Hate your current job and can’t figure out how to make a move?
Sometimes, it’s due to circumstances, and other times, it comes down to choice. We often convince ourselves it’s a circumstance when, in fact, it remains a choice.
Not everyone ‘can’ quit their undesirable job. That is 100% true.
When you believe it’s a circumstance, ensure that is indeed the case. Here are some examples:
‘I have no time to look.’
- Do you watch football on Sunday and still claim to have no time?
- Could you skip that trip and spend the time searching instead?
- Are you maintaining the existing routine that could be modified into a temporary routine, which actually allows you time to search?
- There are indeed people who legitimately have zero time to search. There are too many people with a wide variety of situations to list. We all acknowledge their existence and I am in no way making light of these folks.
However, there are others who only believe they have no time to search. With some adjustments, they likely could create the time. Once, someone called me while walking into a Spider-Man movie, asking me if I had found them anything yet. While I’m all for “me time,” that was an ill-timed phone call and conversation, in my humble opinion.
‘I don’t know how to network.’
- There are countless resources available on how to do this. If you’re reading this, you’re on LinkedIn and have already started the effort – now you just need help on how to make it work for you.
- Networking isn’t a “set it and forget it” exercise.
If you’re still struggling with how to network, reach out to people on LinkedIn or start attending or watching live or recorded sessions available on various platforms about “how to network.” There’s an abundance of advice out there.
‘My company will fire me if I update my LinkedIn profile.’
I hear this frequently these days. If a company fires someone for that, then you have indeed confirmed you work for a subpar company. This is a legitimate concern these days with all the layoffs, and I suggest you remain discreet if this is a main concern. You can still engage on LinkedIn without updating your profile, so don’t make that the reason you think you’re stuck – it isn’t. I’ve hired plenty of people with outdated LinkedIn profiles and put them to work with people who have equally outdated profiles.
Maybe you could get creative and find out if your HR person has suggestions for how employees can maintain a good online presence for the company. For instance, “I know we are recruiting for a few roles at the moment. Would it make sense for us, as a company, to invest some time in updating everyone’s LinkedIn profiles, so we have a uniform and cleaner, more professional feel?” This suggestion may fall on deaf ears, but who knows.
‘I am fearful that if I go somewhere new and they have layoffs, I will be the last in and first out.’
This is a potential situation in EVERY job you’ve ever had throughout your career. Everyone’s situation is unique. Just ensure you’ve exhausted all options before you convince yourself that you have none!