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Are you unhappy with the way things have turned out in your current organisation? Perhaps it's time you considered having a new job.
One of the hardest things to do when you're working is to know when to bid adieu to your current job.
So, how does one know when to leave the organisation you work for?
It may not be very easy to pick up cues and turn them into opportunities, but it must be done in order to attain professional growth and success.
While you will certainly come across some obvious indications that will stare you in the face, there would be other signs that you yourself need to foresee and act upon at the right time.
Take a step back and evaluate your short-term, intermediate and long-term goals.
And while you do that, here are some scenarios wherein you should begin exploring your options.
Your skills are unappreciated and underutilised
Does your manager acknowledge your hard work?
Are the raises and promotions always given to your colleagues but never to you?
If you feel you are not getting the due credit for your work and are not being praised enough, your job could have become obsolete altogether.
Have a conversation with your manager about what needs to do be done in order to earn the recognition you expect to have.
If this talk is unsatisfactory and non-productive, then this is the right time to move on.
You don't get along with your co-workers
Your colleagues should not give you a tough time in the office because that's where you spend most of your time.
You might be spending more hours with these colleagues than you do with loved ones, so make sure they don’t make your skin crawl.
Not having kindred spirits at the workplace is a signal that you're probably a misfit in the current work culture.
Advent of a new fiscal year
This may or may not be the beginning of the calendar year (January to February,) but it represents a new beginning for companies (in months like April and October).
This is the time when companies come up with new initiatives and recruit more staff to achieve fresh organisational objectives.
So put your networks to use and find out when your dream company ends and begins its fiscal year.
You can apply accordingly because the turn of the fiscal year is when it would start hiring again.
You've worked for your current employer for more than seven years
If during this extended tenure you have already changed your designation three to four times in the company and enjoy working under your boss, then you may ignore this one.
If you're not being given due credit and have no scope for growth here, you certainly need to find a job that offers more growth and learning.
A change in the work environment will keep your skills agile.
You're consistently exceptional at the job
Other than being a natural fit, there could be two more reasons for your excellence -- first, that you have stayed on in this position for way too long or second, that you were overqualified to begin with.
In any of the two cases, you ought to know that you may not have been challenged properly. In order to stay relevant, you must continue to challenge yourself and try new things.
You're extremely bad at the job
You obviously thought the previous point was unrealistic and told yourself this one is a more convincing reason for job change.
For the HR, hiring has always entailed great levels of trial and error, which is why sometimes they may appoint resources with skills askew of the job requirements.
Your appointment (and also bad performance) could be the result of a hiring fluke or desperation to fill a vacancy as you may not have the necessary experience or the right education background.
If you have been working in the wrong field, a wise choice would be to search for a job that allows you to put your both your education and work experience to use.
After finishing a successful project
A fresh win ensures two positive things -- a lull after the busy season that frees up time for you to network, apply for openings and give interviews; and the recent performance metrics that you can add to your CV and brag about in front of potential employers.
After a long vacation
This is for those who have been contemplating job change for a while and just need the right time to put down their papers.
When you begin a new job you would be too early to have earned the time off or your new boss' trust to take a break.
So once you have come back after a long holiday and have recharged your batteries, you can prepare to begin a new professional chapter.
Expectation mismatch: Yours and your company’s goals don't match
The career goals of an executive should be aligned with the company’s objectives the day he begins working for a company. But despite the perfect equilibrium, there is a possibility that things may not remain the same way and your expectations may differ from what the company aspires for.
Figure out what kind of job and workplace can put give you job satisfaction and put you on the right professional track.
You can then pursue that prospect instead of lingering on here without purpose.
You are offered a better pay for the same work
This one is a no-brainer.
If you're lucky enough to come across a job where you are being offered a bigger pay package and you feel you need to make the move, grab the opportunity with both hands.
Even if you're not being scouted by companies, there is no harm in actively seeking openings by yourself.
You may have become too comfortable with your present job, but this comfort should not hold you back from searching for brighter prospects.
Get out of your comfort zone and start searching for lucrative job opportunities.
Sometimes, change is necessary.
If you identify with any of the above cases, it is probably a good time for you to plan your exit.
Photograph: Fod Tzellos/Creative Commons
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