We’ve all faced the question at some time in our career and if you consider that careers of Australian men and women are now expected to last for approximately 50 years, it is a question that will pop up numerous times. And you can bet that each time it does it will be complicated by different personal and professional factors and so the decision to go or to stay is unlikely to get any easier to make!
Current research shows that 52.3% of workers in USA are unhappy in their role while in Australia the numbers are even more staggering with 81.9% of Australians saying they were searching for new challenges.
However, the decision to actually act on this and change your job may come down to personality traits and whether you are a risk avoider or a risk taker. Although we need to acknowledge that it is often much easier to take such a risk when you are at the start of your career with fewer commitments such as a mortgage and family responsibilities, It is not uncommon to see examples right along the career spectrum – people who are working with respected employers of choice, good at what they do and on a significant salary, who are simply unhappy at work. So, don’t think that you are alone if you fall into this group!
But, how do you make the decision to change jobs or stay where you are? The best advice is to seek out a respected career coach who can assist you in making an informed decision about your career development and trajectory. It is expected that a trained coach will take a solution-oriented approach which involves working with you to see what concrete steps you can take to achieve your career objectives. If a career coach isn’t an option for you, an experienced recruitment consultant will also be able to assist you by providing current industry knowledge of the job market and opportunities within it.
In short, they will help you to gain career confidence, insight and inspiration as well as formulating a plan to open opportunities whether that is in preparing a successful resume presentation or increasing your networking presence. Sometimes all you need is a single comment from an objective source to get you on the right path.
So, whether its pressure from your boss, annoying colleagues, dull work or a combination of all three – take the step to explore the drivers and the opportunities. It may be the best step that you could take.