I’m not one for making New Year’s resolutions. But for those of you who are, here is a worthwhile one: “This is the year I get a new job!”
Frankly, many of us should keep finding a better job on our annual to-do list. Unless, that is, your position is perfect and ticks all the attribute boxes—solid company, supportive boss, high job satisfaction, opportunities to learn and grow, the ability to make a difference, job security, and steadily increasing and reasonable compensation. Otherwise, it’s time to seek new opportunities.
Job seekers basically have three options: (1) switching to a new, better job at your current company or organization; (2) finding a new job at a different company or organization; or (3) starting a new career in a different field. (A fourth option is “hanging out a shingle” and starting your own consultancy, which requires a whole other mindset and approach.) Which of these options you embrace depends largely on your short- and long-term goals.
Read the following overview to help you visualize each approach so you can start the New Year with a fresh outlook.
Switch to a better job at your current company or organization
Changing jobs need not always mean changing employers. A nonprofit executive whom I had placed years ago at a different employer came to visit me for advice. She now had a great job at a well-known nonprofit organization and the job had many of the attributes listed above. Except, she didn’t see a path for more responsibility and opportunities to make more of a difference—and being in marketing and development, she could have transferred those skills to plenty of other options outside the organization.
Meanwhile, the new CEO had created a position for a Chief Operating Officer and this executive thought about applying for that job. I first pointed out that a COO position requires strong finance and a great deal of administrative management, all of which she was likely capable of doing but were not her strong suits. Then, because her real strengths were much more external, I suggested she not apply for the new job but instead think about what the organization needed and how she could contribute more to its success.
She mentioned the education department had been without a leader for a year and that she was interested in the international expansion happening at the nonprofit. We discussed how she could propose an idea to the CEO—to create a new position where she would not only continue with her current responsibilities but also take on those two departments. Long story short, she is now Senior Vice President of External and Global Affairs and is also responsible for Education.
The takeaway of this story is that your direct supervisor (or CEO) may not always know your capabilities or interests or how you can better serve the organization. What’s more, it’s helpful to know that the best employees are those who don’t just do their jobs; they look for other things to do, step forward, and do it. You will get ahead!
Find a new job at a different company or organization
What if there aren’t any other opportunities in your current organization, or the culture and values of your company are not aligned with your own? Another reason many people change jobs is that they can no longer work for their “lazy” or ungrateful (or even abusive) supervisor.
If any of these scenarios ring true, make a promise to yourself to seek a change. Don’t quit, and don’t slack off—as soon as you decide to change jobs, you will begin to feel better. In future posts, I will give you advice on how to find a job with a different employer, but first, you must make a commitment to make a change.
Meanwhile, here are a few considerations:
- Getting a new job is practically a job in itself; be prepared to work diligently at it.
- Keep working in your current position as if you are never going to leave. There may be projects that will take a while to complete, and you may not be there to complete them, so you may wonder why you should bother engaging in them at all. The easy answer is: It may take you longer than you imagine to leave your current position (see below) and you are being paid to do your current job. You will also want a positive reference, so continue performing your job as well as possible.
- And, because you are being paid, do not look for a new job on company time. As tempting as that can be, you don’t want potential employers calling you while you are at work and you don’t want to duck out from work for an interview. This is admittedly tricky to pull off as a full-time employee, but you can/should take personal time off as needed to conduct your job search. (No employer will blame you either for having to schedule interviews around your work schedule.)
- Be patient—finding a new job will take time. Expect at least three to four months for a middle-management position and even longer for the right senior executive job. Just stick with it and remember that in today’s market, there are more openings than job seekers. The odds are in your favor.
Start a new career in a different field
For those of us in the latter stages of our work lives, know that it’s never too late to embark on a new career. For those just starting out, it’s never too early—you may have fallen into your current job and hadn’t planned on staying anyway. For everyone else, hey, you only live once.
Heed these tips as you ponder your next move:
- Do your homework: There are alternative careers you know about and those you didn’t know existed. I remember one of my smartest college classmates had a summer job as a coffee taster, which was unheard of in those pre-, pre-Starbucks days. Start with what you know but also explore other possibilities. Talk to people in various fields, look for courses at colleges or other educational institutions (not necessarily to take them but to become aware of what’s being offered), scan online job posting sites, and volunteer at an organization you like. You never know what might spark your interest.
- Filter the possibilities: If a higher salary is a priority, you might want to rule out certain professions from the get-go. Embarking on a career with stiff competition is probably not going to yield great results, especially if you lack the necessary qualifications. As long as you are choosing, try and hone in on something that suits your lifestyle—flexible hours, lots of travel (or no travel), the ability to give back to society, whatever is important to you. You’ll eventually want to zero in on just a few options to avoid spreading yourself too thin, but now is the time to explore everything you can.
- Be very patient: Stepping onto a new career path will likely take several months longer than switching jobs. Enjoy the journey!
Hopefully, you are feeling invigorated and ready to hit the ground running in 2023. And if you are still on the fence, be sure to read my next post on working for yourself and using your expertise as an independent consultant.
Happy New Year!