I was made redundant in 2005 from a marketing job at a brewery that I really enjoyed.' Whilst there, I got to work with some of the biggest brands in the drinks industry on some really innovative marketing campaigns.
When my boss called me in to deliver the bad news that I was being made redundant, it'felt like my world had caved in and I remember feeling numb for a couple of days.
But after spending the summer enjoying the Ashes, which seem to transfix the imagination of the public like cricket had never done before; I slowly got myself together and started my first job search for 5 years.
I resisted the lure to use my experience to go straight back into the drink's industry and looked around the job boards for a fresh challenge in marketing.
And in the 7 years since losing my brewery job, I'll admit to making a few poor decisions where'I've'accepted jobs that were never really right for me.' I remember joining a company where the job spec looked fabulous on paper but the reality was every bit the nightmare that former employees of that company warned it might be.
So, how do you know if you are in a job that'isn't'right for you?' From bitter experience,'I've'listed my top 5 reasons that will probably indicate to you that you are in the wrong job and that its time for a change.
Let's start by something that affects a lot of people when headcount is reduced and you are expected to squeeze in multiple roles into an already packed daily workload.' I remember a role where I would constantly work late and at weekends to catch up on an over-demanding work schedule.
Some executives believe that this is the norm and in fact thrive on the adrenaline of never getting a spare minute to them self.' But personally I think you need to get the work/life balance right.' Feeling depressed, anxious, agitated or even emotional over your work just'isn't'worth it.
If you are start noticing these feelings impacting your personal life and affecting the people around you, then you need to ask yourself whether you should be seeking pastures new.
I've mentioned in a previous blog how I joined a company to manage an existing team and how'two of the team members had been unsuccessful when applying for my role, but nobody at the business had the foresight to tell me.
This caused an immediate rift between the team and me with'many'of the team believing that an injustice had been done and that one of their colleagues should have'clinched the managerial role and not an 'outsider'.
I found managing such a'cliquey'team a real challenge and I never really bonded or connected with my fellow co-workers.
With this in mind, do you feel that you are just showing up to the office, doing your job and going home?' And like me, have you found it hard to bond with your fellow employees?
If this disconnection with your colleagues'isn't'your own choice, then it may be time to review your position within the business.'' Productivity and long-term happiness is largely attributed to having friends at work and being connected in some way.
You should always be thinking about the next steps of your career.' And therefore do you feel that your current role gives you the stretch you need in order to get to that next level?
Or is your current role underutilising your skill set?' You should always be able to find a balance of tasks in your role; some will be the typical day-to-day workload, but others should be of the type that take you out of your comfort zone and help grow your skill set.
Maybe the company you are currently with are stuck in the dark ages and refuse to grasp new technology.' I was recently with a business that fully believed that direct mail was the best way to grow their customer base.' Despite the success rate being less than 1%, the company in question refused to switch from an outbound to a more modern'inbound marketing strategy.
Unless you are with a forward thinking business that moves its strategy in line with the sector, you could soon find that your skill set gets left to stagnate along with your career.
Could it just be that your job is at a'dead end?' Do you feel like the only possible way you could get promoted is when the person ahead of you in the chain is either moved on or leaves the business?
Simply knowing that there is an internal opportunity to aspire to, is typically motivation enough for most people.' However if you know that the opportunity to move on within the company for increased rewards doesn't exist, then it can be very difficult to go that extra mile when required.
Continuing professional development outside the company may be an alternative to keep up skills, as well as developing new talents for future opportunities.
One of the roles I took after leaving the brewery was in the shady world of subprime finance.' Although the role'didn't'sit well with me ethically, I saw it as a fantastic opportunity to develop my marketing'skills in the financial sector.
After giving the company a're-brand' a fresh website and a new marketing direction, they started to see more and more business flood in.' They started opening new branches and their customer base was growing faster than they could keep pace with.
Trouble was, after being proud to work for the local beer company, I now felt like a bit of a conniver.' As with most subprime companies, the business I worked for were charging extortionate interest rates and this didn't sit well with me.
My family and friends nicknamed me the 'loan-shark' and despite my roaring success within the role, I left after 6 months to move onto something I felt was more ethical.
Point here is that you should be proud of the company you work for, and products you represent to gain maximum satisfaction.
If you feel that you are ready to move on from your current role and would like some advice on next steps, you can contact us here.' Alternatively, pop along to our knowledge network on LinkedIn and leave a question for one of our recruitment experts, which you can find here. Or if you would like to contact me personally, my Twitter and LinkedIn links are below.
