has just been acquired.”
- If you have a toxic co-worker (or worse, more than one). “Is there a bully roaming your office? Is someone else always taking credit for your work? What about that jerk who takes obvious glee in getting under your skin or that one person who makes you dread walking through the office door every morning? Answering yes to any of these questions probably means you’re working in a toxic environment.”
- If you and the boss have irreconcilable differences. “Are you not receiving challenging work? Are you not getting plum assignments? Is there room for advancement or do you feel like your advancement is being blocked? Are you not being recognized sufficiently, either monetarily or within the organization, for your efforts? Everybody feels all those issues at one time or another. It’s about your level of concern and do you have more than one of these issues?”
- If you are underpaid and overworked. “Are you not earning what you think others of equal stature are either at this company or at competitors? Are you not getting raises or bonuses? If so, it’s time to do some homework.”