Every week we get contacted by candidates who want to explore new opportunities. Some are definitely ready to make the move and some are having a bad day at work. We are committed to helping the ones that are ready to make the move, find the right next job. What can you do to determine whether it is time to move on? There a couple of questions I would advise you to ask yourself to determine if you are ready to change jobs.
- If you stay in your current position, what else can you do or learn in the coming year? If the answer is you will be doing 80% or more of the same work in the course of the coming year, it is time to explore new opportunities that will provide you with new growth experiences.
- What kind of firm would you like to work for? Recently I met with two candidates – one said, “I definitely want to work at a smaller, more entrepreneurial firm that is open to ideas and will ‘step out of the box’”, while the other candidate said, “I want to work for a large global firm with lots of infrastructure and resources.” How would you describe your ideal firm, and what type of environment do you thrive in?
- What do I like about my current role, what would I like to do more of, and what would I like to eliminate from my responsibilities? Be realistic, there are responsibilities that are inherent to particular roles and they come with the turf. Focus on the highest level responsibilities where you feel you add the maximum value and explore roles that could maximize your talents.
Asking yourself these kinds of questions will help you to determine if you are ready to move. Once you are ready, do some self assessment to identify what you would like in you next position in terms of responsibilities, work environment and developmental opportunities. The clearer you are about what these things look like for you, the better chance you can find them!