Sunday, September 16, 2007

6 Ways to Know It's Time to Go

For years, I have said that the person who gets ahead, isn't always the smartest or work the hardest . . . although those are great qualities to have. The person who gets ahead is the one who remains alert to opportunity. Sometimes those are internal to your organization. Sometimes, those are external.

On the other hand, the person who avoids professioanal disaster is the one who remains alert to signals and can "read the tea leaves." Here's what to look out for:

1. You suddenly report to someone different. If you are a senior professional, the reporting structue has changed and you now are reporting a ruing or two down from where you were reporting. If you are on staff, you are suddenly re-assigned without even the pep talk about this being the great opportunity.

2. You've gone as high as you can. Look up from your desk and see a manager or director who is around your age and content with his job. Hmm. When you ask yourself the question of "Where can I Really go from here," your answer suggests improving your skills , rather than job function because no one of value will ever leave.

3. Your firm is up for sale or was recently sold. These are pretty similar problems but slightly different. In the first case, there is a warning that business is sour or that management would like to cash out. In the second, the deal is done.

In both cases, the result will be the same--you will help the new management integrtae the operation of the two firms, transferring knowledge that will help make for a smooth operation. Then you will be invited to accept a package to leave or pushed into a dead end job. Sounds exciting!

4. Everything is just being maintained or that's the only kind of work you're assigned. The people who tend to advance are the ones who deliver new "bright shiny objects" to management--the new projects, the sexy work that makes everyone go, "Ooooooooooh." If you are being asked to maintain stuff, you are on the
Dilbert career path."

5. Your new boss is a jerk. No amount of charm on your part will ever take away the loathing you feel when you go to work because you dislike the person you work for. it is compounded if you get the idea that the feeling is mutual.

6. Your industry is on its death bed. Part of what makes a person successful is business knowledge. There was a time where the "buggy whip industry" in the US was huge. Now, you are probably wondering what I'm talking about. In 2001, every telecom firm in the world was doing extremely well. Since, some of them couldn't get themselves arrested.

If your industry is dying, it's time to go before people start attending your career funeral, too.

Giving yourself time to execute an effective job search before things reach crisis proportion is critical. If you stopped and started thinking about any of these signals, it's time to act.

NOW!


Jeff Altman

The Big Game Hunter
Concepts in Staffing
thebiggamehunter@cisny.com

© 2007 all rights reserved.

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in many disciplines since 1971. He is a retired certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.

To receive a daily digest of positions emailed to you, search for openings that The Big Game Hunter is working on, to use Jeff’s free job lead search engine, Job Search Universe, to subscribe to Jeff’s free job hunting ezine, “Head Hunt Your Next Job, or his staffing ezine, “Natural Selection”, or to learn about his VIP program, go to http://www.jeffaltman.com/.

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