When a Job Is Not Right For You: 16 Signs
Explore the warning signs that the job isn't the right fit and what to do next
How we feel about our job impacts our personal life, sense of self-worth, and overall well-being. If you're not happy in your current role, feel stressed and discouraged, and dread Mondays, it may be the signs that the current position is not a good fit. In this article, we explain how to tell between the temporary frustration and the wrong choice of employer.
Are you ready to move on and look for a new job? The job-hunting process will go much smoother with a professionally written resume. The resume experts of Resumeperk.com will prepare you a resume that markets your skills and achievement efficiently. Thus, you'll get more chances of getting an interview with your target company.
16 signs you're in a wrong job
1. The values of the company don't align with yours
The broad term ‘company values' stands for simple yet important things: the dress code, work-life balance, and attitude to work. If the company facilitates weekly team buildings and encourages working late hours while you feel like getting work done early and leaving on time, the misunderstandings are inevitable. Moreover, the discomfort because the company doesn't suit your personality and working style will keep you stressed.
2. A regular paycheck is the only thing that keeps you there
Competitive pay is important for overall job satisfaction. Yet, if you continue showing up in the office only because this job is your only source of income, it means that your job doesn't satisfy you in all other aspects. You don't feel accomplished and don't grow professionally which isn't good for your career in the long run. Start saving money and sending your resume to other companies at the same time.
3. The leadership (or their expectations) have changed
Were things going comparatively well at work until the new department manager or CEO was hired? Do you struggle to find common ground with your new boss or are you being told that they are dissatisfied with your performance? Try to figure out what exactly they are dissatisfied with. If the feedback lacks substance or you don't see eye to eye with new management, it's better not to wait for dismissal and start to look for a new job.
4. The company doesn't offer room for growth
When we don't grow professionally, we stagnate. Your current job should offer vertical progression or at least advancement in your professional skill set. Needless to say that you should expect a promotion or pay raise based on performance reviews. If the company offers you none of the above, it might feel not so bad at first especially if the pay is good. However, it isn't good for your career in the long run as you don't learn new things.
5. An overwhelming workload doesn't leave you time for anything else
Would you like to go to New York, meet with college friends and finally learn how to start a blog but the job takes all your evenings and most of the weekends? Most Americans work more than 40 hours a week, but if your working week exceeds 60 hours and you have no time for anything else in life because you are exhausted, it's a surefire sign that it's time to quit.
6. You don't use all your knowledge and skills
If the current job doesn't require all of your skills and professional abilities, you don't develop them any further and they become dormant. Moreover, the fact that you don't perform to your potential is frustrating. Maybe, you've taken the job you're overqualified for – in this case, it's time to continue looking for an opportunity allowing you to put all your hard and soft skills into practice.
7. Your performance isn't measured
In addition to a competitive salary, another factor that determines our job satisfaction is being valued. If the management and colleagues ignore your ideas, suggestions and sabotage your initiatives, that's a clear sign that you are not valued. Another sign is that the company doesn't create metrics for you and doesn't measure your performance. Not only it disconnects you from business goals, but also you don't feel you're not making a contribution. And, since the goals are not set for you, it makes you feel redundant.
8. The job is different from what was promised to you
Yes, it's probably naïve to expect that a job will be 100% as advertised on the job board. Yet, if the interviewer promised you a marketing position and the opportunity to work at challenging social media and advertisement projects and you ended up doing simple clerical work, it's a huge disappointment. Another sign that you're wasting your time is when instead of your direct responsibilities you perform the assignments of boss and coworkers.
9. You dread Mondays and feel exhausted before lunchtime
Do you feel depressed every Sunday evening and methods to find desire and inspiration don't inspire you any longer? Or maybe, you wake up inspired but feel overtired after a couple of hours in the office? It means that something about your job stresses you so much that you lack the energy to perform well. If you've had this feeling for weeks, it's time to have a talk with management about what bothers you or to consider making a big move in your career.
10. The stress affects other areas of your life
Workplace stress is inevitable, but if the constant stress and pressure you experience in the office stays strong even after relaxation and sleep, don't ignore this sign. An excess of stress at work can impact your emotional and mental well-being. Try to identify what bothers you and take actions – resolve the conflict in the office, talk to your boss about your duties or ask about promotion opportunities. And if the source of stress doesn't go, take care of your health and start considering other jobs out there.
11. You don't get the salary and benefits promised to you
The definition of a perfect job involves not only challenging tasks and room for growth, but also a decent pay and competitive benefits and perks. If you were promised competitive benefits but received access to only some or none of them, it's time to question whether this job is the right fit.
Top companies offer such benefits as dental insurance, paid parental leave, paid days off, tuition reimbursement, and childcare assistance. These benefits cover part of your expenses and give you a more confident future outlook with the company.
Start by asking the HR about how to get access to the promised benefits. If you don't get a clear answer, maybe it's time to start looking for a more stable and transparent employer.
12. You don't feel valued and appreciated
79% of employees feel more engaged and motivated if they get recognition and praise from the employer. Hearing verbal praise and acknowledgement is just as important as the paycheck. It helps us feel valued and important at work and contributes to our sense of well-being, which also impacts other areas of life negatively.
If you don't hear verbal praise from your boss and coworkers, or worse yet, receive only criticism, you'll be a different person that if you heard something positive. You can start feeling stressed, exhausted, and reluctant to do even simple tasks. If that sounds like you, maybe it's time to find a better job fit.
13. The work-life balance seems non-existent
Working late hours from time to time is nothing tragic. Any company can experience the situation when employees have to work late or on weekends to complete an important project for the client or adjust to changing market conditions. However, if overworking is considered normal in your company, it is time to reflect on your choice of employer.
If you don't have enough time to rest and spend over 10 hours a day at work, it may lead to physical strain, exhaustion, and mental health issues. Plus, your family relationships may deteriorate.
Let's be honest - in many corporate and legal jobs, overworking regularly is considered a norm. Yet, if you don't feel comfortable with you and experience exhaustion, it's time to dive deeper and reconsider your choice of profession.
14. The job does not align with your long-term goals
Every year or six months, take the time to review your long-term professional goals and whether you're moving towards them. Ask yourself where you want to be in two, five, and ten years from now and how your current role makes you closer to that long-term career goal. Are you developing the right skills? Are you networking with important people in your industry?
Say, if your goal is to be a CMO but you currently work as administrative assistant, you are probably going nowhere. So, it's time to either reconsider your priorities or start looking for a marketing job that will help you develop the essential skills in digital marketing, PR, and people management.
15. The company doesn't seem stable
If you are concerned about the stability of the company, it is probably not the best job fit. Whether the company has huge layoffs, goes through restructuring, or the industry stagnates, you don't want to wait for resignation. It's hardly possible to make future career plans if the company is sinking.
So, don't wait for a formal layoff. Update your resume, start attending interviews and monitor the job market to see what other options you have. Even if you are super loyal to your current employer, you want to have a clear action plan if you get fired.
16. You no longer feel interested
Probably, the #1 sign that the job is not the right fit is losing interest. A few months ago, you were excited about developing the marketing strategy, discussing it with coworkers, and negotiating with clients. Now, you feel bored, do the bare minimum of what is requested of you, and roll the eyes every time you see the new task on your dashboard.
Does this sound like you? If there hasn't been major changes in the organization recently (such as changing leadership, mergers, or bankruptcy), there are multiple ways to explain the situation:
- You may have become overqualified for your current role and the tasks are no longer exciting;
- The employer is not the best fit;
- You feel dissatisfied about your current profession and want a major change of career.
Understand how you feel about the situation. It takes time and energy, and maybe you will need to talk to a career coach. Yet, without a clear understanding about how you feel about your profession in general, you'll risk making wrong career choices.
If several points from this list describe your situation, it means that the current job isn't good both for your career and your mental health. Deciding to quit isn't easy, but there are a plenty of jobs that will be a better fit for you.
My current job is not the right fit. What's next?
Apparently, when a job is not right for you, it's time to find something meaningful, enjoyable, fulfilling, and with better pay. Here are the steps you can take to be mentally prepared and find a new job:
Think about what happens if you stay.
Leaving your job in this economy is always scary. To help yourself make a decision, think about what happens if you keep this job for the next six months or a year. Imagine yourself in a year from now stagnating and not learning new skills, getting a low pay, constantly stressed and overworked, or completely miserable in a toxic environment. Not happy with this outcome? Then, it's time to move on.
If you've been on a job for a couple of months only, read our guide on how to quit a job you just started.
Think about what other options you have.
To feel more confident to leave the current role, consider your odds of a successful career change. Here's what to do:
- Go to the job boards and explore what people with similar skills and years of experience get, and if there are many open jobs
- Think about other companies if your industry where you can apply
- Tap into your network - ask your friends, alumni, and colleagues if there are any job opportunities for someone with your skills.
Start learning new skills.
If you realized that many jobs require skills you don't have, it's time to learn and develop. You might need to master specific software or learn digital skills for remote work. For example, if you are a marketing manager, read the job descriptions, find the skills you're missing, and start learning them to feel more confident during your job search.
Save money.
Even if you're not very happy with a job, don't leave it immediately (unless it damages your mental or physical health). Make sure that you have savings for three to six months of living expenses, and start saving more. Start looking for a new job while keeping the old one to reduce the unemployment period.
Start looking for a new job.
Now that you're clear on what type of job you're looking for and have marketable skills, it's time to apply for jobs actively. Send personalized resumes and cover letters to increase your chance of being considered. Use the power of your network and ask people you know to recommend you.
Need a professional resume?
If the current job makes you unhappy and doesn't align with your professional goals, the faster you start looking for new opportunities the better. Would you like to give your resume a professional touch? Our company offers the best resume editing services for you.
An experienced editor will fix the mistakes, improve formatting and writing style of your old resume so you could make an irresistible impression on the hiring authorities. So, stay confident, believe that you can find the job you'll love and get your resume edited at an affordable price to maximize your chances of getting an interview call.