As you build your career, you’ll naturally seek to progress and see how far you can go in achieving your full potential.
However, at some point you may begin to realise you may not be able to reach the progress you envisioned at your current place of employment, so the urge to answer the call of the proverbial greener pastures elsewhere will begin to get stronger with each day.
If the scenario above relates to you, here are five things you ought to consider before moving on:
1. Self-reflection
Resigning from your job is considered a major life decision, so before officially calling it quits, it’s probably good to look back at why you joined the organisation in the first place. Reflecting back on your early days may remind you of the career goals you set for yourself and help you evaluate how far you’ve come. Self-reflection will also help make it a little bit clearer on whether your decision should be to stay or to go.
2. Room for growth
Are you thinking about leaving your job because you don’t enjoy your work or you have a difficult boss? Or do you feel you’re overworked because your office is understaffed?
These may be valid reasons for you to tender your resignation but before you do that, you should consider if you’ve done everything you could to overcome these challenges. Although there’s no guarantee that the situation will get better, there is a chance that challenging environments would present more opportunities for you to shine. At the very least, they provide valuable experience that will help you grow in your career, either in this company or in your next place of employment.
3. The next level
Feel like there’s no challenge at work? Or there’s nothing new you can learn or contribute to the company? Maybe it’s time to ask management if you can be given more responsibilities. Apart from that, explore new ways to challenge yourself at work. You never know, it might even result in a promotion and you may not have to leave the company after all.
4. Build bridges
If you’re absolutely certain that you’re moving on, you will need to ensure you continue to maintain the networks you have established, especially with the colleagues you’ve worked with. A great way to do that is to make sure you’ve fully completed a task that you’ve been asked to do. Making sure the person taking over from you is fully prepared for the job is also a great way of building bridges. Training the person to perform that role competently may take time, but it will pay off in the future especially when you need a former boss to put in a favourable recommendation.
5. Evaluate your finances
One thing that most people forget to do before quitting their job is evaluate their present financial position. There are many people who don’t plan ahead and end up jobless with a mortgage, loan, or credit card debts to their name. That is why you must not only be prepared mentally; you have to make sure you’re prepared financially to make the move. Otherwise, it may be best to stay put for the time being and put into practice the four points mentioned earlier.
This is a weekly column by SarawakYES! — an initiative driven by Faradale Media-M Sdn Bhd and supported by Angkatan Zaman Mansang (AZAM) Sarawak — to provide advice and stories on the topics of education and careers to support Sarawakians seeking to achieve their dreams. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
This article first appeared on The Borneo Post, visit this link: http://bit.ly/1owMWCj
