Five questions to ask yourself before quitting your job

IT’S Monday and the weekend seems so far away. If work is feeling just a tad uninspiring today, here are the five questions you should be asking yourself.

“Who will come with me?”

“THAT’S it; I quit!”

If you’ve ever fantasised about storming into your boss’s office and uttering those words after a bad day at work, you’re not alone. You may even be going through a rough patch where every day seems worse than the last. But is it really time to turn in your resignation?

“It’s normal to feel lukewarm about your job sometimes,” said Mary Ellen Slayter, a career expert for Monster.com. “Often, that feeling passes. Other times, the signs are clear that it’s time to move on.”

When you’re trying to determine whether you really need to change jobs, there are five questions you should ask yourself about your current position:

DO MY PROBLEMS AT WORK GO BEYOND A PERSONAL ISSUE WITH A COLLEAGUE OR BOSS?

When you just don’t get along with a co-worker, it can be easy to project those feelings onto the job or company as a whole. Chris Smith, founder and CEO of networking and content discovery site Athlete Network, said that when workers start thinking about leaving their job, a personal issue is usually at the root of it. While working with someone you don’t particularly like can cause some friction, it shouldn’t be the only reason to uproot your career.

The Fight Club guide to quitting your job is probably not the best advice.

“If the grass seems greener elsewhere, water your lawn first,” Smith said. “Pinpoint why you want to change jobs. [If] it’s really the career path or company that’s bugging you, figure out your goals [and look for a new job].”

AM I CONSTANTLY STRESSED ABOUT WORK, EVEN OUTSIDE THE OFFICE?

Bringing work home and worrying about job-related issues during your personal time happens to most people now and then. Slayter noted that these stresses are likely temporary if you’re working on a particularly difficult project, but you shouldn’t continually dread the thought of going into the office.

HAVE I BEEN PASSED OVER REPEATEDLY FOR PROMOTIONS?

It’s never a good feeling to watch your colleagues move up the ladder without you. If you’ve been turned down for advancement, find out why, Slayter said. Your boss or HR department should be able to give you concrete steps for improving your chances; if they can’t, you may not want to stick around much longer.

“Sit down with your manager and get his or her perspective on your career path,” Driscoll added. “If expectations for the future don’t align, you can feel more confident in exploring other opportunities.”

HAVE I GONE AS FAR AS I CAN GO WITH THIS COMPANY?

On the other side of the spectrum are workers who feel stuck in their current jobs. There’s no room for them to advance, and they likely won’t ever earn the big raise they deserve for their hard work and talents. If you feel like you’ve hit a wall with your current employer, a new job might be the chance you need to move up in your career. However, David Gilcher, lead resource manager at staffing firm Kavaliro, cautioned would-be job seekers to do their research before making a final decision.

Driscoll noted that if your primary reason for wanting to leave is your salary, consider your entire compensation package before you quit. Other benefits like telecommuting, flex time or generous vacation time, as well as untapped opportunities to develop skills within the company, can make up for a smaller paycheck.

Bridget to Daniel: “But if staying here means working within ten yards of you, frankly, I’d rather have a job wiping Saddam Hussein’s arse.”

AM I READY AND WILLING TO START OVER?

When you change jobs, even within the same industry, you’re still the new person, Gilcher said. You’ll have no tenure or established relationships with co-workers in most cases, and you’ll be learning about a new company with its own processes and procedures. For this reason, you need to do your best to research the companies you’re applying to and see if you’re ready to jump into something new.

Gilcher also noted that timing is of utmost importance with big decisions like this. If you don’t have any obligations — financial, medical, familial, educational, etc. — that rely on you keeping your current salary and benefits, then you can feel confident about making a change.

This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on BusinessNewsDaily and was published here with permission.

Originally published as Five questions to ask yourself before quitting your job