You may be at a job that you hate. You and your manager may not be on good terms. You have decided you want out. The alarm clock rings at 6:00 A.M. and you wake up in a good mood. The thought strikes you, “Oh! I have to go to work today. Wish it was the weekend.” Your mood turns from good to somber. You are dreading your job each day and it’s only getting worse.
Maybe the circumstances are that you are in a job where you don’t like the job tasks or feel like you’re stuck in a dead end job. You’ve decided, “It’s time to hit the road.”
It would be nice to have a job you enjoy because when you add the work time which is the pre-work time of waking up and getting ready for work. There is also 8 hours spent working from 9 to 5:30 and then the commute back home which is 30 minutes to an hour. You have spent your entire day up until 6:00 P.M. based on pre-work time, work time, and commuting. If you go to sleep at 10:30 that is 4.5 hours a day you have to yourself in real time. No wonder why time flies fast.
Since you have decided to hit the road for a new job it is best to consider these 3 key factors.
Upgrade Your Resume
First, update your resume by using a professional resume writer or update your own resume with advice from friends and coworkers. A resume is that golden ticket to open doors and to even qualify you for positions that you may not qualify for if your experience is not written in the right way. Target your resume for the jobs that you seek.
Have a New Job Lined Up and Don’t Burn Your Bridges
The second factor is to have a new job lined up before you quit your day job. If you have saved money and think that can be your cushion and want to quit right away this is usually not a good plan because saving money is difficult only to have it depleted in no time at all. There are other factors to consider with an immediate loss of income such as car loss, home or apartment eviction, and yeah- those fun getaway trips and Happy Hour specials.
Some people are at their wits end and quit their job before things “hit the roof.” This is highly not recommended and also don’t burn your bridges even if you decide you hate the place and never want to go back. I know of one situation where a person quit their job and gave one week’s notice and not the 2 week’s notice required by the employer. She was warned by a coworker and her boss that if she didn’t give her 2 week’s notice she would be marked as not eligible for rehire based on the corporation’s policy and this was a major billion dollar corporation. The $85,000 a year sales employee didn’t listen because she disliked the manager. She moved away from Florida to Maryland to work with her newfound job and to be with her boyfriend. She hated her new job and her boyfriend. Two double whammies that occurred in 8 months. Ouch! Even though she had connections at the previous company she could never work for them again after she repeatedly tried to get rehired.
Move Forward, Lateral, or Backward if Necessary
The third factor to consider is which direction to go. Will the next job offer be a forward, lateral, or backward career move? This career move will have to be deliberated and the pros weighed against the cons. Sometimes a backward move can turn out to be a forward move later and sometimes a backward move can turn out to be a leap backward due to unforeseen circumstances.
