After last month’s blog post questioning if it was time to seek pastures new several people contact Robertson Sumner to ask if there was any warning signs that they, or those around them, can look out for to help. So here follows are top ten warning signs that you need a new career!

1. You’ve already given thought to finding a new job. Everyone has the occasional bad day / week leading to a outburst of “I need a new job!” but if you have been mulling this over on multiple occasions and a dislike of your job / co-workers / boss keeps occurring then you should take it as a sign!
2. Conversations about work are dominated with complaint about your day / company. Most conversations with family and friends will at some point include the standard “so how’s work” in some form or another. But if every time you answer this it turns into a negative statement about your job / company / colleagues then perhaps it’s time for a role where the majority of your statement will be positive.
3. “I Don’t like Monday’s.” To quote Sir Bob Geldof song if you don’t like Mondays with a passion then do something about it! Most people in employment can feel tired first thing on a Monday or have slight apprehension about starting an new week. But if the thought of it starts to consume most of Sunday afternoon / evening then that is not good!
4. You can’t sleep / your sleeping patterns have changed. A very obvious warning sign can be simple that you can’t get to sleep! If thoughts of work or waking up due to work induced worries is occurring then this is not a healthy sign. Job induced stress is a sad fact of the majority of roles but if it is affecting your ability to get enough sleep than your long term health could be paying the price for your current career choice.
5. You dream about retiring / winning the lottery – a lot! Be honest everyone dreams on the rare occasion about early retirement (age depending) or winning the lottery and living a care free life! But if you find this daydream occurring the majority of the week or you are desperately checking your lottery numbers after ever draw then its time to call a stop to your job! As long as your working life might seem – don’t spend counting it down you should be clock watching when you’ve only been at working for a couple of hours…
6. You feel bored at work at are not as productive as you once were. Be honest everyone feels a little bored at times at work? It could be there’s 30 minutes to go before you finish and there’s not enough time to start that new item on your to-do list…. But if you are feeling bored or looking for excuses to not work when you have plenty to do then it’s time to question your motivation. Especially if you work in an office and its easy to access the internet – that quick 5 minute browse on Amazon can turn into a morning where nothing got done then it could be time for a more mentality stimulating role!
7. You are getting colds / physical symptoms more often than normal. Stress can affect your immune system so the more stressed you are the more likely you are to develop colds / illnesses. However if you find yourself with a slight head cold and use it as an excuse not to go into work then you have to ask yourself how “brought into” your current role are you?
8. An increasing consumption of alcohol. There is nothing wrong at all with a few drinks to relax… But if you find yourself drinking significantly more than normal – especially if you start preferring to drink alone rather than socially – this can be a serious issue and should be treated as such.
9. Suffering from changing appetite. Whilst alcohol might be some peoples weapon of choice when stressed it can also affect your appetite. While for most this can be a lack of appetite for some it can go the other way and you find yourself eating more than normal as a way of destressing.
10. You feel short tempered with and irritated by your colleagues. It’s a sad fact of your professional life that it’s impossible to work with people you like 100% of the time. There will always be that one person who annoys or irritates you at work – we are after all only human. However it you find that more and more of your colleague’s are irritating you and you can wait for the end of the day so you can escape them all then it’s definitely time to look for a new role!

Remember almost everyone will encounter a few of these at some time during their career so if one or two sounds like you at the moment don’t panic…! But if more than five of these warning signs are applicable then it might be time to have a long hard conversation with yourself about what you want for your professional future. Remember if you are not enjoying your current role and haven’t been for a while, combine this with the warning signs above then its time to be honest with yourselves. It’s always better to leave a role on a high and on good terms than soldier on and risk destroying all that your time and effort has brought you.