Changing your job is one of the biggest turning points in your career. It is rarely an easy decision. What is important is being willing to take a calculated risk. Although different people value different things, these following factors can help you make an informed decision when you want to make a switch.
Job Role
Think it through when you pick your job role. The more similar the job is to your experience, the easier it is for you to handle. A good choice for those who can’t take stress in large doses.
On the contrary, a job that allows you to do challenging tasks and projects will equip you with new skills, including prioritisation and critical thinking. This way, it is better for your career development in the long run when you accept higher positions.
Learning Opportunities
Imagine how you want your career path to be in the next 3 or 5 years. What kinds of positions are you aiming for? Then reverse engineer what types of skills you would need to fit in those positions, and try to learn relevant skills along the way. Select the job that lets you pick up these helpful skills.
Money
When possible, strive for a higher salary and competitive pay. Basically, your salary should cover your expenses. Don’t forget to factor in the costs of your commute. At the very least, your pay should be commensurate with your skills and experience.
Salary negotiation can be daunting. So always be prepared before you negotiate your salary. See GetLinks Salary Report so you know the rough market rates based on position and experience.
Location
Don’t underestimate location. While travelling one hour plus on a normal, happy day is nothing to you, it can wear you down when your workload becomes too tough.
Remote work is becoming more popular. If the company has options for remote working or working from home, you can mitigate part of (if not all of) the bad traffic challenges and efficiently manage your time. Other advantages are said to be increase in productivity, morale, and happiness. Interesting, aren’t they?
Work Environment
The work environment goes beyond office decoration and layout. The most impactful element is arguably people. Yes, the whole lot of your management team, direct manager (hopefully not more than one!), teammates, colleagues, and subordinates.
Everyone knows how good it feels to work with friendly people who share the same values. There will be times when you need morale support and pep talks. Having good friends in the office makes your days much more enjoyable and tolerable. It is part of the reasons that motivate you to go to work each morning, even though your work drives you mad sometimes!
Another thing worth doing research on is the company’s culture to make sure it is aligned with your personal values. You can probe interviewers further so they elaborate more on both the culture and values, just to confirm you understand things right.
Put It All Together: Make a Well-thought-out Decision
Remember that you spend 8 hours a day or more working in an office. That’s half of your waking hours. Therefore, weigh all these 5 factors well. Chances are you may have to trade off some factors for other factors that you value more. Always give more weight to the ones that are more important to you personally.
The choice is yours, so think through and make it worth your while!
P.S. In case you haven’t done your resignation yet. Find out How to Quit with Style in our blog article with the same name to make sure you’ve got everything covered! Have a good hunt!
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