Do you know someone who has achieved or lasted in a position or profession that they considered temporary? In our country in Africa, it is common: many teachers never thought they would end up in this profession. The same is true for some people in the civil service. We take several competitive exams or submit applications everywhere and accept the first offer that comes along. You have been appointed to a position where you thought you would spend a few years and here you are still there 10 or 15 years later. It is so common! The ideal is to advance in your career: change position, earn more money, have greater responsibilities and privileges… But sometimes the immediate environment does not offer enough opportunities. The job market in our African countries is so narrow. And we often do not have enough information to try our luck in international jobs. Sometimes, we even believe that we are not qualified for these positions. This article is a translated document, by one of our interns at Kaleta.co. The original article was published by the American organization ‘’Money Howstuffwork’’…

10_You can acquire a broader knowledge base.

Think about the learning curve you experienced when you started your current job. There was probably a period of rapid adaptation, followed by a longer period of learning the finer details of your job. Ideally, you ended this phase by moving to a level of mastery of your daily tasks and becoming an expert in your position in the organization. But are you capable of more? And could you advance your personal base of career-specific knowledge by repeating this process in a new position? The answer may be “yes.” Some researchers suggest that the typical worker masters his or her specific job within three years. After this point, the pace of industry-focused learning and skill mastery slows down. It stands to reason, they say, that changing jobs after that three-year period ends the recovery and recharge process, giving you the opportunity to grow and learn at a rapid pace for another three years in the new job [source: National Executive Resources Inc.]. While the three-year term isn’t a hard rule, it does provide a detailed guide and benchmark for evaluating what you’re learning on the job. Does moving to a new position within your industry require you to learn new skills? Could those skills complement the ones you already have, making you a more well-rounded and capable professional? If so, that could be a good reason to start looking for a new job.

9_You Can Increase Your Earning Power

Not all companies are created equal. Likewise, the same job in different industries can pay significantly different amounts. Being aware of these disparities—and finding opportunities because of them—can provide very valid reasons to change jobs. Some industries feature a mix of large and small companies competing for similar work. For example, you may find that a smaller contractor than the one you work for lacks the consistent work of his larger counterpart, but makes up for it with exclusivity that allows him to charge higher rates. Conversely, you may find that a larger employer can offer a more stable salary to its sales force than a smaller competitor, thanks to its broader market reach. In situations like these, employees in identical positions at different companies may have very different pay scales and opportunities for growth. Similarly, your professional skills may be much more valuable in one industry than in another. A marketing manager for a small nonprofit, for example, may make much less than a marketing manager for an industrial manufacturer. Being aware of what your counterparts in other industries are doing can alert you to these disparities—the difference in pay or opportunity may be enough to warrant a job change.

8_Your current job lacks challenge

You’ve no doubt heard friends and family members talk about wanting a “cushy” job—one where the work is easy, slow, and not challenging at all. The ideal cushy job, it seems, would be almost a paid nap, with just enough work to keep you busy (but not enough to make you really busy). The reality of the work environment is very different. A job can be in fact be too easy, with disastrous consequences for your happiness and professional growth. Some sources suggest that the perfect job involves a genuine challenge, outside of your work comfort zone about 20 percent of the time. That’s enough of a challenge to keep you on your toes, without leaving you crushed and facing stress burnout [source: Shigley]. A job with little or no challenging work puts you at risk for a number of career and career-ending unemployment factors. You may slip into bad work habits, such as playing online games or surfing the Internet, to pass the time. Your morale could plummet, leaving you unenthusiastic and unwilling to jump on opportunities when they arise. And your supervisor may notice your boredom and take it as a sign that you’re not a valuable employee [source: Shigley]. If you find that you’re chronically bored at work or don’t have challenges coming across your desk, it may be time to look for a new job. You owe it to your long-term career goals to stay challenged: Find a job that does this.

7_You can’t stand your boss anymore.

Every employee has misunderstandings with their boss from time to time. But if “once in a while” becomes “all the time” in your office, the friction could be justification for moving on to a new position. Maybe you feel like your boss isn’t doing his or her job as well as you could. Maybe you don’t like the direction he or she insists on leading your team. Or maybe you just have a fundamental miscommunication with your boss that makes every exchange tense and filled with distrust. All of these situations can lead to bitterness and resentment as you complete assigned tasks – in this situation, do you believe your work will be the best it can be, or will it show your disappointment and frustration with your work environment? If you’re facing this situation, think about what really bothers you about your boss. If it’s a personality quirk or interpersonal issue, is there a way you can look for it in a future job interview so you don’t lurch from one bad situation to the next? If it’s a leadership or decision-making issue, can you identify solutions you could present to a new employer that show you have what it takes to be a better leader? Answer these questions before you choose a new job so you don’t jump hastily from one bad situation to another.

6_Your Employer Is About to Fail

The old cliché about rats abandoning a sinking ship isn’t flattering, but it has a ring of truth in the world of work: If you can see that your company is headed for financial ruin—or worse—it’s probably a good time to find a new job. There are many reasons why businesses fail. Some may simply be in declining markets and are being overtaken by their competitors as the customer base shrinks. Others fail because leaders make poor decisions or simply don’t understand how the market is moving around them. In extreme cases, executive fraud or illegal actions could put a company at risk, with lower-level employees paying a price as the company fails. Fortunately, all of these situations are easier to spot from inside the company than from outside. If you see something happening in your workplace—a large number of layoffs, perhaps, or consistently poor quarterly sales figures—ask questions among trusted sources within the company. Together, you and your allies may be able to identify a major problem before the company’s leadership admits it. In the best case, you may be able to offer a solution that keeps the company afloat and boosts your standing among your superiors. On the other end of the spectrum, however, this kind of insight could alert you to major problems that may arise in the near future. It gives you time to act, so you’re ahead of the game if your business suddenly goes under.

5_Your life has changed in a major way

Suppose you get married to someone who works in another state, or your spouse gets a fantastic job offer that requires you to relocate. Maybe you’re about to have a baby, or an aging parent is moving with you. You want to spend more time with your family, and your s

Your current job situation may not allow for this kind of shift in your priorities. Smart employees alert their bosses to these life changes early on, keeping them in the loop as their needs, priorities, and availability change. Beyond being a courtesy to your employer, this practice can greatly improve your chances of adapting your work situation to your new life situation. Perhaps your employer will have enough time to adjust your job requirements or help you find a new job within the company that best fits your life needs. If that’s not possible, your employer can become a powerful reference as you look for a new job. In some cases, your employer may even be willing to help you find a new job, cultivating a long-term relationship in case you can return in the future. If, however, you encounter resistance to change from your employer, what does it say about your current job? It can be easier to cope with the stress of a job change if you learn that your employer doesn’t respect your need for a healthy work-life balance or if you expect your work to come before your personal and family commitments.

4_Coworkers Create a Hostile Atmosphere

Every company, office, and work team develops its own work culture. Imagine, for example, an office full of baseball fanatics, where fantasy baseball is the center of conversation in the spring and the World Series is the main topic of conversation in the fall. This type of connection can help coworkers bond and become a better team, but it can also make the office seem like an exclusive—and even uninteresting—place to outsiders. If you’re in a work environment where the culture isn’t conducive to your productivity, happiness, or comfort, consider what’s at the root of the discomfort. If it’s something generally non-threatening, like the group’s love of baseball, for example, maybe you can find other coworkers who share your outsider status. Or maybe there are other topics the office could meet on. It may take time, but with enough patience, you can see the office environment shift to focus on more inclusive topics, themes, and values. Sometimes, however, a workplace is rigidly exclusive or is based on unhealthy themes, such as gender discrimination or drug and alcohol use. If this is the case, you should familiarize yourself with the equal employment opportunity (EEO) and anti-harassment laws in your state. You may be able to stop a culture of unlawful discrimination through an EEO complaint.

3_Your job highlights your weaknesses

Perhaps you started your current job under the impression that it would allow you to use your unique strengths to get the job done. As you started working and learning the ins and outs of your job, you realized that instead of playing to your strengths, the position requires skills, strengths, or dispositions that are not aligned with who you are. If you are in a position that plays more to your weaknesses than your strengths, is there a way to shift that balance? Perhaps you can learn new skills that make you better suited for—and more satisfied in—the job. Perhaps there is another position within the company that fits your interests, and you can arrange a transition. If the difference between what you need to do and what you want to do is severe, however, you may benefit from talking with your supervisor. Be honest with your boss: Explain that the job doesn’t capitalize on your strengths, and you think it’s better to find an opportunity that better utilizes what you do well. If you’ve presented your case well, your boss may be willing to work with you and adjust your position, or help you move into a position within the company that better suits your strengths. This isn’t always possible, but giving your boss a chance to help you out before you leave will ensure that you’re respected as a professional should you need to go back to your boss for a reference.

2_You Got a Better Offer

Professionals who are good at their jobs get noticed. Companies want to hire the best in their field, after all, and where better to find the best in the company than in the upper ranks of a competitor? If you’re doing a good job and are skilled at networking at the sein your industry, there’s a good chance you’ll be noticed by competitors. A better offer may come as a surprise. If you’re good at your current job, chances are you’re happy there. But another company that wants you badly enough may be willing to offer whatever it takes—more money, more flexibility or better benefits—to convince you to join their team. If you’re approached with a better offer, don’t be afraid to ask tough questions about the company’s business and work environment. You’re the one with the power, after all: You can simply reject the offer and stay in your current position if you want. A good outside offer can put you in a position to ask for more from your current employer, as well. It’s common practice—and considered courteous in most industries—to give your current employer a chance to counteroffer and keep you on staff. Negotiate right, and you might end up getting a raise, promotion or other perks without having to change jobs. If your current employer won’t negotiate, however, you should take this as a sign that you might be better off in a new job.

1_You’re Ready for a New Career.

Just like a major life change, a change in your career goals or desires may make it necessary for you to move to a new job. Perhaps you’ve completed a college degree that opens new doors for you, or you may be at a point in life where you simply want to pursue a different profession. This kind of transition often comes after a long period of reflection, discussion at home, and training outside of work. You may have been planning for this for years. If you’re currently in a healthy employment situation, this kind of transition may be easy to make. It’s likely that you’ve established close relationships with your coworkers, and they know that your career ambitions extend beyond what you can achieve in your current job. Your supervisor may have worked with you to set up a schedule that allows you to return to school, and your coworkers may be very supportive of your hard work to move your professional life in a new direction. The key to making this kind of transition a success is communication. If you are pursuing a new degree, don’t keep it a secret. Make it a habit for your coworkers and employer to move your career in a new direction, and you may be surprised at how supportive they are as you reach the next chapter of your professional life.

Source: money howstuffwork