If there is an error I have made a couple of times in my past career, it’s this one. I got fed up with my job and left. Not that I didn’t bounce back, but in hindsight and with now a few extra years of professional wisdom, I wish I had done things differently. You might be thinking that your current job isn’t working for you, and you drag your feet to work every week, sometimes every day. I know the feeling, and far from denying it, I totally get what you are going through. But let me share a bit of advice about how to plan your next step that I wish I had had someone give me years ago….
The hardest part of the challenge when you dislike your job is to handle your emotions. Your inner chatter tells you how much you hate your boss, or colleagues, your role or the company culture. It says that you don’t feel valued or have anywhere to go to. True, true, true – in some instances. And that’s OK to acknowledge it. But jumping ship because of negative emotions is never a good move.
Why is that? I can think of a dozen of reasons. Firstly because you resign out of boredom, frustration or anger. This is never a great place to be when you leave your final impression in an industry or with peers. You might try to hide it, but trust me people will know. Even this might stay at the back of your mind for years ahead with a bad taste (trust me again, I am still having to find peace years later about some of my resignations). You have to deal with things when they sting, if you just escape they will resurface in other shapes and forms later.
Secondly if you have nothing to go to yet, and like most people have living expenses to cover, it will only bring you more fears and stress after the initial relief of being out of your job. You know this, but it’s easy to put it aside with some sudden impulse of confidence (‘I’ll be fine, I’ll find a job’) when the reality isn’t always that rosy. It may take you a while to find another job, so think about how you are going to find the money to cover your expenses. If you have help around or plenty of savings, then this does not apply to you of course!
Thirdly if you jump ship without any idea about what your next step looks like, you are wasting precious time. It’s like you are getting off the bus with no idea of direction and just sitting at the bus shelter. What’s the point? Unless your current job creates circumstances that are such that you are unable to cope physically, mentally or emotionally, I would advocate to stay in your role to prepare intensely your next move. There is no better place than one where you get paid, you know your job and have it under control. Planning a move takes time – you need to think about what role, what company, what industry, what additional skills you need, who to network with, rework your resume etc. Set aside some time every week to work on this as a side project.
Finally once the euphoria of being out of an unsatisfactory job wears out, you find yourself alone at home perusing the internet in your pyjamas. It sounds relaxing, but very quickly if you are used to work in a challenging role with lots of people, you will start to feel a bit too much by yourself, which could bring on a lot more doubts, shaking confidence and a sense of hopelessness. Not the best ingredients to find a great job. Everybody who has been job hunting at some stage will tell you, it is a challenging phase personally so you need to be equipped and have support. So don’t put yourself in a vulnerable place unnecessarily.
On the other hand, what to do if you stick at your current job until you are fully ready? By working on your ‘next chapter’, you will find the motivation to put up with more in your current job. You can also get clear on your top strengths (use strengths finder tests on-line) and make a conscious effort to build them into your current tasks every week which will definitely help your motivation. Make a list of all the things you like about your job and everything you have accomplished, it will make you see that you can choose to focus on other things than the negatives. Visualise yourself in your next job everyday, and keep going.
Think about it – how good would it feel if you could step out of your current job, with the knowledge that you are going into that amazing role you have been dreaming of, with a higher salary and which will stretch you? Knowing that you have organised your in-between the way you want it, after negotiating with your next employer? And leaving your job with a much sweeter taste of what you have enjoyed? I bet you are saying yes to all of these. So hang on, work on what’s next whilst in your job for a while and reap the rewards.
