Jharna Hogan
Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last couple of years (in which case you have no idea what COVID-19 is – lucky you!), you’ve likely heard of ‘The Great Resignation’ sweeping the USA. This phenomenon has seen a tidal wave of employees, from frontline workers to executives, leaving the workforce seeking balance, happiness and more time with family following the wide-reaching impacts of the pandemic.
While The Great Resignation hasn’t quite reached our shores yet, economists do believe that Australia is experiencing what has been termed ‘The Great Reshuffle’ – where employees are switching jobs faster than ever before in search of greater flexibility, better pay and more growth opportunities. It’s not quite a contagion yet, but more and more people are opting out of roles that don’t fulfil them anymore.
Here at Elite, we’ve pulled off more than a few career reshuffles ourselves, and as the saying goes, a change can be as good as a holiday. So, what are some signs that it might be time for you to make your next career move?
1. You’ve maxed out all of the growth opportunities available to you
If you’ve hit the ceiling in your workplace when it comes to growth opportunities and you feel like you’re becoming stagnant, it may be time to start looking for external opportunities. Feeling challenged in the workplace and stretching your skills and talents to achieve new goals are essential to your long-term job satisfaction.
2. You no longer believe in the work you are doing
Feeling that your values are misaligned with the goals or purpose of your employer can lead to reduced productivity, lack of accountability and producing poor quality work. If you feel a lack of connection with the core values of your organisation (or perhaps over time, the organisation has stopped living up to its purported values), it’s hard to be passionate about the work that you are doing and give it your best.
3. Feeling stressed out and lacking motivation
Many people experience intermittent periods of stress or lack of motivation during their career; however, if this has become your default setting at work, it could indicate that it’s time to move on. Dragging your feet to get to work in the morning, watching the clock all day, wishing for 5:00 pm and taking on the bare minimum of responsibility so you can keep things cruisy are all signs to look out for.
Before you throw caution to the wind and type up that resignation letter, it’s worth getting deep and exploring what you want from your next role to ensure that you make a move that’s right for you. Here are a few things that you might want to consider:
Does a high salary drive you, or do you place greater value on working for a social enterprise with a purpose that you align with? Do you thrive in a fast-paced team environment where no two days are the same, or is your preference to work in a routine-driven role where you work alone? Take some time to consider the aspects of your current position and organisation that aren’t serving you well, and think about what factors motivate you. Once you uncover these motivating factors, they will help guide you in the search for your next role. We call this identifying your guiding lights – check out our blog here to learn more about how this can assist you with your job search.
Think about what kind of change you want. Are you happy in the career or industry that you’re in, and perhaps a change of employer will bring about the fulfilment that you’re seeking? Or are you looking to do something wildly different in a whole new industry? Both possibilities are exciting, but it’s essential that you do a deep dive into what you’re hoping to achieve from changing roles before you commit either way.
The pandemic has created two camps of people – those who absolutely love to work from home and hope to never return to the office, and those who miss the office desperately and are chomping at the bit to return at the first opportunity. If the flexibility of remote working is something you crave, you’re in luck – many organisations have permanently moved to at least partially remote working options, known as hybrid working models. A quick scroll through Seek will reveal pages of roles touting hybrid working models, which have become a huge draw card for applicants. When considering moving to a new position, it’s worthwhile researching what type of flexibility a potential new employer offers if this is important to you.
If you’ve decided that now is the time for a career reshuffle of your own, we’d love to support you in making your next move! At The Elite Collective, nothing makes us feel more fulfilled than helping clients land their dream roles.
We enjoy working with people at all stages of their careers and across every Australian industry.
There are a range of ways that we can work together:
Our team of professional resume writers are located across Australia, specifically in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. We have clients throughout Australia who rave about our professional resume writing services, job application support and interview coaching. Get in touch with us today, and make your next career move with the support of a team of professionals.
We respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land upon which we live and work, the Ngunnawal people.
We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region, and extend that same respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
