You have been at your job for more than five years. You probably have allocated more time for your colleagues than for your loved ones and high school friends. If you are going to dedicate a significant portion of your life to the job, does this mean you have found your life purpose and happiness? Not necessarily.
To answer that question, it is worth retreating a little to observe if your present job is enjoyable for you genuinely. For most individuals, they like to move from one job to another to seek new experiences and extend their networks. Generally, as people age and acquire more experiences, the longer they remain with a particular organisation before moving onto the next chapter of their career.
For many of us, as we spent more time on our jobs, we would slowly pick up the tell-tale signs that we need a new job. So, the question is, what are the signs that we should be looking out for? This article attempts to answer that question through five points.
1. The job no longer excites you.
When you reported to work on the first day of your new job, most likely, you were excited and eager to accept your first set of projects from your supervisor. However, as time ticked away, that excitement fades away and eventually bore you.
There are no signs of new assignments coming your way. Instead, you keep working on the same set of mundane tasks repeatedly and every day, when you are in the office, the only thing that you think about is returning home at the earliest convenience possible. For a certain group of individuals, they are okay with completing the same old work swiftly. However, truth be told, without a bit of challenge, where is the fun in the job?
2. You dread the thought of commuting to work.
Sunday evenings are not the most exciting time of the week for us working people because that means Monday blues are coming soon. However, do you carry the same feeling forward for the rest of the working week? Do you have this nauseous feeling in the morning or the evening before you return to work? When you greet the sunrise, is figuring out when to apply for a day off the first thing your mind welcomes?
3. Your trust with your colleagues and organisation begins to erode.
Are you beginning to lose faith in your colleagues, supervisor, or even the organisation as a whole? Are the individuals you once had confidence in evolving their characters in a way that you cannot tolerate? Are you struggling to align your principles with the organisation’s?
4. You struggle to grow.
You may be bored to death, but you are currently learning that there is no chance of you climbing the corporate ladder. Heck, you are not granted an opportunity to grow laterally. Taken together, they can make you feel as though you are taking five steps back in your career development after moving two steps forward.
Have your colleagues been in the same boat for a considerable amount of time? Organisations typically appreciate one’s stability at a role, but those that stand out make efforts to ensure their employees are given the opportunities to advance their professional careers.
It is idiotic to think that immediate progress can be made on the first day of your new role. However, if there are no signs of significant growth, it is worth paying attention to what went wrong and what you can do to prevent career stagnation.
5. You begin to slack on the job more often.
Was there a time when you were content with the idea of not growing your career further, and you lack the will and energy you once had? This is not to imply that once in a while, you like to pause for a moment. However, do you detect a pattern where you stop looking for projects you once enjoyed, or you are keeping yourself a safe distance from commitments that you were previously involved with?
***
Acknowledge your current situation and act accordingly.
If you can relate with any of the five points above, chances are, your current job is not what you first envisioned. Therefore, it is worth pausing for a moment to assess whether the job is indeed what you are looking for. You can seek the answer by discussing with your manager about exciting opportunities heading your way or returning to the job market to hunt for a job that better fulfils your long-term career goals.
The most important message here is to accept your current situation and to respond accordingly. Do not forget that you can invest more time into your occupation than anywhere else. Hence, make it worthwhile. Now that you have come this far, what is your or next move or game plan?
—
Previously Published on medium
You Might Also Like These From The Good Men Project
Compliments Men Want to Hear More Often | Relationships Aren’t Easy, But They’re Worth It | The One Thing Men Want More Than Sex | ..A Man’s Kiss Tells You Everything |
Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community.
A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities.
A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.