Should I Stay or Should I Go? My Advice on Navigating Career Change

I recently underwent a major career change. I've had several jobs throughout my professional career thus far, and every job I have had has lead me to a better understanding of my professional skillset, my career personality, and my overall life goals. Little did I realize that I was actually a part of a bigger movement happening in society commonly referred to as “ The Great Resignation” or “The Great Reshuffle.”

In this particular season, I just found myself in this space of redefining what I wanted work to be for me when I found myself in a job that completely drained me. Ultimately, there were a lot of reasons that attributed to this role being difficult for me, but the main reason, was me. I realized it was just not the best fit for my personality and interests. I’m so grateful for my time in that position because it taught me so much about myself as a career woman, manager, creative type, and as an overall human being. I have no regrets, only great lessons learned that I share with you in hopes that it may help you find direction/clarity if you find yourself in a similar season as I did.

Lessons I learned about myself in this process:

- First, I am definitely an introvert. I’m not shy, I love working with a variety of people, and I believe collaboration is very important. However, being around tons of people consistently with no time to recharge does not result in my most creative or productive environment.

- Second, I really like order and structure (or being able to create it if it doesn't exist). Being in an environment that is constantly changing inefficiently and has a lot of ambiguity with little or no options for me to contribute to establishing order and/or consistency does not promote a space for me to utilize my talents.

- Lastly, I have learned a lot about boundaries. Work-life boundaries is what I like to call my new outlook, and being in a workplace that required me to be "on" 24/7 wasn’t working for me anymore. It was producing a quantity of work life instead of a quality of work life that I desire to contribute to my workplace.

With all of that, I really took the time to reflect, not on just what I was passionate about, but the ideal environment in which I could be energized in and contribute well to my company, regardless of the work I was doing. I think many people find themselves in a similar place, but are not sure what to do.

Remember this: there are many jobs out there, but only one you. You should be in an environment where both you and your company become better with you being there (and I’m a big believer that you should enjoy what you are doing too!)

Here are some steps to consider if you are navigating job/career change:

STEP 1: IDENTIFYING IF IT’S TIME TO STAY OR GO
- You aren't growing anymore. Whether financially, in skills, rank, or knowledge, if your job is not challenging you anymore (and you desire a challenge), it might be time to look for something else.
- If you’ve tried setting boundaries within your work and life and it is not working and/or being respected. Your work is your everything (and you don’t want it to be).
- You just know you are ready for something new. Maybe you’re curious or just know you’re ready to try a new job, industry, etc.
- You’re in a toxic work environment and a solution-oriented approach hasn’t worked.
- or whatever reason you want it to be!

STEP 2: WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A NEW JOB STARTS WITH YOU
Everyone may have their own process for this and their own motivations for their job search. This is what I did. I started with making a list (my favorite!). I wrote down:

1. What energized me.
2. What drained me.
3. What I was good at.
4. What I wasn't good at (I then took this out because I honestly believe we are capable of being "good" at whatever we put our minds to).
5. What I DO want out of work.
6. What I DO NOT want out of work.

I made this list when I was at my absolute toughest point of my role so that I could refer to it in the good times and not get blinded/distracted by my emotions or opportunities that seemed good upfront. Job searching can be an emotional process as much as it is a logical process too! So make sure to keep your emotions in check.

And then honestly from there, I prayed. I prayed a lot. I prayed over the list, for the right opportunity to come my way, and clarity in my decision-making.

Then, I started searching for opportunities that matched my skillset and interests. I also notified mentors and those in my professional circles that I was beginning the search (this also happened simultaneously in my list-making step).

STEP 2/3/THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS: CHATTING WITH MENTORS
I regularly try to connect with mentors and/or career professionals I admire. I find it very beneficial to hear someone else’s insight who has gone before you. In this particular season, the number one question I asked my mentors was:

”How did you know when it was time to leave/change your job?”

I received some great responses that really help me to evaluate if I was just in down season or if it really was time to find something else. I also made sure to let them know when I had decided to start looking so they could provide insight into my job search and or help me make connections to any opportunities they knew about.

STEP 4: APPLICATION PROCESS
There were a few ways I went about this. I reached out to my contacts to ask for recommendations and/or if they knew of any openings I would be a good fit for, I applied on job sites, I used LinkedIn, and I also did a Google Maps search.

One of my items on my list for “What I Do Want Out of Work” was a 10 minute or less commute. With the city I am in growing exponentially, I knew that commutes were getting longer and I didn’t want to use up precious work energy on driving to work. So, I got on my Google Maps and searched for companies within a 10 minute radius from my house and looked to see if there were any opportunities that aligned with my experience/interests.

STEP 5: QUESTIONS TO ASK IN THE INTERVIEW

Once the opportunities started reaching out, I entered the interview phase. I made sure to study up on each of the companies and come up with a list of questions that aligned with my list of wants out of work. Here are some of the general questions/topics I made sure to address (note: questions were tailored more specific to each company and some were addressed during the interview):

ROLE-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS:
- What are the day to day responsibilities of this role?
- What does training look like for this role?
- What does success look like in this role?
- What do you see in the first 3-6 months for this role?
- Where do you this role/department in the next 2-5 years?
- How many other people have been in this role before? What was their trajectory like? What didn’t work out?
- Is there anything based on my experience or what I have shared that could be a barrier to this role?

MANAGEMENT AND COMPANY - SPECIFIC QUESTIONS:
- What kind of leader and manager are you?
- What is the company/team culture like? What is important to you in a company culture?
- What does a typical week look like for you/the company?
- Do you have questions for me?
- How did the company handle the pandemic in terms of employment/adapting?
- Are there any professional development / learning opportunities for employees?
- How many other people have been in this role before? What was their trajectory like? What didn’t work about it?
- Any equity once metrics are completed? Where is the funding coming from? (I interviewed for a startup)

BENEFITS/OFFICE LIFE-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS:
- Starting Salary Range
- Bonuses/Raises
- Office Life/Work From Home/Daily Work Hours
- In-Office Setup (cubicle, private office, etc)
- Technology/Systems used (Apple, Microsoft, etc)
- Medical Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision
- Leave: PTO, Holidays, FMLA, Maternity, Disability
- Dress Code

STEP 6: HOW TO CHOOSE BETWEEN JOB OFFERS
At the end of my search, I received a job offer from 3 opportunities I interviewed for. Each were fantastic opportunities in their own way, and it was a tough decision. What ultimately helped me decide which opportunity to go with was to refer to my initial list. It kept me focused and reminded me the environment that I wanted to work in on my best days and my worst day. I picked the opportunity that met the majority of my requirements (remember, there is no perfect company out there and you may have to compromise on some of your items, just make sure you know what you negotiables and non-negotiables are!)

Make sure to listen to your gut too. What should your gut reaction be when you get an offer? You should be excited. If it’s anything else, reconsider and always always always counteroffer regardless! The interview process is very telling of what the actual company experience will be. Ask yourself: Do they value you upfront? Do they care about your time? Do they value your experience? Are they willing to compensate you for your experience and what you can contribute to their company?

CONGRATS! If you are reading this you’ve made it to the end of this very long blog article. I hope you found it helpful and I would love to know your thoughts, advice, experiences, etc. in the comments!

My biggest lesson in this process was learning to trust myself, trust God, and trust my experiences to lead me to the right opportunity. A lot of people will have opinions on what you should and should not do in your career. Take the advice, but also listen to your own gut. In the end, it didn’t matter what others thought about what I was doing, what I wanted, or where I was going, God has always taken care of me and provided for me, and continues to do so in big ways. For that, I am grateful.

Thank you so much to everyone helped me in this journey! I’m sure there are many more career seasons to come, but in this one, I’m just taking in every moment of it with gratitude.

ADDITIONAL HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Why You Need to Stop Panic Applying for Jobs by How to Find Your Dream Job Podcast: Fantastic podcast about job searching. I loved this episode specifically because it reminded me to slow down and be specific in what I wanted https://open.spotify.com/episode/3s9fZpZUUKsaH1esvW9nvR?si=6SVbgU0DT22ZmOe1_erCcw

Career Contessa - All things career/workplace advice

The Financial Diet - Great career/finance tips!