Is there a good or bad time to leave a job?
When is the best time to leave a job? Ask any boss and they’ll say never - but your exit strategy hinges entirely on understanding your motives and when to time it.
Now, it’s safe to say you cannot predict when that next dream opportunity will come along, and when that chance comes you have to grasp it with both hands. But there are ways in which you can better unfurl the resignation timeline with your current employer by thinking objectively and critically about your role, your responsibilities, your handover, your new employers needs and your loyalty and what it’s value is to your current employer.
Certain industries also have peak and trough times of year - consider hospitality. From the logistics teams supplying the businesses to the bartenders serving your end-user, hospitality has set peaks throughout the year - such as Christmas, Super Bowl or Thanksgiving - and as such you can forgive business owners bemoaning staff leaving at this critical time due to the increase in workload for other staff, and the lack of hiring opportunity in the recruitment market.
It all depends on how you want to be perceived post-job acceptance, where you are in your own unique career journey and understanding that pulling the trigger is an emotional choice as much as an objective career-focused decision.
But lets unpick what constitutes a “good” time to leave a job.
A good time to leave a job is when you’re ready to leave. It’s as simple as that.
Recognizing the signs, however, can take a bit of guile and a lot of bravery. So what are the clear cut signs you're ready to seek new pastures?
Is it burnout, or are you deeply unhappy?
- At some point in most people's working lives there will come a time of high stress, burdensome work or a toxic work environment. Those can cause burnout.
- Burnout, however, is “cureable”, for want of a better word, through rest and honest communication with your seniors and work colleagues. Although burnout is increasing as a result of the workplace changes wrought by COVID-19, more and more employers are becoming cognizant of the detrimental effect of not taking mental health support seriously, and are adapting their HR, performance review, and benefits system accordingly to accommodate for this.
- A question all workers suffering from burnout will ask is: am I deeply unhappy where I am, or are some of the issues fixable?
- Perhaps more acutely, a question workers could ask themselves is: do I agree with the vision and purpose of where I work, and despite the workload do I feel content that I’m making a difference? If it isn’t, that’s a sure sign you’re in the right mindset to step into something new.
Procrastination and lack of engagement
- The human mind wanders throughout the day: focused or deep thinking is achievable with discipline but most of your attention will be freely given if you are engaged and enthralled with the work you do.
- Yes, people have off days - that’s a given. But if you feel truly unengaged in your work; if you cannot focus on what you’re doing; if you don’t feel in any way energized about doing your job, your time has come.
You’ve hit a ceiling
- Fair career development should be a factor in anyone's job. While every industry has its own unique speed of development, and certain sectors require varying degrees of education and experience benchmarks to guarantee promotion, the employer who sets a ceiling will find senior staff with one eye on their career turn disinterested and seek new employment eventually.
- If you see that your current position bears no fruit for promotion, there will be an employer out there who will give you what you want!
You’re being headhunted
- Although being headhunted is not controlled by you, your emotions, or feelings of value or development, if recruiters are approaching you offering your work, or you are being sought out for your specific skill set, then you know you could be worth more than you are.
- Although building a viable relationship with a recruiter (especially a new one) can take time, you’re being headhunted for a reason. Take note of what they are saying to you about your worth, market placement and opportunity, and use that when assessing what you want from your current role and your future.