Do you need a new job in 2006?
Copyright 2005 Neil Gordon
A lot of people are unhappy in their current jobs. I don't know
whether you're one of the 25% that are happy. If so, that's
great. Something like 75% of people are dissatisfied with their
jobs. There's a huge pool of wasted talent. Everybody has their
own unique skills and experience and it's not being used
properly. Lots of people are just unhappy with where they are.
There's a whole host of reasons why that could be.
Just in the last week or so, the person that hired me for a
consultant position quit, basically because she didn't feel
valued and motivated by the company. She didn't get the
attention she thought her efforts deserved.
That's just one problem. You might have unreasonable demands
placed upon you. You have to work really long hours to get
anywhere. The paths to promotion may be blocked. You can't get
to where you want to be because of the view that people have of
you, your experience, or your performance in the job.
Termination is quite a common one because of downsizing. Your
company might have been taken over by somebody else. There are
surplus positions and, unfortunately, you're at the wrong end of
the cost savings that the mergers might produce. You may be
under too much stress and aggravation which lead to health
problems. You may have to take stress breaks, or end up with
some serious health issue.
Maybe you just find the job that you're in boring. It's not
interesting to you anymore. There's no challenge. Maybe there's
just a different sort of work that you want to do. You have no
confidence in your boss. You'd rather go out and start something
yourself. Maybe you think you're too old to get a new job. Maybe
you've stayed in a position too long and other people think
you're stuck and set in your ways.
There might be criticism leveled against you that isn't just.
There could be too much politics or backstabbing, you have to
grease the right palms to get ahead. The job may just not be
what you expected. You were promised one thing, but it turned
into something else.
You have so much time invested in the company that you don't
have enough time to look after your family or personal issues.
You're not really sure where your future's heading. Maybe there
are others in the company who are creating problems for you.
There are a whole bunch of reasons why people are unhappy where
they are.
There's another way of looking at, the Top Ten Signs That You
Need a New Job. It's a bit like a Letterman Top Ten. They're a
bit tongue-in-cheek, but there's a bit of truth in all of them.
10: You're outgo exceeds your income. You just need more money.
9: The most rewarding thing you did this week was sharpen all 12
of your pencils to the same length.
8: You're reluctant to be a Career Day speaker at your kid's
fourth grade class.
7: Everyone in your workgroup got a raise except you.
6: Your friends all have jobs that sound more interesting than
yours.
5: You were late for work three times this week, but you don't
care.
4: There's a meeting at 3:00 to talk about the upcoming
reorganization, but you're not invited.
3: Your boss keeps forgetting your name.
2: You constantly daydream about being a forest ranger.
1: Your company was recently acquired and you spent two weeks
worry that you'd be laid off. After that, you worried that you
wouldn't be.
I may have exaggerated a few things, but I'm sure some of them
ring true to many people. Many people just don't know where to
start. You need to focus on what you want, get good advice, and
get good coaching.
You have to et to the root of what is causing your unhappiness
about where you are and what you're currently doing. The easiest
way is The Five Whys. Ask, "Why?" five times.
"Oh, I'm not happy." Well, why? "Because I got passed for a
promotion." Why was that? "Because they didn't value the project
I was working on." Why not? "Because management changed and they
changed the objectives." Well, why was that? You really sort of
drill down to the root cause and find out what the problem
really is.
You can apply the "5 Why's" to any problem. It doesn't
necessarily have to be work-related. It's like your kid saying,
"Why, daddy?" What is the real answer? If you could write the
answer down, what would it be?
Once you decide that you need a change - that's where the real
fun begins. How to go about finding a new job or change careers
completely. Keep an eye out for future articles.