Finding a new job is a top new year’s resolution (ranking fourth according to a Harris poll as reported by Parade). With today’s strong job market (a White House report shows unemployment is at a 50-year low), you might even be tempted to look around, just because it seems like an opportune time. However, finding a new job may actually not be a good use of your time or the best next move for your career. Here are five reasons why finding a new job should not be on your resolutions list:
1 – You are more interested in leaving your old job than finding a new job
Maybe you hate your current job – you have stopped growing, you’re underpaid, your boss is unsupportive, your colleagues are toxic, or all of the above! You might have excellent reasons for wanting a change. However, your next employer does not want to be the rebound relationship after a messy breakup. Employers hire people who want to work for them, not people who just want to get out of a bad situation.
The fix: Take some time to identify the industry, role, and type of company (big v. small, start-up v. established) you are targeting. When you’re excited at the prospect of joining something specific and not just escaping where you are, then you’re ready to find a new job.
2 – You just want a change – i.e., you want a new bright, shiny object
Some people want a new job more out of boredom than any specific reason. There is often a honeymoon period with a new job where it is interesting, even wondrous, by virtue of it being new. But a new job is a commitment, not a trendy outfit you can just return – too many short job tenures can hurt your career.
The fix: Changing jobs is disruptive. Even if you’re in the exact same industry and role, it takes time to learn how your new employer does things, to develop new relationships and to establish your credibility. It’s a high price to pay just to overcome your boredom. Find your challenge by some other means than finding a new job.
3 – Your effort is better focused on improving your current job
Maybe you’re not just bored, and you have legitimate reasons for wanting to change jobs – you have stopped growing, you’re underpaid, your boss is unsupportive, etc. You even have a list of dream companies where you’re sure the environment would be better. Still, the problem might be you, and you would encounter similar issues at your next job.
The fix: Go ahead and launch a job search, but reserve some time to improve your current situation to ensure you don’t just trade one set of problems for another. You’re leaving anyway, so you might as well take a chance and ask for more support, negotiate fair pay and develop better relationships. As a bonus, you may remove the reasons you wanted to leave in the first place.
4 – Your effort is better focused on another change
I once had a client who was very unhappy in his job, and he ultimately did change jobs. However, he also was having issues with elderly parents, he had an old sports injury flare up, causing daily physical pain and his wife was expecting. At first, he tried to shoehorn his job search efforts alongside everything else. After all, he knew he wanted to find a new job. But, a job search requires significant time and effort – even a good resume isn’t enough to land a job. We ended up pushing the job search till almost the following year, while he sorted out care for his parents, improved his health and supported his wife past the worst of the morning sickness.
The fix: Yes, the first quarter of the year is a busy hiring time, but it still might not be the best time for you to launch your job search. As critical as career planning is, there may be more pressing issues that need your attention. You will also be a stronger, more attractive candidate if your personal foundation is strong.
5 – You are looking for something a new job may not provide
If you’re looking for a new job to fulfill you, a faster path might be to incorporate interests on the side. If you’re looking for a new job to improve your finances, but you have a spending or saving problem, rather than an earning problem, then a new job won’t help. If you’re in a malaise and assume it must be your job, you might be wrong and make a change for no reason. (I was guilty myself of doing this – falling into a business malaise and making all sorts of tweaks in my business, when what helped was a different kind of change).
The fix: Lots of people complain about their jobs so it may seem reasonable to assume that your malcontent is also job-related. Don’t just assume – dig deeper. What is missing? What are five options that can you help you fill that void? One option might be a new job, but challenge yourself to think of more options so you get creative and don’t default to your first idea.
Finding a new job may be a popular new year’s resolution but it doesn’t have to be yours
Changing jobs takes time, effort and commitment. It is not a resolution to take lightly. Make sure the improvement you seek is something a new job can provide. Consider making other changes that may yield more direct results. Consider improving your career exactly where you. Don’t just be tempted by something new. Invest the time to identify your ideal next job first – even if it means you spend all of next year exploring various pursuits as hobbies or side gigs and table a new job for a better time.
This post originally appeared in my Careers column on Forbes.
