You’re Hired!
Great – but what if you start your new job, and then you decide that job isn’t for you? It’s hard enough to know when to start looking for greener pastures, particularly when leaving your job. In an ideal world, employees would stay with their employers for the length of their careers. However, in today’s modern work environment, this is much rarer. If everyone quit their job the minute they got frustrated or felt stuck, no one would stay in one job for long. Doing so without having good reason can have long term negative effects on your overall career.
But that doesn’t mean that it’s never the right time to find the right job. It would be best if you were strategic when planning your career, and you never know when a connection can be helpful (or hurtful) to future opportunities. Here’s how you should approach this often sensitive issue.
Know When Things Are Not Working
The hardest part of leaving a job is knowing when it’s time to move on. The truth is that there is no such thing as a “perfect job”. When we start to struggle with feelings of disillusionment at work, it’s usually because we don’t have enough opportunities in the position to use our strengths or to try new things. Before throwing in the towel, take some time to evaluate those areas in your job that allow you to play to your strengths. Talk to your manager about what sort of work energizes you and how you can do more of that work in your day-to-day.
If there simply are not enough opportunities to do so, then it’s worth considering where you could work that would allow you to use those strengths more often.
Know Who to Ask for Help
When giving things a little more time isn’t helping to make headway, you should consider who you have in your professional network or support structure who might coach you. Mentors, friends, colleagues (without a conflict of interest) can all provide meaningful advice and perspective. But talking to your recruiters can be a potent tool. They can provide the birds-eye view on your professional success but also other opportunities. If they can see that the role clearly isn’t the right fit, they can help you shift toward something more meaningful in a way that won’t burn bridges for you or their client.
Know What Not to Do
First and foremost, you should never just leave a job site. Follow through on your commitments, even if you are in the process of finding a new job. Don’t speak poorly of your manager, supervisor, coworkers, or anyone when in transition. The attitude you bring during such a challenging time reflects your professionalism and can impact your career long term. So avoid coming across as snarky, grouchy, sarcastic, or otherwise negative about the tasks at hand and look to the future to make sure you leave a positive impression on those you leave behind.
Work With a Leading Temporary Employment Agency in Smyrna
For more tips to help you find the right fit when it comes to contract work, connect with the recruiters at All-Star Personnel today.
