Career Development Advice to Avoid Making a Big Mistake Joining ‘The Big Resignation’
You’re considering quitting your job. It’s enticing to simply walk away. Gain some freedom. It’s been a difficult couple of years and you want to be kind to yourself. But before you make a career decision while we are still in the midst of a pandemic, make sure you’re running towards something and not away from something. It’s always crucial to think about your long term career development.
Before you quit, check it’s for the right reasons by asking yourself these 5 career development questions:
- Are you feeling tired? Seeking comfort? Or just want to get away from the chaos in the world
If you previously thrived on chaos and pressure in your job and find yourself seeking a different pace now, you might be overwhelmed by the world. So you’re seeking stability and simplicity in your career to balance things out. This is a RED FLAG – when we seek comfort, we can attract the opposite. Part of our career development journey is to challenge ourselves and grow, and being comfortable is never a good thing, trust me!
- What is it about your current career that you don’t like?
Have you been tolerating your job, not really enjoying it but not doing anything about it? Now that the pressure is increasing, your resilience is taking a battering and you feel like packing it in. If you’re unclear on what you don’t like, you may jump from the frying pan into the fire and end up attracting more of the same. Use this opportunity to get clear on what you do want.
- Did you love the flexibility of working from home?
Having had a taste of flexible work, spending more time with the family, and structuring your day differently, you aren’t keen to return to the office with other people. Perhaps you think you have to quit to have the flexibility you want, but that might not be the case. At least ask the question.
- As yourself “What do I need to learn from this experience?”
We need to learn the lesson that our current situation brings to us. If we don’t, the same circumstances will just appear in our next job, or the one after that. The lesson keeps appearing until we learn the lesson.
- Where am I off track in my current career? Where is it not aligned with my top values?
Getting clear on what you value and then aligning your career with those values will not only bring you fulfilment but make you resilient to weather any future storms.
These simple questions should have allowed you to check in with yourself before you resign and discover if you are running away from something so you can address that issue before you take the leap. It might be that having a conversation with someone and standing up for yourself is needed. Or expressing your point of view, righting a wrong, or having an honest conversation with someone.
If you’d like to gain further clarity on your values and how to align your career with them, download a free copy of my e-book here, How To Have More Meaning and Purpose In Your Career. Or click here to book a consultation with me.
(Remember to get your copy of Careers Awakening: How To Align Your Career With Your Soul Purpose here.)
