Your Next Adventure

Changing jobs is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make. Choose wrong and you could be stuck in a role that leaves you unfulfilled and unhappy for years.?

But considering it’s a decision that? could shape your professional future, most of us are surprisingly bad at making it. That’s according to Ethan Bernstein , a professor at Harvard Business School, and Bob Moesta , a prominent product developer who’s helped design thousands of tools (including that little arrow on your fuel gauge that tells you which side your gas tank is on).?

For the past several years, they’ve been coaching Harvard MBAs — and plenty of others —?through the long, confusing process of finding their next great gig. And now they’ve teamed up to share their framework in a new book, Job Moves: 9 Steps For Making Progress in Your Career , out Nov. 19.

We picked their brains about the book, the common mistakes they see jobseekers make, and why you may want to create a “career balance sheet.”

The four reasons why we switch jobs

In their research, they’ve identified the most common issues that push people to jump ship. “It could be a bad manager, losing respect for colleagues, being worked beyond their ability, or the fact that they’re bored out of their minds,” Moesta tells us. They grouped these drivers into four patterns.?

1. Get Out: This is a state when a worker can’t see a way to thrive in their current position, or may view it as a dead end.
2. Regain Control: These are folks who may love what they do but feel overwhelmed by some aspect of their lives, and want to find a job where they’ll have more say in how they allocate their time.
3. Regain Alignment: This is when someone may feel that their boss doesn’t fully value their experience or credentials, and they’re looking for an environment where they’ll feel more fulfilled. “Someone may find themselves in a job where they’ve become the specialist in restructuring, but never intended to be an expert in that field — that’s someone who’s looking to regain alignment,” Bernstein says.
4. Take the Next Step: When an employee reaches a career milestone, they may decide that it’s time to advance in their career by taking on a new role.

The biggest mistakes when making a job switch

One thing Moesta notices is that “people often confuse what they’re good at with what invigorates them.”?

“A lot of us get to a point where we’ve become really good at a skill, and start to realize that they’ve started to hate it — but they keep doubling down on.”

Another big issue, Moesta says, is that a lot of people view changing jobs as “a bad thing.” But he actually thinks we should be moving around more often.?

“My belief is that a lot of people stay way longer than they should, and they wait for the straw to break the camel’s back, as opposed to always looking and thinking about the progress you want to make.”

How to make a career balance sheet

The principle of the career balance sheet is to think of ourselves like a company. We have both assets and liabilities, which appreciate and depreciate over time. A college degree, for instance, is certainly an asset, but the student loans that come with it are also a liability.?

Once you’ve listed your assets and liabilities, you want to estimate the useful life of each one. For example, you may have an understanding of a computer programming language, but because technology changes so quickly, that may only be an asset for four years or so before you’d have to refresh your skills.?

“The idea is to make your trade-offs clear,” Bernstein says. “You want a realistic picture of what’s required to maintain, build, or develop an asset for your career trajectory.”

You can find an example of a career balance sheet, and plenty of other useful resources, right here .

Recommended Reading:

We asked Christina Tosi , the founder and CEO of Milk Bar, how she built her multimillion-dollar dessert empire. We’ll have that fascinating discussion in an upcoming Wake-Up Call at Work, but for now, we’ve asked her to share one book that’s helped her most throughout her entrepreneurial journey.

This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans by Seth Godin ??

“It’s a brilliant reminder in the brilliant voice of Seth that everything true to you, that you bundle up and put out into the world, is strategic and will come back to you tenfold if it’s genuine. And, more often than not, the return isn’t so obvious and direct.

He picks apart traditional strategic imperatives and approaches and both celebrates and challenges them. He reminds me that though there isn’t a cookie shortage, the reality is we can all benefit from connection, joy and possibility. Milk Bar isn’t just a bakery, it’s a chance to smile.

Also, if you haven’t read Unreasonable Hospitality , get a copy, or audiobook. It’s a guide to business, management, and life on how to be unreasonable in your pursuit of anything and everything. That’s including marriage — spoiler alert: the author Will Guidara is my brilliant, best-selling husband.”

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