Should I Stay or Should I go? How to decide whether to change jobs and make the right decisions in the job-hunting process.

There is lots of press coverage about the great resignation, job adverts have increased, the kids are back to school and the threat of lockdowns has passed. With the uncertainty and pressures of the past two years, I know many of you have bunkered down and got on with the job, whilst in the back of your mind thinking is there something better out there for me?

Changing jobs can be refreshing, a great way to earn more money and accelerate your career.?On the flip side, job hunting can be stressful and when I am writing CVs, I often hear the story “the job was mis-sold”.

So, should you stay or look for pastures new?

Firstly, write down your career goals and list all the things you like and don’t like about your current job. Prioritise these as essential, important and nice to have.

It might look something like this, I always recommend going into as much detail as possible:

Goals

• Get into a management role (Priority)
• Work closer to home (Important)
• Earn more money (Priority)
• Work fewer hours (Nice to have)
• Flexible working patterns (Important)
• Clients (Nice to have)
• People (Priority)
• Projects (Important)
• Manager (Important)

Current job

Likes

• People
• Projects
• Flexibility
• Clients

Dislikes

• No career opportunities
• Money
• Long Hours
• Office Location
• Manager

When you have your list, compare your dislikes with your career goals; can these be changed in your current role, are they achievable?

Dislikes

No career opportunities (can’t change, flat structure)

Money (could negotiate more money)

Long Hours (need extra resource to reduce hours, have asked but been told no, maybe ask again as we have more business opportunities now Covid has passed)

Office Location (can’t change)

Manager (can't change)

You can then decide:

Can I try and make changes in my current role to achieve my priorities?

How do I go about achieving this?

Develop a strategy to accomplish your priorities ensuring you have mini business cases prepared to get what you want.?Reflect on what is the benefit for your employer, what might their objections be so you can plan meetings carefully. Never use the threat of leaving as a negotiation strategy.

Or

My priorities are unachievable in my current job.

If you decide to try and influence change in your current job, you can focus on your priorities and develop an action plan to achieve these.

The next important step is to understand whether you can achieve your priorities outside of your current business.?Set up some job alerts and start reading what positions are available to get an idea of the market.?There is only so much information you can gauge from adverts but it’s a good first step.

Then I recommend sprucing up your CV and LinkedIn profile, applying to some roles. You have your goals list ready, which you can use to ask the right questions and undertake due diligence when assessing potential jobs.

I have several articles with practical and actionable advice to help you plan and execute an effective job search from the initial planning stage through to interviewing. You can find these on my featured section on my profile.

I write CVs, LinkedIn Profiles and coach people on effective job-hunting. I help my clients achieve their career goals and earn more money. I incorporate their experiences and learning in my processes to ensure the advice I provide is effective and on point. ?For more information, give me a call on 0437 590 411 or have a look at my website: www.nbcareerconsulting.com.au