Article by InterSearch Romania, (Pendl & Piswanger Romania).
In a world of rapid changes and many unknowns, there are plenty employees afraid of losing their jobs and other who are afraid of quitting their jobs. It is never an easy decision to change jobs, therefor this article is intended as a guide to help those people who feel detached from their current role, by following 4 steps of the so-called job satisfaction process. The result of this process should help you take the best decision for you, either reengage or whether a new job will make you feel more fulfilled.
We can think of several reasons why the idea of quitting is crossing our minds, from working in a toxic environment, miscommunication with management, less excitement and tough challenges, frustration caused by unhappiness with your tasks and many other reasons. From thinking about quitting until quitting your job, is a long way. It is important to understand the process and the 4 steps that are important to follow for being prepared to take such a decision.
- First, evaluate the current situation you are in right now by asking yourself a few questions.
Do I like my job?
What do I like most about my job and what do I like least?
Where do I get my most satisfaction after a day of work?
Is it in the process of doing my work, the outcome of my work or after I leave work and think about something totally different?
What are the first 3 words crossing your mind when thinking about your work?
Most people don’t realize that a sense of purpose can be achieved in almost any job — it’s just a question of how you frame it. People tend to think at their work in either of these 3 directions: my work is a job, a career, or a calling. In this context, a job can be understood as something that you do for the money you get, a career comes with a long-term plan and commitment to develop further and make more money in the future and a calling is the work you do for its own inherent value.
Write down the answer to the questions above and be honest while doing. There is no wrong or correct answer, it is just the truth that will help you one step further to understand your purpose in the role you have now and to choose either to stay or to move to another role.
- Second, you plan. After answering all the above questions and having a brighter picture about your work, your responsibilities, your likes and dislikes and your desired career goals, you plan to match your role with your values and interests. How do you do that? By aligning the values and interest with your work. Values reflect key aspects of what people think is important about their life and work. As mentioned in the HBR article, taking a values survey can help us understand the aspects of our job that bring as satisfaction and plan accordingly our career moves.
- Visualize yourself in the new reframed role. Project the tasks you plan to fulfill and the results you want to accomplish. Can you feel excitement and joy by thinking about this?
- You are feeling that your work will enable you feel the alignment between your role and career interests, then, you move towards the final step, which is ACT!
People might believe that the last step is the most difficult one, thus this is just a misperception. The hard work was already done, now you just act guided by the results of the other 3 steps. Some examples of how you can overcome frustration and move towards job satisfaction could be retraining. Look for courses that will help you develop skills that you have identified as fulfilling and which can give you the positive boost you need. Initiate a discussion with you direct manager and present him/her your evaluation results and point to your strengths and interest and try to redesign your role.
Nevertheless, if you feel like your current work will not enable you to feel the satisfaction you need and there is a significant mismatch between your interests and the job you are doing, this is the best indicator to think about alternatives and act accordingly.
Quitting your job might be a good solution but not necessary the right one.
Do not act on impulse!
Evaluate first, plan according to your evaluation results, visualize the changes and act to achieve job satisfaction! Of course, you always could have a talk with a Headhunter who could help you explore the WHY, WHEN and HOW.
About InterSearch Romania (Pendl & Piswanger Romania)
Pendl & Piswanger (P&P) is a retained executive search firm, one of the leading boutique consultancies in Romania, focusing our service on leadership advisory and recruiting executive and non-executive board members, general management roles and C-suite executives, as well as high-end experts through-out a broad area of industries. With a presence of 40 years in CEE and 25 years in Romania, they are committed to their clients who gain a competitive advantage by hiring great people. To maintain their edge, they operate across all major industry sectors, learn, diversify permanently and avoid specialization by limiting their client portfolio to a particular industry.
