Do You Want a Change Career…Or Are You Just Off Rhythm in the New Normal?
You’re thinking about a new career. Do you really need a change, or just don’t like working during the crisis?
It may seem ungrateful or even self-sabotaging to think about a career transition when no job is safe and the world is in turmoil. Yet many people find themselves thinking this exactly. Perhaps their job is now uncertain, directly or indirectly by the pandemic. Or an internal reorganisation is stifling their advancement, or they’re at an age of receiving subtle signals to move on. Against this backdrop, shaping a new career trajectory is the sensible — and perhaps the only — option.
For others, the desire to move is from deep within. A time of uncertainty can serve as a catalyst that pushes us to reassess our situation. It’s natural for people to cast a critical eye on their career and ask, “Is this still working for me the way it should?”
But let’s address the elephant in the room.
Pre-covid, you never questioned showing up in the office, day in, day out.
Post-covid, the necessity of the office is an idea that’s eroded. Remote working is now ingrained around the globe, and here to stay.
If you’re now rethinking your career, do so for the right reasons — that is, going towards an opportunity that may bring you happiness and not simply away from an environment you can’t control.
What are you struggling with?
Before making a move, do you know why you want to do so? Here are some common issues:
Lack of purpose: When outside forces upend the daily routine, you may find your goals, interests and values are not what you thought they were, or shifted in some way. Your job may feel lesser when you rethink your priorities.
The mastery ceiling: You no longer feel the challenge of the job. You’ve fully mastered it and don’t see any opportunities for greater responsibility.
Structural restrictions: Perhaps you’ve moved up as far as you can within the company structure. Or the process for getting onto the next rung of the ladder is so out of reach that it’s easier to get a new role elsewhere. If you’ve looked at your boss’s job, or two level above and it doesn’t look enticing, that’s a sign you’ve plateaued.
Office politics: A big topic. I coach many people who still think politics is a negative experience from which to escape. Not necessarily so. With a bit of simple reframing, change your mindset about politics, developing both networks and behaviours which feel authentic to you. However, sometimes, even the most politically skilled professional struggles to gain power and influence if there are numerous roadblocks in the way. When it feels like a daily battle, it may (may) be time to move on.
If any of these apply to you, you might benefit from a career transition. Moving jobs in any of these scenarios is an opportunity to rewrite the script and find a balance which makes sense for you, a way to re-energize, set boundaries, know your purpose and achieve growth through personal development.
But is that all?
How are you handling the crisis?
No matter what you do, we’ve all gone through huge changes this past year. The pandemic has normalised remote work and forced companies to become ‘virtual-first.’ Although many of us have managed the real vs virtual transition, continuous remote work has exposed new challenges: diffuse work-life boundaries, a reduction in mental wellbeing, weakening collaboration and relationships.
One reason your job may feel off is that the pandemic and transition to work-from-home has created more burn-out and an uneven rhythm, a good job turned on its head.
You may be thinking “So what? If I’m unhappy at work then I’m unhappy at work — it doesn’t matter what the cause is.” But in my experience, you should pinpoint the root of your unhappiness before a major career decision. If you don’t, you could end up unhappy in new job, never having addressed the root issues.
Things to do before you quit
Are you ready for a career change or are crisis-related job changes forcing your hand?
1. Can you change your task responsibilities?
That means intentionally finding new ways to perform your daily tasks. For example, if all the Zoom meetings are getting to you, can you find ways to condense them into a shorter time or skip some of the meetings and get a recap or summary instead. There are plenty of ways to say ‘no’ to a task that drains you. In fact, when everything is changing, you may have more opportunities to redesign your role in a way that suits your better.
2. Can you change your interactions?
Human relationships are vital for our physical and emotional wellbeing, and its absence can add to the anxiety. Would you benefit from making a strategic change with whom you work, communicate and engage with on a regular basis? Are your relationships too narrow to provide more stimulation? Can you engage more with coworkers you enjoyed in the office and set up a virtual event? Can you join groups or committees that expose you to new people and ideas outside of your job role? Would that make a difference?
3. Can you change your mindset?
By changing perspective of what you’re doing, you can create more meaning and bring more bounce into what otherwise might be seen as ‘busy work.’ You might stop viewing work-from-home as stressful and recall what you’ve achieved the past year plus that you never thought yourself capable of; home-schooling while working fulltime, learning to enjoy your own company as an extrovert. Change your mindset and increase your positivity in self-confidence, reducing the overthinking, perfectionism, fear of failure and negative self-talk. What are you proud to have achieved this past year? How have you changed for the better?
Final thoughts
It’s not self-sabotaging to feel unhappy with your job right now. Switching your busy in-person work environment to flying solo at the kitchen table is disorientating for all of us. Some people never find that rhythm of remote work. That’s okay.
Career satisfaction is part mindset and part strategy. The key is taking enough time to figure out what may feel wrong about your career, and what you need to change to be happier in your work life. Nothing shapes your career trajectory more than the effort to know the root causes of both frustration and satisfaction.
