Move on Down the Road

Dear Jean,

What are the signs and symptoms when it’s time to move on to another position, or even another company?

Reply:

When you are not getting most of your needs met or when your personal boundaries are being violated.

I have been involved in the “find a job” strategies of more than 20,000 people.  People leave because they are not getting their needs met.  Well over half the time, the problem lies in the relationship between the employee and supervisor.  The comments I hear most are:  “We just don’t communicate,” “I can’t seem to please my boss,” or “The morale around there is the pits.”

Other reasons include:  no way to learn anything new, passed over for promotion more than once, troublemaker in the department, no challenge, new boss with radically different philosophy, too many hours of overtime, and frozen salary.  It is rare, though, for a person to leave because of salary alone.

A word of caution:  Occasionally, career problems are brought on by the person considering the change.  A rule of thumb is if you had the same or a similar problem in your last position, it could be you.  So before you take that “geographical cure,” make an honest appraisal of yourself.  Bounce it off someone who will tell you the truth, and see if there is anything you are doing to make your situation worse.  If so, change your behavior.  If not, update your resume.