4 signs your job is making you really dull

Here’s a test: Take a look at your resume and try to include at least 10 new skills based on your current job or projects that you are working on. Were you able to figure out at least five? If you answered ‘no’, it clearly means that you aren’t learning anything new in your current job, and this is a good reason to consider looking for a new one.

The primary reason why people are not able to gather enough courage to quit their stagnant jobs is because of the financial security offered by these jobs. More often than not, people think that if their co-workers seem content with their jobs, then they should stick around and figure out how to deal with their problems. In such cases, unsatisfied employees tend to blame their own attitude for their stalled careers.

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But if you’re unhappy at work, or if you find yourself unable to find any feasible opportunities to enhance your career at your current job, this is very likely to show in your behaviour, productivity and energy at the workplace. Blaming your attitude serves little purpose under such circumstances.

Sometimes, it’s hard to clearly identify the intrinsic factors that make you dissatisfied at work. If you find yourself facing this dilemma, here are a few tell-tale signs that will help you figure out if it’s time to move on.

You are not learning anything new

In the beginning, most jobs seem challenging and full of opportunities. Building relationships with new people, learning new skills and attending work seminars are among a few signs that your career is going well. But if your work has ceased to contribute to your intellectual growth or if your organisation isn’t making any more effort to invest in training and development sessions to expand your skills, then it’s a good idea to move to an industry or workplace that has something more challenging to offer you.

Your job role has not expanded to new areas

For instance, you were hired as an outsourcing manager and now all you do is make a few calls in a day to connect with new vendors, sort out mails to communicate with other departments and create Excel sheets to track the status of new and old vendors. Can you envision yourself doing this for the next five years?

There is a difference between doing the occasional boring tasks and working on an entirely boring job. If the scope of your work is limited, stodgy and change-resistant, it’s high time to reconsider your work. In this case, you eventually go with one of two options: Either you start seeking new challenges, or you speak to your manager about your apprehensions.

You feel disappointed when you introspect

Can you look back over the past year and determine at least three projects or tasks that could add value to your resume? Were you involved in any challenging assignment that helped you grow as a professional? If not, do you really want to invest more time being at a place that does nothing for your overall professional growth? If thinking of the events of your past year makes you feel disappointed, you might have already realised that you are not going to grow anymore in your current job.

You can’t find a visionary leader around you

This is more applicable to people working in recent startups. Having someone who can mentor you or at least motivate you to achieve results is very important for an individual’s professional growth. If you can’t find anyone around who has the experience and capability of driving a successful business, then there’s no point investing your skills in this business.

Quitting your job isn’t easy, and especially so when you have been always told that “quitters can never be winners.” But when it comes to your career, you need to take this risk for a better future. Remember, it’s only through quitting that you can explore the next big opportunity.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory)