en

Services

Canada's leading employers trust us to deliver fast, efficient hiring solutions that are tailored to their exact requirements. Browse our range of bespoke services and resources.

Read more
Jobs

Our industry specialists will listen to your aspirations and share your story with Canadas’s most prestigious organisations. Together, let’s write the next chapter of your career.

See all jobs
Services

Canada's leading employers trust us to deliver fast, efficient hiring solutions that are tailored to their exact requirements. Browse our range of bespoke services and resources.

Read more
About Robert Walters Canada

For us, recruitment is more than just a job. We understand that behind every opportunity is the chance to make a difference in people's lives.

Learn more

Work for us

Our people are the difference. Hear stories from our people to learn more about a career at Robert Walters Canada

Learn more

Six signs it's time to change jobs

So you’ve been in your job a good while, and you’ve noticed motivation is dwindling. Maybe you don’t feel challenged enough, or maybe you feel like you’re not moving in the direction you want any more.

Even if you've enjoyed your time working in your current company and have built up a great rapport with your colleagues, it doesn't mean you shouldn't want to branch out and try something new. Looking elswhere may be exactly what you need to find your ideal job. Here are some signs that could be telling you it’s time to do just that…

 

1. You often feel stressed and tired

Do you find you’re dragging your feet on the commute to work, and are lacking the spring in your step that you once had? Are you sleeping less than you used to, or are you more often prone to bouts of irritability or low spirits?

Any of these could be symptoms of rising stress levels – a kind of bodily early warning system that things with you aren’t quite as they should be. Stress can affect your mood and your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds and low moods, and impairing performance; left unchecked, more serious health issues can develop too.

So if you're getting the feeling that your body is trying to tell you something, it’s worth taking a moment to try and understand the message.

2. You don’t believe in the company like you used to

When you began working in your current job it seemed full of possibilities, and you felt proud to identify yourself as an employee of your organization. But recently you’ve noticed a change in the office atmosphere, and your belief or confidence in the organization isn’t what it was.

Perhaps the company has taken some commercial or strategic decisions that don’t sit well with you? Perhaps a management reshuffle has not been a change for the better in your view? Or perhaps it’s just that your own thinking has evolved, and you’re starting to feel that the company’s values don’t align closely enough with your own anymore?  

A lack of shared values can be a powerful motivator. If this sounds like you, it might be time to start looking around for a new company that you can really believe in.

3. You're watching the clock

You used to wake up in the morning excited about what you might achieve during the day ahead. You'd even take on extra projects and stay late voluntarily to get extra work done. Now, you're counting down the hours until you can log off and hit the street. You find yourself tempted to just take on the minimum workload, rather than look for opportunities to stretch yourself or go the extra mile.

Everyone deserves to work in a job that they feel enthusiastic about doing and that keeps them eager to make a difference. It may be that your job doesn’t stretch you any more, or your current employer doesn’t have an adequate development path for you. Either way, it could be time to move on to something that ignites your passion again.

4. Your skills don’t match up to your personal interests

Sometimes people get hired for things they’re really good at but don’t necessarily especially like doing. Perhaps you’re skilled in software sales but would prefer to be in marketing. Maybe you’re great at creating spreadsheets, but you’d prefer to be out meeting clients instead of sitting at a computer screen all day.

Though it’s not always easy to make it happen, it’s natural to want to align your personal interests with your career activity – and the longer you leave it, the harder it can be to switch as you become more and more specialized in a field that you don’t feel is really you. As Steve Jobs once said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle.” So now could be the time to take the opportunity while you can, and see what you can achieve if you try.

5. You feel invisible

Do you feel that your opinions and contributions sometimes go unacknowledged? You may have been overlooked for a promotion or an important project and you’re finding others get the credit for things you suggested months ago. Perhaps relationships within your team aren’t as cordial or collaborative as they used to be and team members aren’t socializing together anymore. 

You spend a significant portion of your time every week working in your team, so it’s important that you feel like a valued member and that the atmosphere is friendly, productive and encouraging. If you’ve done everything you can to improve the dynamic but things still don’t feel right, then it may be time to find something new to challenge you and where you feel you can make a real difference.

6. You’ve just grown out of your current role

Sometimes it can be hard to accept that a role – however much you like your company, and however well you get on with your co-workers – is just not substantial enough for you anymore. But staying in a role that you’ve grown out of, out of a sense of loyalty or hesitation to change, could become a demotivating experience in the longer term. 

You’ve developed skills and experience over time, and you’re ready for new challenges. Sometimes an employer may simply not have the resources or business case to be able to develop you adequately, and sometimes what your career needs is the sort of step change that only a job switch can really provide.

If that sounds like you, don’t be afraid to start exploring your career options. You owe it to yourself, after all.

Share this article

Useful links

Sign up for job alerts
Salary Survey
Career Advice
Get in touch

Find out more by contacting one of our specialist recruitment consultants

Related content

View All
Legal Counsel Job Description 2024: Free Template

Legal Counsel job description: guide for employers Attracting top-tier Legal Counsel talent requires more than a basic job description. Our free downloadable template is crafted by specialist legal recruiters and provides a thorough, industry-standard example. Complete the form to access the templat

Read More

I'm Robert Walters Are you?

Come join our global team of creative thinkers, problem solvers and game changers. We offer accelerated career progression, a dynamic culture and expert training.