Get A Better Job and Stay

You’ve invested precious time and effort in this job. You’ve built relationships with your co-workers and the boss. Don’t cast that investment aside without a careful look at how you can fix whatever it is that’s the problem.

Not growing in the job? This isn’t an uncommon feeling. But, it’s also a vague excuse. What does “growing” mean to you, specifically? Is there a responsibility you want that you don’t have? If you can figure that out, you can ask for it. Maybe you won’t get a full step toward the responsibility, but you’ll see satisfactory movement.

Not being promoted? This can be frustrating. But, what have you done to investigate why? More importantly, what can you do about it? Do you need to learn new skills? Do you need to make more progress toward a BV credential?

Work with (or for) a jerk? This is a tough one. Your options are to alter, accept or avoid. Maybe there’s a way to alter your own behavior to mitigate the jerk’s behavior. Maybe there are positives you can uncover that let you accept the “jerk-y” behavior. Or, maybe you can decrease the amount of interaction you have with the jerk.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that what’s behind these suggestions is the idea of taking responsibility for fixing what you can fix. Sometimes that’s easier than you might think. If you’re successful, you’ve saved yourself the distraction of a job-change.

On the other hand, if you do your best and still can’t fix the problem, you have a clearer and more powerful story to tell a potential employer about why you’re leaving.