Is it time for a new phone or a new job?
How do you know when it’s time for you to start looking for another job? Is it more of a gut feeling or do you start the second you even ask yourself that question? Maybe you’ve already updated your resume but haven’t applied yet. Or maybe you’ve haven’t even gotten that far, but regardless of whether any of those things have happened, if “maybe I should start looking for a new job” is in the back of your mind, you should consider that you might not be happy in your current one.
Now it’s not a cut and dry decision to start looking for a new role; there are ways to dip your toe into the shallow end. While confiding in a partner or close friend is the likely first action that a potential candidate takes, the best way to dip your toe in is by having “confidential conversations” with mentors that you trust and updating your resume.
Before texting that former colleague who you have so much respect for, you need to determine why you’re looking to leave in the first place to avoid pondering the same question 4 months from now. These are essential reasons why you’re not happy and should be carefully considered before you start applying. You should have examples that demonstrate why you’re looking to leave, as it will come up multiple times throughout any interview process, but that’s putting the cart before the horse.
Armed with a logical reason for exploring opportunities and a well-drafted text, it’s time to reach out to that former coworker to ask them if they can grab a coffee and catch up. Once the reminiscing subsides, ask them how they knew when it was time to look for a new role. Listen to what they have to say and be honest about how you’re feeling, in a professional sense. The act of talking about it with another person helps facilitate decision making so don’t be surprised if you leave the conversation with more clarity than you arrived.
Hopefully, at this point, you’ve updated both your resume and LinkedIn Profile, and are ready to start looking through LinkedIn InMails for potential opportunities as it may be time to apply for one of those shiny new jobs I’ve mentioned.. If there’s one thing I hope you gain from reading this, it should be that you’re ready to start looking when you are able and willing to commit to interviewing for a new role.
Interviewing for a new job in itself is a full-time job; There’s the money spent transporting yourself to the interview on top of commute cost. There’s the time and detail spent making sure your resume and interview appearance are flaw free and that’s not even considering the time spent actually interviewing. Of course, there are busy times and seasons of particularly high activity and if your industry is in one of those times currently, it might not be the best time for you to be looking.
The first time you click the “Submit” button on your application may have you feeling unsettled. This is normal and understandable because it’s the first external action you’ll be taking towards finding your next new job. The interview process is an entirely different ballgame; however, the interview and application process do have 1 thing in common; the more time you spend doing each, the easier it gets.
While my opinion might be that you should start looking for a new role as soon as you start having those thoughts, that’s not the right move for everyone. Move at your own pace through the steps of updating your resume, talking to mentors and applying for opportunities; stopping along the way to ask yourself, “Do I want to move forward with this?” because there’s no use in forcing it. At the end of the day, the main and first person you should be asking about whether or not to initiate your job search should be you.