KEY POINTS:
If you're having concerns about where your career is headed then you need to address the issues with your boss before you start looking for a change.
That's the advice of Jeremy Paynter, the national practice leader at recruiter Hudson.
"Have a conversation with your manager or human resources," he says. "Organisations these days want to retain people and are open to having these conversations."
Walking into the boss's office might reveal if you have a future with the company or if they were just about ready to make you redundant anyway. If an open dialogue about these issues is not encouraged and you feel the organisation has a "like it or lump it" approach then the answer is easy.
"We're in a talent short market. There are lots of jobs around and good people are scarce."
A career can last a lifetime but most jobs have a beginning, middle and an end. So how do you know when it's the end of the line for your current job? Is it just the seasonal back-to-work blues or is it time to jump ship?
Paynter says if you're not feeling engaged in what you're doing, you're better to be upfront about it with your employer. See if you are able to work out any existing solutions within your current organisation. An employer faced with loosing a key employee just because they're feeling a bit bored might realise they'd better send the next pet project your way.
Paynter says key questions to ask yourself to assess if it's time for a change include:
* Is it a good company to work for?
* Do you like the values?
* Do you fit in with the culture?
* Do you like the way the teams operate?
* Is the remuneration and work/life balance good?
* Are you still motivated to work for them or has what you're looking for changed?
* How is this job you're doing now fit in with your long term career goals?
If the answers don't add up and you're still not satisfied with where you're at then, Paynter says, look for something else.
You should take some time to assess what you're looking for and reflect on your needs so that you don't end up in the same situation you're in now. A job should be a good career fit which makes sense in terms of your long term objectives. You should also fit in with the company culture. And, Paynter says, it should be a good motivational fit - something you want to do.
"There will be an element of zing or an element of excitement in your job and once you get to a certain point that calms a little. There will always need to be an element of newness and new opportunities in a job."
But sometimes people will work through a job with no zing if they believe there is a payoff at the end. Sometimes they will choose to make sacrifices and just pay their dues.
"Many people will work in a job anticipating that the career fit for this role provides value longer term but ultimately at the moment the motivational fit is not there."
So you might choose to stick it out in the hopes that a not-so-great job will pay off in the end. A less than ideal job may be a well foreseen element in a long-term career strategy. Paynter says job candidates are much more focused on their careers now.
"Jobs now are more about career. Everyone owns and drives their own career. What you aspire to do in five years time should link to what you're doing now."
Since candidates know they won't have a job for life, they're taking charge of their own careers.
"Increasingly now people are being really serious about their careers and saying, 'OK, I'm going to be working for 25 years. Where do I want to get to and how can I map that back from there?"
But not everything always works according to plan. Many people are finding themselves halfway through their careers and feeling a bit disappointed.
"People are saying, 'This is not quite what I expected. I did this training and I don't actually enjoy this that much'."
Paynter says for many people this can be a bit of a scary situation. They're earning good money and a change of career at this stage might require quite a sacrifice in salary. It's best to assess your career situation regularly to avoid this scenario.
If you do decide to change careers, Paynter says you should have a plan around what you're doing. If you're not looking for a career change, you might just be burned out, bored or need a new challenge.
"You'll get to a point where you'll say, 'OK, I've achieved everything I can in this job. I now need to find some new adventures or some new opportunities'."
There are three reasons why people leave jobs, Paynter says.
* A lack of career development
* A breakdown in their relationship with their manager
* A lack of opportunities to learn
When making a change, candidates should reflect back and look at their basic building blocks to redefine their skills and career goals. A recruiter, business coach or mentor might also be able to assess your situation.
Director of the New Zealand Mentoring Centre, Wendy Baker, says if you're returning from holiday with low motivation then you should begin a process of self-checking.
"It can be self-motivating in terms of people just sorting out what's fatigue and what's actually a bigger issue for them," she says.
Baker says that people can back themselves into a corner if they don't take the time to seriously reflect on their career at least once a year. She does her reflection with her team at the start of the year to look ahead at what her likely challenges and rewards will be.
"It's huge for people to actually devote some time to themselves to reflect."
But most people, especially young professionals with a lot of demands on them, don't take the time, she says.
Annual review time with the boss or supervisor may insure the company is getting what they need from you. But to put your needs front and centre, and analyse what you're getting from the company, Baker recommends a third party. An independent and unbiased sounding board might help you gain perspective.
"Good mentors ask those naive questions whereas someone who knows you makes a lot of assumptions. Those naive questions about what's happening now can be illuminating for people."
Whatever approach you take, taking time out for what Baker calls "professional me-time", is just another way of looking after yourself and your career.
