A common topic that comes up in my coaching work is changing jobs. In fact, recent surveys have shown that 6 out of 10 employees in the U.S. have said that they want a new job. Reasons include low pay, feeling undervalued, burnout, and limited growth opportunities. For employees from underrepresented groups, unfairness and mistreatment have also been shown as reasons for leaving a job.
Often, people coming to me are looking for advice on how to make the change before digging further into why they want to make the change in the first place. Without clarity, you may end up making a switch and still end up feeling miserable.
I had a client who was certain they wanted to make a job change and as soon as possible. After digging deeper, we uncovered that the source was really a feeling of being behind after seeing their peers on LinkedIn land seemingly amazing sounding job titles. This is generally a path for continued misery as there is no end to this kind of comparison trap.
I could relate to this struggle. I was once tempted by a job at a company that from outside, seemed like a no-brainer. “This would look amazing on my LinkedIn profile,” I thought. Fortunately, I realized that is not a good reason to take a job. After much reflection, I ended up not moving forward as I found that my reasons for taking the new position did not match what I truly wanted for my career. Coincidentally, a coworker of mine ended up moving to that same company, only to hate it and wanted to switch back.
As for myself, with the help of a coach and after much reflection, I got to the heart of what was making me unhappy with my job. I explored all my options, including changing jobs, and found that there was a much better solution that resulted in me staying in my current role. I negotiated my role and made my career goals more clear. A few months later, I was happier and more motivated in my job than ever before.
If you’ve been considering a job change, pause and reflect on why you want to make the change. What do you envision yourself doing a year from now? Is this what you truly want or is it because of external pressures? Write down your reasons for wanting a change and talk it through with someone you trust, or work with a career coach to gain clarity.