Signs that it is time for a career change

SO you've been in your job a good while, and you've noticed motivation is dwindling. Maybe you don't feel challenged enough, or maybe you feel like you're not moving in the direction you want any more.

Your interests and goals naturally change over time, but how do you know if you're ready for a job change? Here are a few indicators that it might be time for you to make your move.

You often feel stressed and tired

Do you find you're dragging your feet on the commute to work, and are lacking the spring in your step that you once had? Are you sleeping less well than you used to, or are you more often prone to bouts of irritability or low spirits?

Any of these could be symptoms of rising stress levels – a kind of bodily early warning system that things with you aren't quite as they should be. Stress can affect your mood and your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds and low moods, and impairing performance; left unchecked, more serious health issues can develop too.

So if you're getting the feeling that your body is trying to tell you something, it's worth taking a moment to try and understand the message.

You don't believe in the company like you used to

When you began working in your current job it seemed full of possibilities, and you felt proud to identify yourself as an employee of your organisation.

But recently you've noticed a change in the office atmosphere, and your belief or confidence in the organisation isn't what it was.

Perhaps the company has taken some commercial or strategic decisions that don't sit well with you? Perhaps a management reshuffle has not been a change for the better in your view?

Or perhaps it's just that your own thinking has evolved, and you're starting to feel that the company's values don't align closely enough with your own anymore?

A lack of shared values can be a powerful motivator. If this sounds like you, it might be time to start looking around for a new company that you can really believe in.

You're watching the clock

You used to wake up in the morning excited about what you might achieve during the day ahead.

You'd even take on extra projects and stay late voluntarily to get extra work done.

Now, you're counting down the hours until you can log off and hit the street. You find yourself tempted to just take on the minimum workload, rather than look for opportunities to stretch yourself or go the extra mile.

Everyone deserves to work in a job that they feel enthusiastic about doing and that keeps them eager to make a difference.

It may be that your job doesn't stretch you any more, or your current employer doesn't have an adequate development path for you. Either way, it could be time to move on to something that ignites your passion again.

Your skills don't match up to your personal interests

Sometimes people get hired for things they're really good at but don't necessarily especially like doing.

Perhaps you're skilled in software sales but would prefer to be in marketing.

Maybe you're great at creating spreadsheets, but you'd prefer to be out meeting clients instead of sitting at a computer screen all day.

Perhaps you've found yourself practising in one area of law when you've always really fancied another.