And just like that, we’re into a new season. As Summer falls into Autumn, it’s all getting a bit poetic outside the window.
All the leaves are turning brown. The sky is getting grey. The nights are falling in.
For this and many other reasons, not least the new leadership for the UK - both Prime Minister and Monarch - it’s feeling like quite an intense period of change. And there’s an old idea that change creates even more change, like a snowball down a mountain.
For jobseekers, or even previously settled employees, that can mean taking stock of where you’re at with your career, what your ambitions might be, and a frank and brutally honest re-assessment of whether your current job is going to get you where you want to be - whether that’s to a great work/life balance, a more flexible working approach, and new areas to learn from.
But, perhaps oddly for a recruiter, my advice is that moving purely for timing’s sake isn’t a good enough reason on its own. Many people stop enjoying their job, or feel they’ve hit a ceiling with it, but that’s not enough of a reason in itself to hand in your notice. It means it’s time to keep your ear to the ground and start having conversations with recruiters and hiring managers. The key thing is: don’t sack things off in a way that puts pressure on you to settle for your next role. That’s a slippery slope to start going down.
We’ve all got bills to pay, and handing in your notice without a desired job to go to can put pressure on finances. Yes, in the current market you’ll likely secure a new position before the end of your notice period but will it be the right one? You could end up taking a job that likely only ticks 50% of the boxes at best. Settling for the best of the worst options. Signing up for the least bad job going.
When I approach people and they say I’m not looking to move at this time, my initial thoughts are, are you waiting for your happiness to fall before considering your options? It’s foolish to assume that the right job will arrive like an Amazon next-day delivery. Sometimes the best opportunities present themselves at unexpected times.
We all deserve better than settling, simply because we move with the seasons, without properly assessing the best next step. So my advice is to stop obsessing over what’s making you feel unhappy, and focus on how to find things that will make you happy. Start those tricky conversations. Find a good sounding board. If you want to chat - even informally - I’m here to help.