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Pivot your career: When should you switch?

Written by Nuskha Semaun on 13 April 2021 for Professionals

Although it might have been a while, you still remember your graduation ceremony like it was yesterday. You took some vacation time and dove straight into your next adventure: your career.

Fast forward to 2-3 years later. You’ve learned a lot about yourself, you’ve grown professionally as well as personally, you’ve built up an impressive amount of experience and hopefully had a lot of fun along the way. But you can’t help but wonder: Is this it?

5 reasons why your best talent quits

It’s totally normal to feel this way every once in a while. It’s even good to regularly ask yourself critical career related questions. But when is the time to actually jump and make that change you’re looking for?

Option 1: You enjoy your position but not your current work environment

If you like the content of your job but feel that your environment can be improved, here are some questions you should ask yourself:

  • Are there other companies you feel more attracted to?
  • Do you prefer a consultancy context or an internal position?
  • Would you rather work in a start or scale-up or in an already well-established company?
  • Would you prefer a bigger or smaller team?
  • What can be improved about your current environment?
  • Which kind of company culture would suit you best?
  • How are accomplishments recognized?
  • How often do you need feedback?
  • Etc.

Honestly answering these questions for yourself should give you a good overall idea of what it is your looking for in a company. But before you start your new job hunt it might be a good idea to double check that list for things you do have control over.

You probably won’t be able to change your company culture overnight but if there probably are certain things that you can change for the better. Don’t be afraid to give that feedback to your team, it might make you see things from a completely different perspective.

However, if you do decide to try your luck elsewhere you now have a clear idea of what you’re looking for in a company. Make sure to use platforms like Glassdoor to double-check if that new organization you’re targeting actually is the match you’re looking for.

Option 2: You enjoy your current work environment, but not your position

You have a team you can count on, the company culture fits you and you’re happy and proud to work for the company you work for. Yet, the job itself isn’t doing it for you, or is it? If you believe that this is the case, here are some things you need to think about:

  • Are you sometimes struggling to find motivation?
  • Do you have difficulty filling your working hours with meaningful tasks?
  • Are you sometimes bored at work?
  • Would you like to have more/less responsibilities?
  • Do you still want to learn everything there is to know about your specific domain?
  • What do you like and dislike about your current position?
  • Etc.

If you feel that you’re a good fit in the organisation, it would be a shame to just leave for a better position somewhere else. Make sure to talk about these issues before you decide to leave. You’re there for a reason, so chances are you’ll find a solution together.

Also, don’t wait for your annual performance review to bring this up. If you feel demotivated now, waiting for a couple of months to talk about this, probably isn’t the best idea. If you’re feeling hesitant to bring this up to your manager, talking about it with a coach or someone you can trust within the organization is a good alternative.

Now what?

If you’ve answered these questions honestly and still think it’s time to make a switch, commit to it. There are plenty of IT opportunities out there so that won’t be a problem. Just remember that a job should be a lot more than a way to pay the bills. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in the exact same spot later down the road. And while it’s good to switch things up every once in a while, you don’t want to be perceived as a job-hopper.

10 questions you should ask yourself after one year on the job - Social share image

Feel like you need a sidekick on this endeavour? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’re happy to help!

About Exellys

Exellys is a Tech Talent Incubator. We match ambitious companies with the finest tech talent. Are you ready to drive the innovations of tomorrow? Ready to make an impact and become a future-fit digital leader?

Whether you are a graduate or (young) professional, Exellys will unlock your full potential by guiding you to a challenging work environment that perfectly matches your personality, expectations and ambitions.

On top of that, you are enrolled in one of our very own training and coaching programs (based on your personal and professional ambition and experience). This means that, while working as an Exellys consultant, we are helping you to bridge your ambition to excellence.

Through intensive training and coaching, you’ll gain the essential skills, competencies and knowledge necessary to become the highly effective professional you aim to be.

Become an Exellyst and get in touch with us today!