Five Signs You Need a New Job

You’re employed, which is better than having no job at all, or so you’re told. But even though it pays the bills, your current job doesn’t quite offer the dream life you envisioned you’d be living at this stage of your career. You don’t feel “fulfilled,” and your grand paycheck isn’t big enough to make your sacrifices feel worthwhile. But…it’s a job. Should you take the leap and start looking for work elsewhere? Should you roll the dice and face the unknown? Here are five signs you need a new gig.

You dread the trip.

The physical act of making the journey from home to work feels like a low point in your day. There’s almost nothing about this trip that you enjoy. The traffic makes your head hurt, the time passes slowly, and even the air feels painful. Guess what? The traffic isn’t the problem. The real problem is clear: You don’t like where you’re going, and you don’t want to go there. Your instincts are protecting you by making you want to turn the car around. Listen to those instincts.

You do the bare minimum.

You may be paid by the year or the hour, but in either case, dollar signs are on your mind multiple times a day, maybe even multiple times per minute. You just want to get through the task you’re facing at any given point, so you can collect your money and move on to the next thing. If that means cutting a corner or calling something “done” when you know it could benefit from a little extra polish, then so be it. If this feels like you, you need a new job.

You don’t like your co-workers.

When we encounter friends who we love, our hearts lift. The same doesn’t usually happen with co-workers, nor does it need to. Our co-workers aren’t always close confidants we can’t imagine living without. But there’s a long way to go between finding someone to be reliable, pleasant company and genuinely disliking them. If your blood pressure rises at the sound of your co-worker’s approaching footsteps — ALL your co-workers — it’s not them. It’s you. It’s time for a new job.

You aren’t getting any feedback.

Your bosses don’t seem to love the job you’re doing, but they aren’t giving you clear instructions on how to better meet their needs. Don’t keep running in circles; find an employer who will work with you so both of you can succeed.

You aren’t advancing.

Are you aiming for a promotion you hope to attain within two years? Great—stay where you are. But if you have no plans for the next level, or you can’t imagine what that “next level” might look like, get another job—one that lights your spark of ambition. The same applies if you’re chasing a promotion that’s more than five years down the road. In the modern professional world, five years in a holding pattern is simply too long.

If any of these sound familiar, your next job just is just a few steps away. Extension can help you get there. Contact our office today.