Is It Time for a New Job? Here's How to Know
I’ve had times when I thought about getting a new job, wasn’t 100% sure, but didn’t know how to figure it out. So, I did nothing but then found myself pretty unhappy until I made that change.
While starting something new can be daunting, there are criteria you can use to figure out what you need in your career, assess if you are getting it, and determine if it’s time for a change.
“Hi, this is Diana Bernal with Corner Office Latinas. I'm a career strategist who guides ambitious Latinas through major career moves.”
Today, I bring you what I’ve learned about career decision-making—what’s worked for me—so that you can find job fulfillment.
I’ve seen too many people settle for mediocrity and retire with the “what if” regret. I want to give you the clarity and confidence to move forward with the career change that’s right for you.
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OKAY, let’s jump in.
How Do You Know If It’s Time for a New Job?
Think about your desire to quit on a spectrum from 1 to 5:
1: You’re happy. Work is satisfying, you’re not really tempted, and you feel like you are getting what you need professionally and personally, like benefits, remote work, etc.
5: You dread your work. You aren’t inspired, you do the bare minimum, you sleep in, and barely drag yourself to work on time. This is actually the easy part because you know you want something else, but you might not know WHAT to do next. The criteria I’m going to list can help you figure that out too.
The Middle Ground: Being at a 3
If you are in the middle, like a 3, that’s unfortunately the hardest place to be. Work is not awful, but you might find yourself spending more time on LinkedIn—or anywhere but your job. You look at a few jobs online, but you really aren’t motivated to take action.
You’re comfortable where you are, so you don’t have the urgency to leave. But remember, every day that you’re in a mediocre job is one less day of being in a great job. We are better off when we are more fulfilled at work.
If you are undecided, the only way you’re going to find out is by taking action. I am going to walk you through five criteria to assess your current career.
The good thing is that if you do decide to leave, these are the criteria you can use to shape your next job. It not only strengthens your decision but also gives you the outline of what you want next. AND gives you confidence to make a change because you’ve done the work. You’re not taking a new job just because you had one bad day at the office.
5 Criteria to Assess Your Current Career
Some of us really rely on our gut feeling, and that certainly can help guide us. But I also find it’s important to have specific criteria we use to judge our current job and future opportunities. This way, when the job search intensifies, or you are negotiating, you have already figured out what is important to you.
Sometimes it’s one thing that makes you leave; other times, it’s a dozen things. While there are many things to consider for job fulfillment, I’ve organized these elements into five categories.
These are things to consider today and at any time to help you decide if your current work is no longer serving you.
1. Professional
Stage in your career: If you are 5-10 years out of college, traditional growth might look different compared to someone who’s had 15-20 years in the workplace. You may not need the same type or pace of growth, but you still want to be challenged. Think about where you want to be in the next five years, and if today’s job is getting you there.
Growth opportunities: Have you been promoted, either formally or has your role expanded or grown somehow? If not, have you been passed over? Even in a small company where promotional opportunities aren’t as vast as in a large company, has your job expanded or evolved in such a way that you are still challenged?
Experience you need: Do you need experience supervising, managing a team or project? Are there job-specific skills, like software or client management, that you need to acquire?
2. Personal
Life balance: What do you need to make your life easier? This might include flexibility, commute time, remote work, or benefits. You have to outline the must-haves (like a commute under half an hour) versus the nice-to-haves (like working from home two days a week instead of one).
3. Culture
Culture and values: Do you have camaraderie in the office, or is it toxic? Do you feel trust and respect, or is it lacking? Does the company’s culture align with your values? It’s crucial to identify your values and see if they match the culture of your workplace.
Boss: How do you feel about your boss? This can significantly impact your job satisfaction.
4. Fulfillment
Rewarding work: Is your job rewarding? Is it filling you up, or someone else’s cup? Journaling about what energizes and drains you can help. Your job doesn’t have to be at a mission-driven organization, but does it spark your curiosity or offer learning opportunities?
Challenge level: Have you mastered your job, and has it become a little boring?
5. Pay
Compensation: More than just meeting your needs and wants, has your pay kept up with the marketplace? Are you being rewarded well for what you contribute? It’s important to know your market value.
What’s Next? Considering Your Options
Okay, so you’ve considered these criteria, and you think you want to leave. But there is ONE THING that people often miss: Can you ask for what you need at your current job and stay? Is it worth staying?
Identify the top 1-2 things that would be key to staying and thriving. If it’s a bad culture, then it probably is time to go. But if it’s salary, job responsibility, or something you think is possible to change, based on what you know, then you might have options.
You don’t have to wait until review time. If you feel that staying at your current company could be the best option IF they changed 1-2 things, then schedule a conversation. Be prepared to know your real bottom lines. Lead with the positive, how you want to stay and contribute, and if you just had more flexibility or joined another project team that would be rewarding for you—see what they say. Managers don’t always see what you need.
Trust me, you will also learn a lot about your boss and how the company values you by having this conversation. The best that could happen? You get what you need!
If you don’t get the answers you’re looking for, then you have real information. Only after you’ve asked for what you need—pay, challenge, title, flexible schedule—and don’t get it, then you have the green light (and I would say a bright green light) to go find a new job.
Staying is always your choice, your option.
Why It’s Important to Ask for What You Want
Asking for what you want will also help when you are searching for a job, and it takes longer than you like. This is when we start to second-guess ourselves. Your friends, partner, or your mother might say, “Why don’t you stay?”
Asking for what you need gives you the confidence to stick to your guns about what you want. The good thing is, you’ve just done an internal assessment of what’s important to you. Now, you can go after an ideal job based on what you just identified—not just what you’re leaving behind, but what you’re moving to.
Recap of the Criteria
So, just to recap the criteria:
Professional needs
Personal needs
Culture fit
Fulfillment of the work
Pay
Rank them and go out and get them.
Of course, let us know if we can help. We also have group workshops coming up that provide the tools and support you need.
See you next time,
Diana