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If you’re unhappy with your current job, it’s natural to wonder whether it’s time to quit and find something better. But you’re wise to pause, take a breath and decide whether you should leave without having another gig lined up.
There are good reasons to leave and there are ways to prepare yourself to find your next job fast. With reflection, planning and intention, you can set yourself up for success.
If you’re leaving a job, you’re not alone. According to Monster, 41% of respondents left their jobs. But it’s also important to know that 72% felt regret when they left, and 61% of people wished to go back to their previous role.
So why might you leave a job without another one lined up? There are meaningful reasons why quitting may be your best choice.
First, you might leave if you don’t feel like your work matters. Having a sense of purpose is significantly correlated with happiness and fulfillment. You don’t have to be solving world issues, but you’ll want to feel like you’re making a difference and someone is counting on you. If you don’t feel appreciated or don’t feel like your work matters, it might be a good time to quit.
Second, it may also be smart to leave if you don’t have the opportunity for challenge, learning or growth. Not everything will be incredibly stimulating, but you’ll be happier if some of the work is interesting to you or if you have the opportunity to develop your skills over time. If you lack opportunities to learn it might be a good time to quit.
Third, you might also consider leaving if you can’t see a future with your organization. Not every job will be idyllic, but if you believe in the company and can see a path forward, it makes sense to invest your time and energy for what’s next. On the other hand, one of the symptoms of burnout is when you feel trapped without a next step. If you don’t see a path forward, you might want to quit.
A fourth reason to consider leaving a job is if you feel disconnected from your teammates. A sense of belonging is a significant driver of happiness, so if you’re not feeling aligned with your colleagues, it can be painful. Conflicts will happen and they are natural, but if the issues with your colleagues are bigger and longer lasting, it might be a reason to consider quitting.
A fifth reason to depart is if you can’t be yourself or if you feel like you must hide who you are when you’re at work. Of course there’s always give and take in relationships and company cultures. It’s reasonable that you show up professionally and appropriately, just you expect others to do. But if you don’t feel like you can ever be authentic, you might want to quit.
Sixth, you’ll want to consider your leader. A lack of alignment with a leader is one of the primary reasons people leave a job. If you don’t respect your leader or if you don’t’ feel treated fairly by them, you might consider leaving. Also consider the other leaders of the company. If you don’t find them inspiring and you don’t have confidence in where they’re taking the company, or if they don’t act in alignment with your values, you might want to quit.
Finally, you might also consider quitting if you’re in a toxic environment. A culture is only as good as the worst behavior it will tolerate. If you’re in an environment that doesn’t hold people accountable or that reinforces bad behaviors among teammates, you might want to quit.
It’s important to consider all of these issues together and determine whether they are enough to cause you to leave. It’s normal to have some stress at work and things are rarely ideal, so ensure you give yourself enough time do your best. Invest effort, persist, persevere and try to work through the issues that you can affect.
Also give yourself permission to be satisfied even if things aren’t perfect. For example, people on your team may not be your BFFs but you can get along with them, and in the meantime, you enjoy the content of your work. Or your leader isn’t the best, but they’re good enough and you believe the company has a strong future. Or you’re not in love with your current job, but you’re learning new things and you can see other opportunities coming up. On the other hand, if there are a lot of significant issues and you’ve given it your all without seeing improvement, then it may make sense to quit.
Give thought to all these points as you’re making a decision about whether it’s the best time to resign.
So if you decide to quit without having another job, how can you find your next role quickly? You’ll be most successful in finding a job fast with a few elements of preparation and intentionality. Avoid rage quitting or quitting at the last minute. While you can certainly leave without having something else lined up, you will at least want to prepare a bit.
The first thing to prepare is your mindset. With current conditions, your job search may take a while, so you’ll want to be ready for the process. A ZipRecruiter survey found that a record-low 13% of job seekers said their search is going well. In addition, 41% of people reported they are pessimistic about how many jobs are available today.
The takeaway message is that you’ll want to prepare yourself for your search as much as possible before you leave.
You should also prepare for the search by ensuring you’ve planned for the financial implications. Job searches are also taking a long time, and almost 61% of people had not received a job offer in the last month. In addition, 23% of people said the length of the search has taken a negative financial toll, according to ZipRecruiter data.
You may need to establish a budget, tighten your spending, increase your savings or even consider side jobs that can help you bridge to your next role.
You can find a job faster if you have a clear vision of what you want. Don’t just concentrate on what you’re leaving, but also on what you want to go toward. Having a vision for what you want will help you target your search to ensure you’ll find something you like better. A clear vision will also help you stay hopeful and energized.
You’ll also get to your next role more quicky when you consider the skills you’ll want to build. Take an online class or obtain relevant certifications. There is a significant trend today for skills-based hiring, so organizations will be looking for the competencies you can bring.
Also polish your resume and online profiles like LinkedIn. With the likelihood of a long search, you’ll want to be ready in as many ways as possible to get a running start.
Another surefire way to reduce the time it takes to get your next role is by building your network. According to data from LinkedIn, 80% of job seekers said that networking was critical to their success. In addition, research published in Labour Economics found that 64% of those who were advanced in the hiring process were the result of referrals. Reach out to contacts and rekindle connections with people who can be helpful to you.
You can also speed the process by preparing for interviews. Get clear about the story about why you’ve left. You’ll want to be honest (of course!) and also compelling in how you describe all that you can bring to a future role. Review the most likely interview questions and prepare your best answers.
Overall, you can ease the process of finding your next job by preparing your mindset and your financials. And you can find a job fast by envisioning your future role, building your skills, polishing your resume, networking and building your confidence for interviewing. All of these will help you shine and stand out as the best candidate.
How can you make sure your next job is a good fit? The most straightforward approach to make the determination is to be sure you’re getting all that you don’t have in your current job.
Look for a sense of purpose and a clear understanding of how your role and your personal contribution will matter. Look for jobs where you’ll get recognition from leaders and the organization.
Also look for a job in which you’ll have the opportunity to learn, grow and develop. Look for work that challenges and stimulates you. Be sure to consider a job you’ll enjoy today, as well as a culture you’ll want to be part of over the longer term.
Look for a role where you feel a click with the people. Fully 75% of people make their friends at work, so look for a team and an organization where you feel aligned with the people and get along with them. Also look for a new job in which you respect not just your immediate supervisor, but also the other leaders in the organization.
Finally, look for an organization with a constructive culture. The best organizations for people and for the success of the company are those with a strong vision, mission and leadership as well as the opportunity to participate and get involved. The best are also those that have clear and consistent processes as well the ability to adapt to markets, customers and competitors. Look for these aspects of a great culture.
What should you do before leaving your current job? Here too, you’re smart to be intentional. Be sure you give adequate notice so you don’t leave your colleagues or your company in the lurch. Ensure you’re constructive in how you leave, and don’t burn bridges.
Even if you’re frustrated or angry, you’ll want to take a constructive approach. This is a good demonstration of your integrity and maturity, but it’s also pragmatic. The world is so networked today that if you damage your reputation or if you’re perceived as being unprofessional, you’re likely to experience negative consequences going forward.
Finding another job can be a full-time job in itself, so be sure you’re energized about where you might go. Ensure you’re not just running away from something you’re unhappy about but also have a perspective on where you can go. This focus on the future can ensure you’re not only deciding it’s time to quit for all the right reasons, but also that you’re able to find the next job more quickly and easily as well.
