Five Quick Things To Consider Before You Quit Your Job
Considering Your Next Move in a Changing Market
For many, feeling undervalued, overworked, and anxious at work during the pandemic has led to burnout and making rash decisions about quitting their job without a safety net.
As little as a few weeks ago, many job holders - including some of my own clients - felt they held all the cards: from promotions and salary increases all the way to quitting, confident they'd find a new job quickly in a hot market.
Now however, employee leverage is changing... While the job market continues to be robust, concerns about the economy have created a shift in mood.
Workers are thinking twice about jumping ship, particularly as Tesla, Netflix, Compass, and Carvana join a growing list of companies announcing layoffs, or at the very least adopting a more conservative approach to hiring and spending. And rightfully so: while that new job offer may be tempting, remember the last one hired is often the first one let go.
If you are thinking about whether it’s time to make a move here are 5 things to consider…
1. Where is Your Flow?
In his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experiences, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi talks about the need to match the right amount of challenge with the appropriate amount of skill. Too much challenge and you become frustrated; too little, and you get bored.
When we’re working on something just beyond our current abilities, we can experience a genuinely satisfying state of consciousness called “flow.” And the more we experience flow at work, the happier we are.
Think about your current job. Are you restless? Or are you regularly stretched just beyond your level? If you’re not stretching and growing at the rate you want to, what can you do to keep learning? In my experience, it’s hard to be genuinely fulfilled at work when we’re stagnant. How do you want to develop and grow? For example, if lack of challenge is an issue in your current role, asking for involvement in new projects that interest you and where you can add value may help.
2. Are You Leveraging Your Strengths?
While we often focus our efforts on developing weaknesses, performance guru Marcus Buckingham argues that top performers excel not by focusing on their deficiencies, but on their strengths. According to Buckingham, “Your strengths are the work activities that consistently make you feel productive, energized, and engaged.” It’s not enough to simply be good at something, you also need to enjoy the activity.
While we may not have full autonomy over our workflow, finding a way to leverage our strengths in the workplace will make us happier. It’s important to identify what these innate strengths are and ensure your target role allows you the room to maximize these talents.
If you want to understand what these strengths are I thoroughly recommend taking the Clifton Strengths Top5 assessment.
3. Are You Surrounded by People You Admire and Respect?
One thing I’ve repeatedly heard from happy clients who’ve had had successful career launches and transitions is: “I’ve found my people”. In my experience, the people you work with are as important as the job itself. Who you are doing it with is often as motivational as what you are doing; you will find more engagement and purpose surrounded by awesome people and a great company culture so it’s important to identify what traits you may be looking for before you start your search.
Informational or networking interviews with contacts- or contacts of contacts- can tell you a lot about future colleagues and company culture. You can do a tremendous amount of research online and while I am not a big fan of using second-hand reviews to make major career decisions overall impressions here can be helpful.
4. Do You Remember Your “Why”?
You weren’t miserable on your first day of work. Remembering what drew you to a role or organization can help you reconnect with your reason for pursuing that specific path and evaluate what to keep - and importantly what to leave - behind in your search.
How can you revisit your why? Consider whatever materials you have and do a written inventory: then vs now to see how either your needs- or the organizations- have changed and highlighted what isn’t working now.
5. Are You Accepting Responsibility Where Needed?
Is your issue with your job -or with you? Some problems aren’t really about the work: problems like not getting along with supervisors or coworkers, for instance, can follow you from one bad job to another. Before acting, consider what your contribution has been to any unfulfilling situation. Even in the MOST challenging circumstances, I’ve found that my clients will concede that 5% is their own responsibility and come up with creative ways to improve their day to day. Work on that 5% while you’re looking so you don’t take your baggage to your next job.
Working with a coach on the 5% can help you create more successful outcomes.
There’s Been a Fundamental Shift In Our Collective Work Mentality and The Desire to Prioritize Other Things in Life Beyond Whatever Job We Hold
As this piece on CNBC.com points out, the net results have encouraged us to think more deeply about what is important to us and what makes us thrive. It cites data from a recent McKinsey & Co report which illustrates this isn’t just a passing trend, or a pandemic-related change to the labor market.
To make sure your next move is your best move, do what you can to learn what motivates you, how to play to your strengths, and develop the skills that are important to you. Think about the kind of people who inspire you to be better, then surround yourself with them. We should never be resigned to an unfulfilling job but, before leaping, it’s important to determine the must-haves, and the nice-to-haves, to have some established criteria to guide your progress forward toward a role where you’ll thrive.
If you have decided you do want a change, don't be afraid to voice concerns about security during the interview process. As a recent WSJ article pointed out, you can be honest with the recruiter, saying you are very close to accepting their offer, but are concerned you will be laid off as soon as the market turns. Ask what plans they have in place to retain you and whether they have the budget to keep you if the economy falters.