Job search dilemmas: what are you waiting for?

Oct 8, 2015 6:26:46 PM

Ah, job search dilemmas.

A bad day. A nightmare boss. A recurring problem that’s making your life a misery.

Whatever it is about your current job that’s making you consider other options, it’s always a good idea to stop and a.) review your current position and b.) understand what it is that you really want from your career. After all, you’re not going to do amazing things for yourself (or anyone!) if you’re unsure of your own needs and goals … or if you’re bringing loads of baggage to a new and exciting opportunity.

We asked our favourite guest panda, Ghilaine Chan, her advice on the always tricky question: how do you know when it’s time to leave your current role, and when you’re sure it’s time, how do you get yourself back out there?

Here’s what she had to say …

The ultimate job search dilemma: How do you know when it's time to leave your current role?

So you have decided that you may want to take the plunge and are thinking about looking for another job. You may be unhappy, unfulfilled, underutilised. I am assuming the worst because if it wasn't that bad you would have spoken to your boss about opportunities to take on extra responsibility and different work.

If you haven’t done that, what are you waiting for?

The first thing to do, with any sense of unhappiness or unease with your current role, is to tell someone who can do something about it. Your boss doesn't know everything about you, cannot always tell if you are unhappy and may well have other things going on that means she is missing the signs. If you think you can help with something or do something better, step up! I believe it is likely that she will be all ears. Be constructive. It is not about what she can do for you, but how you can take the pressure off her. As the old adage goes, don't bring me problems, bring me solutions. This is important when you want to take on more responsibility or get certain training.

If you can answer all the reasons someone will tell you "why not" you have your business justification right there.

Let's hope that all works out and you remain. Hiring someone new is an expensive business and good companies know that they should do what they can to retain their talent. Everyone's a winner!

Ask some questions. Find out why.

What happens if it doesn't work out? Firstly, find out why, if you can. This will give you an idea about whether or not things may change in the near future. If that doesn't look likely or what you want to do is wildly out of the remit of your company or manager, you may as well look to move.

So what are you waiting for?

Yes it will be a hard slog, the ideal job is not going to come at you without you at least voicing what it is you want to do. Telepathy is a skill many of us dream about, so don't think for a second that people know what you want. You need to start telling people. Don’t blast it from the rooftops, just start telling a few trusted friends what you are looking for and where. Keep your ears open and tell people you can trust.

Whatever you do, don't wait, just dive in. You don't want to be looking for a new role when you are feeling disheartened and desperate, you want to do it when you are excited and enthusiastic for the future. With effort, anything is possible!

What are you waiting for?

Find out more about our guest blogger Ghilaine Chan

Ghilaine is passionate about allowing people to do their best work and delight others

Ghilaine helps people to operate fast growing businesses in a productive and streamlined way, keeping an eye on time and money, whilst increasing motivation and improving customer relationships in a fast paced, changing environment. She brings order to chaos and creates scalable processes around the business, empowering them to delight their customers.

She works with tech based or enabled companies who are looking to disrupt their industries, but know that people are at the centre of their success and helping them manage their teams to: 

  • Do their best work and delighting others
  • Create some boundaries, but not cages
  • Know they are acting for a purpose
  • Determine which part they play, that what they receive enables them and what they produce is useful
  • Have autonomy over how and when they produce

She has over 15 years' experience in scaling international business functions for technology companies, within their support and consultancy organisations.

Ghilaine is a graduate of London College of Fashion (now part of University of the Arts: London) with a degree in Product Development. She is a Mentor with Microsoft Ventures, UpRising and Outbox Incubator as well as an Approved Business Coach with Growth Accelerator, now part of Business Growth Services. 

Want to know more? Connect with Ghilaine on LinkedIn, follow her on Twitter and visit her website, Ghilaine & Co

What do you think?

Share your thoughts on this post - whether you agree, disagree or have your own insight to share, we want to hear from you!

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