To Leave or Not To Leave: Should you switch jobs now?

So this is bonus season again and despite how much you DON’T want to hear discussions about it, people talk about what they are getting, people express feelings of dissatisfaction or content, and people start thinking about other options.

Especially for young professionals who just entered the workplace in the past one or two years, this is a crucial question you might want to ask yourself: should I stay? Or should I go for another firm?

 

Wait ~~~7 Key Reasons to hold off jumping to somewhere else!

 

1. You have been there for no more than 6 months

You typically need 6-8 months to get used to a new job anyway. It is hardly a smart decision to leave already before you give yourself enough time to get comfortable with the day-to-day work.

 

2. Your contract with the firm is yet to expire

I know it’s hard to ask you to seriously commit to one employee especially given the economy and the options you might have, but unless the company seriously treated you badly, it is a professional gesture to stay loyal to a firm until at least your contract expires.

 

3. Are you building up your reputation as a “jumper”?

Not all “jumpers” are like this, but if you do this too often, people tend to think you don’t have the mental strength to stick to one single job or to handle the pressure of increasing responsibilities. You will not even have the time to build up your expertise especially if you jump around among junior roles. It doesn’t look good on your profile.

 

4. There is someone at work that you really dislike

If you like the work itself it’s good enough. It is NORMAL to have one or two colleagues whom you are not a big fan of. He might have a weird look, with bad temper, he likes to talk behind other people’s back, doesn’t respect you enough, and sometimes you think he’s simply lazy. But again this happens in EVERY FIRM! If you can take advantage of these situations and challenge yourself on how well you can handle these interpersonal relationships, you can only excel even more in other circumstances.

 

5. You are not being treated favorable enough in certain situations

It happens frequently in the work place and again it happens in EVERY FIRM. It is almost unreasonable to expect you will always be treated fairly and nicely every single minute. What is important, though, is that you learn from these experiences on how to defend yourself (without sounding defensive), how to articulate your reasons and how to provide constructive feedback and suggestions.

 

6. There is one task you do that is dragging and frustrating

Again this happens in many workplaces and in many different roles, especially at entry level. Either you find meanings in the type of work you do, or you add onto it more interesting elements and insights. You might see things in an entirely different way after you take the chance to update your learning approach and build more networks.

 

7. You don’t really have a significant better option

Many people probably fit into this category actually. You don’t particularly enjoy your current job, but you don’t really have a better option either. You should be extra cautious with career switches especially if you don’t even know what you want and what you are capable of. It might not be a bad idea to stick to what you have and figure these things out first before you move on to your next step.

 

But in the following 7 situations you may want to seriously consider something else

1. Your boss never keeps his promises
2. Your boss never spends time to explain any decisions making process
3. Your boss pushes you to work long hours but hardly pays overtime or bonus
4. Your boss asks you to take responsibility but never provides any training or career advancement opportunities
5. Very hierarchical organizational structure with low efficiency and complicated office politics
6. The same job at another firm gives you 40% or plus pay increase
7. Congratulations, you just won a huge lottery so you don’t need to work anymore!

 

THE POINT IS:

A lot of times it’s really UP TO YOU how much you want to take advantage of your current situation. If you can find a way to put meanings into what you do and you are in good relationship with your boss, and better, with many other colleagues across the firm, and mostly importantly, you are generally happy and content (or that you’re getting there), it probably makes more sense to stick to it a little bit longer.

 

What do you think? What makes you want to switch jobs? Is it a hard decision for you too (or not)?