Should I quit my job? The SMART goals.

Should I quit my job? The SMART goals.

Like every January, as soon as the new year arrives, we all ask ourselves if we should make any resolutions: do I join the gym? Do I move house? Do I quit my job? Do I change my job to one I like better? Do I change my path to a career that really suits me?

It is reassuring to think about what resolutions you would like to keep and have plans to keep you motivated. But it’s not always easy to get started and know where to start. Especially after two years of health and economic crisis full of uncertainties.

So what if you stuck to your resolutions and changed your career and/or profession? We give you some tips on how to make up your mind and where to start with your SMART goals.

Why make resolutions?

The beginning of the year is a time for renewal and introspection. It is the time for annual reviews and evaluations at work. Your manager will review your past year and usually ask you to continue or increase your efforts.

It is, therefore, a good time to take a step back, take stock and change something in your personal and/or professional life and finally take some risks after a second year of calm and uncertainty due to the crisis.

Why not take this opportunity to review your goals for 2022? After two years of crisis, loss of bearings, and lack of motivation for many employees, it is important to start the new year with new projects in mind and to stick to your resolutions. Indeed, the pandemic has led many employees to question their professional life, and some have decided to change jobs, or even change careers altogether.

But how do you go about it? Are you sure that a change of job is the solution to your current problems?

How to decide? What are the signs that you should quit your job?

Should I quit my job? Firstly, it is significant to take a step back and understand where you stand. Take stock of 2021: are you happy at work? If not, does this have a significant impact on your personal life? Are your projects at work interesting? Do you get on well with your colleagues/boss? Will you get the promotion this year that you have been waiting for?

• What are your achievements? How did you get there? What are you proud of?
• What were your goals last year? What are your goals for 2022?
• What skills have you acquired? Which ones do you need to improve?
• Also take into account your mistakes, your failures, how you were able to bounce back, and what you could have done differently.

But be careful not to devalue yourself, just be constructive. You can ask for help from your colleagues, your relatives, or even your superior.

If you are wondering what you are doing here, if you are serving a purpose in your company or if you feel drained at the end of the day, it might be time to change jobs or careers. Take some time to think about what you want and, if you don’t know, what you don’t want anymore.

But be careful, you need to decide to leave your job for the right reasons and not on a whim.

If you are in conflict with people in your company or if you feel that you have done your job, perhaps you can find solutions to resolve these conflicts or enrich your job. Try to see if there are opportunities to expand your scope, renew yourself, or move within the company.

Think about it carefully, because if you change jobs for the wrong reasons, you could find yourself in the same situation after a few years in your new company. Dig deep, ask around, and talk to your team or your boss. Assess what you could change in your current job to find more fulfilment.

On the other hand, if your values conflict with the company’s values, this may justify a change of job or retraining. Don’t let your job consume all your energy.

Where to start and how to stick to my resolutions?

With this assessment in hand, you can take a step back and start thinking about what you would like to change at work or even in your personal life.

If you would like a little extra help, we’ve created a quiz called “Should I quit my job in 2022?” that will give you some clues about whether you should change jobs or not.

Start here and the quiz answer may help and enlighten you.

Also, try to find out if there are any interesting projects in your company that you could undertake. If you like your company but are bored, why not move abroad?

If you feel that you have done everything in your company to get better but that it is no longer enough, it may be time to leave and realign yourself with your values.

You don’t have to have a new career plan to change jobs. You just need to find the right balance and timing. Starting to think about a project will get you moving to open new doors so that things can move faster.

There are also different methods such as the SMART goals which allow you to set and think about objectives. S for simple, M for measurable, A for achievable, R for realistic, and T for time.

• Your objective should be specific, concrete, and positively formulated.
• It must be measurable, with qualitative or quantitative criteria against which it can be measured.
• It must be achievable, so don’t be too ambitious, or not ambitious enough!
• Be realistic, take into account your current situation and your resources.
• Finally, it must be temporal, i.e. you must give yourself a deadline, and an end date.

An example would be:

I want to get my promotion this year and become a team lead by the first quarter of 2022 by effectively finishing my current projects or looking for another job as a team lead in a competing company by the end of 2022 by sending at least 3 resumes per week.

The new year is always synonymous with renewal, new possibilities, and questioning.

Take the time to take stock of your year, both professionally and privately.

Ask for help from those around you, and think about what you like, what you would like to change, and what could be changed.

But before you make any decisions and decide to change your job or career, take the time to think about it, put everything down and make the right decisions.

2022 looks promising and full of possibilities!

If you need help, our team of consultants at LHC International is also available to help you understand where you are and what opportunities are available in your industry and at your level. Please feel free to contact us by emailing us. We work discreetly and efficiently with all our clients and candidates.

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