First quarter is a popular time to look for new opportunities and switch jobs. Budgets reset, positions open up with a lot of people moving around, and motivation is high to start something new and fresh. But landing a new job is easier said than done, plus it can be hard to figure out when is the right time to switch positions. To help you decide, here are 20 signs you should find a new job.
- Odd man out. Every company has its own culture. Often individual department cultures exist as well. While a lot of businesses support diversity and different personalities, some don’t. If you constantly feel out of place, teased, or harassed for being different from everybody else, you should start searching for a new job.
- Big brother. Most companies monitor and restrict internet usage and downloads for security reasons. That’s just a normal part of business these days. But if your manager has video cameras everywhere surveying your every move on a live feed, that’s just plain creepy. Nobody needs that type of extreme micro managing unless you work with a lot of cash or luxury goods.
- Excuses, excuses. Everybody has days when they wish they could just stay home and relax instead of go to work. But if you are regularly making excuses not to go to work and then actually skip out, it’s time for a change. Ditching work is one of the obvious signs you should find a new job that fits you better unless you have some significant and unresolved personal issues to sort out first.
- Anger monkeys. If work has turned you into a prime candidate for anger management and saying goosfraba doesn’t work anymore, you need to find a new job. Anger and stress go hand in hand and will deteriorate your health quickly if you don’t work through the underlying issues. You should talk to your boss about reducing your work load first to see if that helps, and try some of these 60 ways to reduce stress fast.
- On the record. We all make mistakes at work on occasion, and hopefully by now you know not to cover them up or throw blame on someone else. But if your boss suddenly starts writing you up and getting HR involved for your goofs, watch out. Either shape up or get the heck outta there.
- Slap in the face. If the assistant you hired straight out of college is now your boss, that’s one of the clearest signs you should find a new job. Anytime someone with less work experience plows past you on the career ladder, it’s pretty clear that management doesn’t care about you.
- Torture. It takes time to adjust to any new environment, especially early in your career, and I think a lot of people give up on their jobs too soon. If you’re in agony, speak up and ask for relief. Just recognize if you’re a recent college grad, entry level jobs are going to involve grunt work – deal with it. If however you’ve given it your best effort for at least a year and have been miserable for six months or more, chances are things aren’t going to get better. Find a better fit and escape the torture chamber.
- Total diss. Have people stopped talking to you? Does no one respond to your calls or emails? Was there an outing last week and nobody told you? Does your boss not care if you’re constantly calling in sick? If you’re turning into an invisible minion or an untouchable, you need a change.
- Underpaid and undervalued. If you’ve asked for a raise twice and haven’t received anything in two consecutive compensation adjustment cycles, chances are your current employer is never going to give you what you want to earn. If your salary is below the market for your specialty, and management isn’t willing to match or beat market rates, that’s one of the big signs you should find a new job. Helpful Reading: How To Ask For A Raise In 10 Easy Steps and 15 Solutions If You’re Feeling Unappreciated At Work.
- Denied. If you’ve made it clear that you are a dedicated employee and want to move up the ladder, good work. As much as it hurts, don’t assume that being denied a promotion once is a definite sign you need to find a new job. I got screwed over when my boss turned me down for a promotion, but things turned out okay in the end because I strongly voiced my case and he scrambled to present a strong offer for me to hold on until the next round. With patience, I chose to stay and things ended up working out better than I expected. But if your boss denies you of a promotion once, and then you get passed over a second time after voicing your concerns, it’s definitely time to cut ties. Get out of there before you do something you’ll regret.
- Time sink. If you’re commuting two or more hours a day, five days a week, you should seriously consider finding a new job or moving. That’s a ton of precious hours each week wasted just commuting that you could be using for better things. If you love your job and are willing to make that sacrifice then ok, but if you’re already on the fence about quitting your job it’s time to start your search for a new one.
- Shhhh. Another one of the signs you should find a new job is if senior management suddenly becomes secretive after historically being quite open with corporate news and profitability. Unless they have a huge upcoming product launch they’re trying to keep under wraps, chances are they’re hiding bad news, and the future of your current job could be in jeopardy.
- What benefits? Smart businesses are always looking at ways to keep costs down. But if they are too cheap and don’t offer employees a decent benefits package, they can only blame themselves when people start walking. Research the benefits your company’s competitors are offering and send in a job application if they are noticeably superior.
- Shrinkage. Some shrinkage signs you should find a new job are too much turnover at senior levels, layoffs and RIFs, a shrinking client base, pay cuts, reduced hours or assignments, large drops in profitability, and departments or other branch locations being shut down.
- Bite me! Are you constantly snapping at your coworkers and feeling irritable? You could be experiencing the side effects of dieting, hormonal imbalance, or caffeine withdrawal. Otherwise, it could be your job that’s gotten under your skin and turning you into a lil biznatch. If work is changing your personality for the worse, take that as one of the signs you should find a new job.
- Morality check. If your job gives you a sinking feeling in your gut that you are doing something wrong, don’t suppress that instinct. It’s unfortunate, but there are businesses out there that do shady things, and their corporate practices may strongly conflict with your morals. If it doesn’t feel right now, it’s not going to feel right later.
- Scraps. If you’re stuck running Windows 98 while everyone else in your office is on Windows 8, or banging your rollerball Blackberry on the table while your coworkers are flashing their corporate iPhone 5S’s, somethings wrong. It’s very common for computer and other work equipment to be reused and handed down at work, but if they’re making you use some seriously ancient junk that’s just wrong. To do good work and perform well, you need the right resources. If management is showing preferential treatment to everyone else except you, that’s one of the 20 signs you should find a new job.
- Short leash. Does your boss keep you on a short leash? Are you not allowed to apply all of your knowledge, skills, and potential to your work? Are sharing ideas and suggestions frowned upon? Unless you actually enjoy being unmotivated and not using your brain, it’s time to find a better place to earn a living.
- Nightmares. Work stress can be overwhelming. When I’ve gone through periods of high stress, I would constantly wake up n cold sweats from nightmares about work. If this is happening to you a lot, you need a change. Perhaps you just need to take some time off to decompress. But if your manager is unable to help you with your workload or offer support, you should highly consider finding a new job.
- Who are you? Do people give you strange looks in the hallway? Are you a whathisname? Does your boss call you by the wrong name, or come up to you and say I’m sorry, what’s your name again? Does the receptionist ask for your name and ID when you arrive to work in the morning? Unless you’re new hire, it’s time to brush up your resume and start searching for a new job. Nobody deserves to be treated with that little respect or recognition!
Recommendation: If you’re seriously considering quitting your current job, I recommend you read Sam Dogen of financialsamurai.com‘s book How To Engineer Your Layoff first before giving your notice. There’s some great food for thought to consider before you tell your boss, I quit!
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Great Points!
It is really hard to find a job that fits all of the criteria that the average person is seeking. When I applied for jobs I made sure that I would fit in socially and be accepted as well as be able to move up and learn more.
Thanks for the great read!
Thanks David! Finding a good fit socially isn’t always easy to tell in the interview process but it’s worth it to give it your best shot to try and find out before signing a contract.
I enjoyed reading your article Sydney! In my opinion, if you already find your job boring and started to lose your interest in the work you are doing then I guess it’s time to find a new job that you will absolutely enjoy and will bring out your full potential.
Thanks Rebecca. Sometimes boredom can be resolved by just getting more involved or trying something different at the office. It’s always worth it to give that a solid try before assuming things will stay boring forever at your company.
Love your job and career posts Sydney! So right on the money. Have you considered writing a book on the subject? Great insights as usual. I’ve been fortunate I haven’t experienced much of your list. I like being bored sometimes too, but then I jump into blog or podcast material. Hmmm, is this telling me something? Interesting that the current generation jumps every 2-3 years. I’ve jumped about every 5 years with some quick hops due to the Great Recession.
Thanks Buck! I definitely like writing about career topics a lot. And yes I actually have considered writing a book, but I have totally failed on executing on that vision so far. But I’m not giving up on the idea though. Making a timeline and setting aside regular hours to do it is the hard part.
Five year job hops is a fair pace, sounds like you’re in a good rhythm. I’ve seen a lot of college grads start respectably paid jobs and quit in as little as 6-8 months. That’s way too short imo.
These are real life situations for employees. It’s happening almost in each and everyone! I liked the “BIG BROTHER” sign because I remember my previous company. 🙂 We are not allowed to use the internet services even if it’s for work purposes and for the benefit of the company. It’ pretty annoying.
Gosh that’s really strict not to allow internet usage that’s work related. That would be very frustrating. I remember trying to go onto office depot one day to search for a mouse I wanted the office manager to order for me but the site was blocked. I just rolled my eyes – they block us from accessing a site that provides supplies that we need to do our jobs. lol
I really hope that I won’t even have to endure any of these things in my job. I’ve had a job that had security cameras everywhere but it was necessary as the job was at a bank. They even had them in the kitchen at the staff lounge.
Security cameras at a bank makes sense. I wouldn’t have guessed they’d have them in the kitchen and staff lounge too but I guess that’s part of security protocol since there’s so much cash and valuables on site. If someone broke in they’d want as many cameras around as possible.
Being bored out of your mind is huge. Life is too short to work a brain dead job you can’t stand.
I’m impressed the new generation moves around every 2-3 years. No more loyalty on both sides! I did 11 years at one firm and I probably should have taken the last big money offer elsewhere.
I actually like being bored on the job every now and then to get a break. But being bored every day for weeks and months on end is enough to drive anyone crazy including me. There are a lot of people that are bored who aren’t smart enough to at least ask for new assignments or take on projects to try and mix things up. Earlier on in my career I went through a lull period and once I stopped being lazy and started asking for more work, my job got a lot more interesting. And fortunately that led to increased motivation and career advancement.
My work has changed slightly this year – a more normal pace rather than a hectic daily cycle – and it’s certainly very different so far. I even have moments of downtime. Plus it’s the start of the year so things are extra slow in general. I’m definitely enjoying the slower steadier pace, we’ll see how I’m feeling in a few months but I think it will result in an even higher level of job satisfaction.
That’s great news! I more normal pace is a good thing. I went from an insane work schedule to a more balanced one myself and it’s really helped my happiness and overall well being.