10 key signs you should look for a new job (and where to find them)
The grass isn't always greener on the other side...except when it is (most often if you work for Donald Trump).
Sometimes, your job sucks and you know you need to start looking for something else.
But what signs do you look for to show that it's time to go and where do you search?
The first key set of signs to look for are signs that your job may be looking to move on from you.
Reflexive searching is critically important. If you know that your boss is potentially looking elsewhere, you should begin searching for alternatives.
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One major clue is your boss' body language.
If your boss is more formal, avoids you, and avoids eye contact with you specifically, those are major problem indicators.
A second major clue is your performance or your team's performance or sectors' performance.
Company decision making isn't generally made by your boss and it isn't generally about you. In rare situations, it's your own performance that will drive a change, but more likely, underperformance by your entire team, or sector within the company, will drive termination. You can easily review your own performance against past benchmarks to see this sort of writing on the wall.
The second key sign is if your stress levels have dramatically increased.
High stress is a key case of both poor health and unhappiness. It's inevitable for short periods - I just went through one! - but it's critically important to avoid being stuck in a high stress situation as your regular status.
The first major clue of high stress is difficulty sleeping.
Both general insomnia and poor deep sleep are indicators of high stress and will rapidly affect your health and work performance, as well as your personal life.
The second major clue is either lack of appetite or intense eating.
Depending on your personality type, you will either want to eat far more, or lack the desire to eat, under high stress conditions. Either way you will notice a major difference in your desired eating patterns.
The third key sign is your feelings of satisfaction at work significantly decrease.
The first major clue: if you are happy in your work, and find purpose in it, successful completion of major tasks or goals will release endorphins in the brain, and make you feel very happy and satisfied.
If this no longer happens when you are having the same sort of success, it's a very important change to note.
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The second key clue is if you begin to experience feelings of hopelessness or helplessness or entropy at work.
If you have these feelings, its generally time to move on, or at least move to another position within your company.
So, what can you do about it?
You can search for new work and prepare yourself for that need. It falls generally into three buckets.
The first bucket is dotting I's and crossing Ts.
If you are in this situation, you should ask your boss for that written reference, or Linkedin recommendation now.
You should update your personal website, or create one, and clean up your social media pages and search results. You can do this yourself, or use a service (there are many).
The second bucket is searching.
Ask friends for recommendations of job openings.
Speak to your mentors and see what they know of, and who may want to speak with you.
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The third bucket is mental.
Change is hard. You need to be prepared for it internally.
You may consider a session with a therapist or a career coach. Talk through why you are changing, and what you are looking for in your next chapter.
Talk to family. Be open and get their impressions.
Most important of all...keep an open mind. Change, even if it looks bad at the outset, is often positive in the long run.
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