We’ve all had a bad day at the office. In fact, we’ve likely had bad weeks.

Realistically, everyone experiences peaks and troughs in their jobs, and too much flip-flopping in your career can send up big red flags to future employers about your tenacity and work ethic. Nobody wants to employ someone who seems to just cut and run when the landscape gets rocky.

That said, the time to move onwards and upwards by seeking a new job will arrive for everyone at some point. It’s a very personal decision, and not one that can be based on a checklist. But if you’ve noticed these signs for a good few months now, it may be time to consider pastures new.

#1. Same old, same old – you aren’t being challenged

You feel like you can do your job, but it doesn’t stretch you or utilise your ‘best skills’. If you’re constantly itching to do more, and are being stifled by the confines of your current job, it sounds like you’ve outgrown it. Inquire about internal promotion, or suggest ways you could add value that go beyond your current remit. Taking this initiative in itself could see your employer take note and develop your role, but if that’s not an option, cast yourself a broader net.

#2. Company culture – you just don’t feel like yourself

You hesitate before you speak, you can’t laugh out loud, and you feel yourself playing a part. Nobody likes that feeling. If you’re new, then give the dust time to settle, but if that doesn’t improve further down the line, it’s a legitimate reason to look elsewhere. Maybe you feel like a small cog in a rigid corporate and would feel more at home in a boutique, start-up atmosphere. Equally, you might be sick of grinding away on a small enterprise that just isn’t going anywhere, and you want to spread your wings for an established brand with structure and a path for progression. Be honest with yourself, and take that step.

#3. False advertising – it’s not what it said on the tin

Promised exposure to different parts of the company that isn’t happening? Promised training opportunities that haven’t materialised? Is the company just not the one that was sold to you during the job interview? Your employer may not have realised this is the case, so it’s definitely worth airing your feelings in a professional manner. Failing that, try researching companies with a higher level of employee satisfaction and weigh up your options.

#4. Different visions – your personal goals can’t be met

It can happen: you have a clear-cut vision of where you’re heading and yet your boss seems to have completely different ideas. If what’s important to you is being ignored and you’re being steered along a road you really don’t want to be on, consider getting off at the next exit.

#5. Feeling invisible – your hard work is constantly overlooked

Are you consistently going above and beyond, smashing targets and adding value, but finding this goes unnoticed? If you’ve tried to broach this with your employers but it’s fallen on deaf ears, it may be time to take that brilliance elsewhere.

#6. Monday blues – you dread the working week

We all get that Sunday evening slump from time to time. But if this has become a real sense of anxiety and dread as the weekday looms, you need to take stock of your options. If you go to bed every Sunday night with a knot in your stomach and a sickness in your throat, it needs addressing.

#7. When you know, you know

You can take all the advice in the world about how things might get better if you stick at it, but you know better than anyone if that’s something you’re willing to do. If your gut is screaming at you to make a change, it’s always worth at least hearing that voice out and doing some research.

The cliché is true: you are the master of your own destiny. That doesn’t necessarily mean quitting one job to pursue another, though. If you have any of the above concerns, take control of it and talk to your employer – it’s on you to get your voice heard above the rabble. A good boss won’t fob you off. A great boss will be as invested in you as you are. Sometimes, though, a company just can’t meet your needs. Equally, if your concerns fall on deaf ears, think about moving on somewhere they won’t.

If you are looking to make a change in your career and would like to discuss your options with an experienced consultant, please contact one of our team today: Sara Tehrani for Internal Communications; Jimmy Ingram for Marketing; Lucy Cairncross for External Communications; Matthew Gibbs, for Interim Communications. 

Alternatively, visit our jobs board to browse our latest vacancies.