Chances are pretty high that once you’ve settled into a secure job, you have no intention of leaving it any time soon.
There are, however, certain situations that can put the idea of seeking a new job front and center in your mind.
According to research by CEB, people have a higher tendency to change jobs after certain events and milestones.
1. Significant social gatherings with your peer group.
Attending a social gathering where you’ll be among peers who are close in age and life experience can inspire a desire for change. For instance, you decide to attend your high school or college reunion.
The reason you go is to catch up with old friends you knew back in the day, and you enjoy sharing a few laughs and some fond memories. As you share life stories, you can’t help but hear about career choices and successes others have had along the way.
Naturally, you’ll compare your job with others and silently measure your career success against that of your friends and associates. Perhaps it’s time to rethink your career goals, start working on increasing your chances of promotion or seek a job that more closely aligns with your values. Attending peer group events can trigger all of these thoughts.
2. Job anniversaries.
As the anniversary of your current job rolls around, you may reflect upon your reasons for taking the job in the first place.
Job anniversaries bring to the forefront everything you like or dislike about your job, as you ponder the years you’ve spent in one place.
3. Promotion anniversaries.
The anniversary of your promotion into a certain job position can lead to positive or negative feelings, depending on how well your job is going.
If the promotion isn’t living up to your expectations, you may decide it’s time to start looking into positions that offer more career fulfillment.
Make sure your career decisions are strategic.
So it could be the case that your dissatisfaction or restlessness with your current job, is less about the company or job, and more due to the fact that you just turned 40.
While it’s never a bad idea to take stock of your career and plan for the future, do make sure that any changes you are thinking about, actually make sense.