Reasons you’re looking for a new job and how to avoid reaching a breaking point

If your decision to leave is set in stone, connecting with a Recruiter will undoubtedly help in finding a role that’s right for you. That said, there are lessons to be learned from this experience: taking advantage of the time you have to reflect on what went wrong and whether anything could have been done may help you to navigate these situations should they arise in the future.

If you find yourself faced with the following issues, there may still be action you can take to improve the situation:

1. There is no room for career progression

Since joining the company, you have grown to reach peak potential in this particular role. As such, the tasks that once proved difficult have become routine and you no longer feel challenged by your work. If the company structure doesn’t allow for progression, it’s easy to lose motivation – especially when opportunities from other Employers all seem to advertise the very thing you aren’t getting.

However, while you might not be able move up a traditional ladder, there may still be room to develop your skills by getting involved in other projects or incorporating new elements into your role. Speaking to your manager could unlock opportunities you wouldn’t have known about otherwise; asking for more responsibility may not lead to an upward promotion, but it could mean a chance to test your skills across other disciplines.

2. Your talent and your time are going to waste

Having strived to tackle company challenges to the best of your ability, it’s extremely dispiriting to have your success capped by an external factor that you cannot control. Perhaps it’s a manager who won’t listen to your ideas despite having hired you for your ability and potential. Maybe it’s on-going issues from other departments that constantly derail your plans or even members of your own team who don’t put in the effort.

In any case, speaking up about how you feel to both middle and senior management is certainly better than sitting it out and saying nothing. Ultimately, no Employer is ever eager to stifle the growth of their Employees – after all, their priority is to retain talent, not lose it to the competition.

3. You’re fed up of office politics

Telecommuting maybe a popular trend, but most Employees still spend the majority of their week at work. When it comes to job satisfaction, environment can make all the difference, as can the way people choose to treat each other in an organisation. If you feel you can’t confide in any colleague without the information being used to their advantage, it might be time to pack up and take your skills elsewhere. Your growth shouldn’t depend on how well you can play the game – a highly complicated and emotionally draining game, at that.

Raising awareness of this cultural issue to HR leaders should theoretically ignite the spark of change within the business, old habits die hard. Your aim within any workplace should be to stay as far away from other people’s disagreements and take every statement at face value unless otherwise stated. Instead of focusing on what others think of you or how they might undermine you, concentrate on what you want to achieve and treat everyone on their own merit.

4. The reward isn’t worth the effort

Whether it’s one of the above or all three, it’s hard not to keep your eyes fixed on the exit when you realise the reward is not worth the time and energy you’re dedicating to the job. Having seen a plethora of similar roles advertised offering an attractive remuneration package with plenty of perks to boot, it’s difficult to stay motivated when you know you could get a lot more from your efforts elsewhere.

If this sounds familiar, it might be worth mentioning this to your manager. If you’re a valuable asset to the company, matching the industry average and incentivising you through a unique benefits package will not be a high price to pay for retaining top talent in a skills shortage.  Arranging a meeting to discuss your recent achievements will give you a chance to ask your manager for the raise you deserve for your hard work.

Over the last 20 years, we have grown as a business to become one of the leading independent Recruitment agencies in Oxfordshire, and in 2018 have opened our first London office, to service Clients in the capital.