Do You Love Your Job - Or is Now the Time to Make a Career Move?

In the spirit of Valentines Day, considering all the people and things most important in life, and what we love the most, it can be a time to think about what you really love in your life, including your career.

A large portion of your time is spent at work, across the UK And USA it’s estimated the average number of hours spent working is between 1,670 and 1,757 hours each year. So, the question is, do you love your job?

They say, ‘do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life’. Whether or not this saying is true, it is always worth taking a minute to evaluate whether your current position is ‘the one’ or whether you should be assessing your career to date and your goals to move forward.

How do you know if you love your job?

In some cases, you might find your job challenging and potentially stressful. This isn’t always a sign that it’s not the right role for you though, in fact it can mean the opposite. When you are fully invested in your career, you are likely to push yourself harder, take on more responsibility and the stress that comes with it, especially at a senior level with accountability for strategic decisions.

The difference between being unsatisfied in your job and finding it hard work isn’t always black and white.

If you are happy at work, engaged and love your role and the value you can bring, this will impact overall productivity and enhance performance. It will also amplify your optimism, motivation and increased decision making. In a senior level position, lack of engagement and love for your role will not only impact you, but it will also impact your direct reports, business decisions and activity.

To help, you can start by outlining what you value in your current role, and the areas you feel you don’t thrive from or enjoy.

Consider the following questions to establish if you are still in love with your role and on the right track for your long-term career goals:

What aspects of your role would like to focus more on in the future?

Is that possible at your current organisation, do you have the option to grow in your role?

Are you are completely satisfied in your role?

Are you happy with the kind of work that you are doing?

Do you enjoy the environment and culture you a part of?

Do you feel aligned to the company vision and values?

By answering these questions, you’ll establish the areas of the role you enjoy and any development or challenging factors that may lead you to considering an opportunity elsewhere. If you cannot fulfil your career goals, motivations and enjoyment of your involvement in an organisation, opening yourself up to new opportunities is likely the next step for your career.

Over the last two years, we have experienced a huge shift in the workplace environment and candidate motivations when seeking new roles. Employees are seeking more from work life and gaining perspective on what’s most important to them about a role, a company, and the culture they want to be part of. Hybrid, remote and flexible working have increased which has significantly contributed to greater work life balance, productivity and engagement across all levels of a business.

The importance of a good work-life balance is becoming recognised, and employers are starting to see this as an area of value for their current and potential employees. As a result, they are working to improve not only their office environments but their options for work-life balance. If you are not completely satisfied with your working environment, it may be worth shopping around for another job that is a better fit for you.

The question that remains is, should you re-light your love affair with your current job or do you consider seeing other opportunities?

If you do decide that it’s just not working with your current organisation, CSG Talent have a range of exciting opportunities with some of our valued clients across all our specialist industry sectors. Working with clients who are focused on huge business growth in a skills short market results in wide ranging opportunities for experienced candidates who can significantly contribute to a company’s vision.  

We are global talent experts operating across specialist industry sectors, each with a dedicated team of experts who have a proven track record of placing high calibre talent in senior level roles. Why not take a look at some of the live roles our expert consultants have and see if there is an opportunity that sparks a newfound love; alternatively get in touch to hear about opportunities which may match your interest, or to have a confidential conversation about your career, and long term goals.