In this month of love, we spend some of our time reflecting on those who are special in our lives. It’s also a great time to reflect on our job and whether or not we love doing it.
Think about how you feel Sunday evening. Are you neutral about going to work Monday or do you dread it? Are you able to relax Sunday evening or are you filled with anxiety and dread?
Your relationship with work isn’t all that different from your relationship with a significant other. If you aren’t excited to be there or, even worse, if you hate it, it might be time to break up.
The good news is people are switching jobs all the time in today’s career environment. Take the time to plan out your next move if you think you might be ready to move on.
What is it that you dislike about your current job? Is it the people? Is it the hours? Perhaps the commute is just too long.
What would you like to see in your new role? What industry would you prefer? What role do you want? What’s your target salary? What type of work environment would make you happiest? What commute would you like to have?
Begin to outline what you want in a new role. Think about what would make you happy. As you go through this process, try not to create a list that is only things that are the opposite of what you hate.
For example, if your company has people with a certain personality, you may want to avoid people with that personality. However, think deeper; think about what types of people you would like to work with.
As you create a new role for yourself you want to try to move toward something more positive. This is different from moving away from something negative. If you get stuck in the cycle of running away from something, you may quickly find yourself in a new situation that you also dislike.
Be sure to check out Glassdoor.com during your research. Employees leave reviews of their company to let you know how they feel about their jobs. This can also be very enlightening.
Just like travel reviews, you shouldn’t take every review at face value. But you might begin to see a pattern – positive or negative – if you read enough reviews.
As in a relationship, don’t wait until things completely break to move on. Pay attention to the signs and plan your exit.
Don’t wait until you find yourself in crippling emotional pain that can make working impossible. You deserve a fresh start. You deserve to be happy or, at the very least, not miserable.
If you start looking, you will find that a new company will value you and your skillset – and you just might love your job again.
Angela Copeland, a career expert and founder of Copeland Coaching, can be reached at copelandcoaching.com.