JOBSICK: Is now the time to change?

Are you Jobsick?

February 2022 – Covid Christmas, Lockdown, Unexpected Freedom, still Jobsick?

After closing out the first month of the year, we find ourselves in new waters. The post lockdown world of ambiguity. Will we have to return to the office? Will we have to get dressed again? Does my suit still fit? Lots of questions out there, perhaps not as many answers. Let’s get into it.

One trend that really has been hammered home to me in the last month is how unhappy many people are in their jobs. Before the keyboard warriors step out I should caveat –

A recruiter’s function is to help candidates find opportunities/roles. Generally, as a rule of thumb if you’re speaking to a recruiter it’s probably because you’re unhappy in your current situation.

Candidates have more options than ever at the moment. The market has never been so hot. So, why are people still unhappy you ask? Why are people not finding jobs? There are several reasons for this which we will discuss into below.

The invisible chains…. (keeping you in your current role)

You’re 4 years PQE, you’ve worked hard consistently since you left college and stepped into the big bad world and yet here you are tied to a job you don’t really love. Progression ends up becoming restrictive. It’s not necessarily “Icarus flying too close to the sun” but moving up the ladder can narrow your options – particularly if you are in a position where you need to earn X amount to maintain your lifestyle. Lots of candidates reach a point in their career where the salary or benefits they earn restrict them. There are many factors for this not least the big M (mortgages), weddings, babies, travel, the list is endless. In the case of the candidate saving for a mortgage – the bigger base salary the better multiple for what one can borrow. If you’re at your financial limits, moving post mortgage approval cannot be done unless for the same salary or an increase.

Whatever the reason people tend to tailor their lifestyle to their earnings. It’s not “living beyond our means” but rather “living to our means”. Therefore, you’ll find it very hard to transition into other roles without it being for a bump in earnings – that goes without saying. Candidates, perspectives on their professional career can change. It could be that the boundless energy and time you had in your early career is no longer there. If you're tied to a good salary it’s very hard to step away from it, even if the right role is at the same price point.

Moving across to move up shouldn’t be dismissed if it is for the greater good i.e your happiness.

Fear of the unknown….

What’s out there? Is it good? What if I don’t like it? The unfortunate truth about every move you make is that there are risks involved. Risks that you can mitigate against but ultimately there are going to be risks. As a recruiter, it’s our duty to provide as much relevant information as possible to you in advance of your move. The decision however is yours. Control has to be relinquished at this point and you have to go with your own intuition. Looking at this another way, if you’re unhappy currently why wouldn’t you try and find a role that makes you happier elsewhere. Wouldn’t it be great to challenge yourself to learn a new system or a new company, leave your comfort-zone and see can you push on in your career? We know people who are perennially unhappy and as a result are in a position where they are wary of every role – “oh I heard they don’t have good reviews” “I heard they work hard in there” “maybe I am better off where I am”

I feel genuinely bad for these candidates, they have for a variety of reasons reached a point where they can’t trust anything and will sooner suffer in relative silence than take action. Once the risks are mitigated and accepted, you really will find yourself in a better place.

What if I move and I am still uncertain?

So, we’ve taken the risk, we’ve left our unhappiness and headed for pastures new.

Firstly, it’s very important to note that everyone who moves jobs experiences a version of imposter syndrome – “Can I do this role? Am I a fraud? You know nothing Jon Snow” This tends to happen in the first 90 days, it goes without saying every move made will have a steep learning curve initially. Whether you are top of the food chain or the very bottom you will have to adapt to your new role. Once you get beyond the initial imposter syndrome, you’ll need to give yourself some time to bed in and assess the role. To avoid the likelihood of unhappiness, you need to really be sure the people you meet with are the right fit for you and the role ticks the right boxes for you. Sadly, no role is absolutely perfect. No matter how much we want to pretend it is. Regardless of your role – there will be elements of work you do not enjoy.

Regularly, candidates will pass probation and then look around unsure of their new environment. It’s through no fault of your own. The first 6 months of any role will be quite frantic as you get used to new acronyms, new colleagues, new surroundings etc. Once this probation period is passed it can be somewhat anticlimactic. ”Ok, I have passed probation, what now?” – the frantic speed can ease off and regularly candidates can find themselves a bit lost. No different to any goal – once achieved it can be hard to know what to do next. It’s critical for any candidate to reset their goals once probation has been passed. If any form of uncertainty creeps in ask yourself –

“Am I learning? What do I need to add to develop further?”

The answers to these questions should give you a good gauge of your current situation.

Should I stay or should I go?

Here’s a scenario for you…

Tom wants to climb Everest. Tom has dreamt of this climb for a while. Tom has been slowly moving closer to this goal. Tom has been mountaineering for several years. Tom spends months training for this. Tom spends his spare time visiting many smaller mountain ranges to practice his technique. Tom travel’s to base camp, where he looks to spend time acclimatizing before slow progressing up through the various camps as he prepares for the ascent on Everest. Tom has invested time, effort, money to get this far. Tom has been given the-all clear for a chance to summit. Tom decides to go home…….

If you want to move, move. Why would you engage in a process that can be arduous, time-consuming and strenuous only to decline when the finish line is in sight. Interview processes shouldn’t be viewed as something you do for experience. You should be doing them to be successful to get the job you’ve been interviewing for.

If you’ve read this far you’ll agree Tom’s decision to not summit Everest is non-sensical.

So should you stay or should you go? The answer is in plain sight.

What now?

Pending on your instrument of choice – pen and paper or laptop, now is the time to put a plan in place.

The question you have to ask yourself should be easy;

What’s important to me?

• Role
• Company
• Visibility to the top/progression
• Work life balance
• Culture
• Money/benefits

Giving each of the above different weightings, you can identify what you truly care about.

Once this weighting is done, it’s time to sharpen your tools. Get your CV in order, start preparing yourself mentally for interviews and get yourself in the shop window. You have to be firm with yourself. If you are unhappy or jobsick, you have to get yourself out there. Commit to it and take ownership of your career. As recruiters we are here to help, your commitment will allow us to match you with the right opportunities which fit in line with your goals.

Jobsickness can be addressed. It can be overcome. The effort you put in will be reciprocated and opportunities will appear – all you have to do is take them with both hands.

In the words of John Burrough…

Jump and the net will appear