5 signs it's time to leave your job (sooner rather than

Knowing when to quit your job can be tricky at the best of times. Throw a pandemic into the mix and it becomes even more difficult to decide whether to stay in the relative safety of your current job or risk a potential move.

Everyone gets restless at work from time to time, even in your dream role, but how do you know when it’s time to move on and start considering new opportunities?

If you find yourself relating to more than one of the points below, this is a clear sign that it's time to start looking for a new job in 2021.

1. Regularly thinking about leaving your job

Everyone has bad days in the office but if you are thinking about wanting a new job or daydreaming about what it would be like to work for a new company on a regular basis, this is a clear sign that something isn't right in your current job.

Make a list of all the pros and cons of your current role and if possible, speak to your Manager about overcoming or tackling some of the problems you are facing.

If there is no way forward, then it is clearly time to start evaluating your next career move.

2. Dreading every Monday

It is normal to get the Sunday night blues and dread the sound of your Monday morning alarm, let’s face it no one wants to leave their cosy bed first thing after the weekend!

However, if the Monday blues are lasting all week, then this is a critical sign that you are unhappy in your current role and should start searching for new opportunities.

3. Boredom

There might come a point in your career where the love and enthusiasm you initially had for your role disappears.

You might have been in your job for so long that you can undertake your duties in your sleep.

Having a job you know inside out is comforting, however, to be happy you need to be mentally stimulated and engaged with your work life.

If you are too comfortable and finding yourself getting bored, speak with your manager and explore development opportunities with them.

If the development and progression in your position is limited, the chances are you have outgrown the role and it’s time to move on.

4. Feeling negative

Most of us like to have a little moan about our job every now and then, however, if you find yourself constantly complaining, then you most likely need to start afresh and begin looking for a new role.

Your increased negativity is not good for your health or co-workers and will most certainly impact your day to day work and development.

If you notice yourself complaining often, this could be a sign that you are not happy in your current work situationand need to start looking for a new job.

5. Continual stress

Many jobs have their stressful periods, however, a key indicator that it is time to move on is if you are finding yourself to be continually stressed.

It is not worth compromising your mental and physical health for your job and if you are starting to find that your role is too stressful, it might be time to start re-evaluating your career.

Should I wait until after the pandemic to leave my job?

It's true that the pandemic has made the job market more competitive for many industries, including professional services.

Finding a new job isn’t something that happens overnight and as a recruiter, I would never advise taking drastic measures and handing in your notice without a new role to move into, especially during a pandemic.

However, unlike some other industries, professional services is a robust sector and recruitment is starting to pick up again across legal, practice and consultancy.

So, if you're unhappy in your role and have felt that way for some time, my advice would be to at least start to explore new opportunities.

Next steps

If you are searching for the next step in your career in any of the areas we recruit for or if you need advice on whether now is the right time to make the move, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us or sign up for job alerts to get notified of new opportunities.