If you haven’t watched this cute pup get covered in treats while he waits for the sign from his owner that he can eat all the Milk Bones that he wants, the cuteness factor is off the charts. He’s patient, and it pays off at the end of the video. He does, in fact, get to go after all the treats he wants. So how does this cute pup relate to your career? Have there been times in your career where the “going gets rough,” and it seemed like it would be easier to “cut and run?” Here are 5 career scenarios where you might want to be as patient as the pup in the video.
Your supervisor is non-existent.
This can be irritating because even though you know what you need to get done in a week, oftentimes you need to check in with your supervisor to make sure your approach is in line with where your department is going. When a supervisor is non-existent, it’s usually a result of one of two things; 1) they are completely overwhelmed with other employees or issues that require their attention, 2) they have come to depend on you 100%, and have complete confidence that you’ll bring anything to their attention that needs their input. Either way, both scenarios signal that you are not an employee that requires micromanaging and are likely considered an asset on their team. If you feel like this describes your position, when a promotion is on the horizon you are likely on the short list.
Your job title is changing.
You might have had the same job title for two years, and like what you’re doing. However, a change in circumstances, either company wide or in your department is ushering in reorganization that will shake up your responsibilities and your job title. Now is not the time to let anxiety take over and submit your resume to every resource you have in your network. The changing job title is a good thing because it signals progression. Additionally, if this is the first of many changes, you might get a promotion or enjoy your new role by the time everything settles down. If you’re in your new role for six months or more and would rather be anywhere else than at work, it’s probably time to consider your other options.
You can get a 10% raise somewhere else.
“Move for the money, and you’ll earn every penny.” Sure, money is a huge motivating factor, but make sure you’re looking at all of the factors. How do your benefits between your current organization and new employer compare? Is your new role bonus eligible? How often have bonuses historically been paid? What are the pros and cons between the environments of the two roles? Do you like your current co-workers? Are you inclined to believe you will like your new colleagues? How do the visions of the two companies compare? Will your new commute time improve, or will it be a little longer? What is important to you on a daily basis? Will your new role give you a renewed purpose when it comes to your work? Makes sure you’re looking at the whole picture, not just the paycheck.
You aren’t getting feedback.
This often coincides with our first issue, a non-existent supervisor, or an overwhelmed supervisor that’s dealing with other issues. Another possible scenario is that leadership doesn’t know who should be giving you feedback. This can lead to feelings that your leadership doesn’t care about you, and doesn’t know what you do. This isn’t a great scenario for you, but instead of leaving, identify someone in your leadership that you do want to work for, and seek them out. This can be tricky. The approach to connect with another person in leadership shouldn’t be to criticize the shortcomings of your current supervisor, but to relate your current project work to initiatives that are important to their team. Ideally, this results in leadership having conversations about your work (in a positive way), and your current supervisor taking a renewed interest in you and your projects. Or, you move to another team that appreciates your talent and commitment to their vision. It’s an approach that has risks, but will likely have positive results.
You want to give your “side business” 100% of your focus.
If you’ve spent any time watching Shark Tank or reading articles on Entrepreneur.com, you’ll know that you should wait to pursue your “side business” until it reaches the point that you have so much business that you can’t do both jobs anymore because they’re both suffering. This is a great problem to have! However, there have been many entrepreneurs who have “quit their day jobs” before their secondary business was profitable enough to replace the income it was providing. This has lead to increased pressure on a business that wasn’t ready to become a full-time job, and can leave an entrepreneur resenting the very business he or she started to escape the normal “rat race.” Oftentimes an entrepreneur will need one big transaction to take them from limited internet success to a business with employees and a mandate. Don’t walk away from your salaried nine to five job until you’re on the cusp of this level of stability.
There are dozens of scenarios that you’ve likely encountered through the course of your career that cause you to assess your current position and consider the alternatives. These are only five of the most common ones. We talk to dozens of candidates every day that are considering making a career change, and we’ll try to give an objective perspective when someone doesn’t know if they should stay, or if they should go. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you could use a second opinion. If you’re still trying to decide how to proceed even after you read this article, you might want to read “4 Things to ask yourself before quitting your job.”