Most individuals who are unhappy in their jobs feel like ‘chucking it all in' rather than taking a step back to properly assess their situation. However, it is essential to identify the source(s) of your unhappiness and know what you are actually trying to fix.  Or, in other words, identify exactly what it is you would like to chuck in and what you would like to keep.

Unless you know exactly what you are trying to run away from, how are you going to know which route to take or what destination to aim for?

There are many different levels of ‘career unhappiness' and it's vital to know what level you are at before deciding on what to do next, as this will save you a lot of hassle down the line.  There are also many levels of career change - not everyone needs a total change of everything. For the purpose of this article, I have broken career unhappiness into three levels, even though they could easily be broken into many more:

Three Levels of ‘Career Unhappiness':

Level 1: To do with overlying/external factors: Most of your issues are to do with your current work environment, company culture, poor management and communication, clients/ colleagues, long hours or being sidelined etc.

Level 2:  To do with the job / profession itself: Most of your issues are to do with the duties and work activities at the heart of your job and profession. You don't like the specific tasks and/or purpose of what you are supposed to do and the skill set and competencies associated with it in general. You feel like you are not using your main strengths and skills at work and that you (might) have to leave a large part of your personality at home to try to fit in with your peers.  

Level 3: A life crisis, not just a career crisis: You are not just questioning your job, but life and everything in general. You might be on the verge of a burnout and/or have gone through a period of illness, loss or serious personal challenges.

Where do I fit?

Ask Yourself:

• Level 1: What exactly do I hate so much about my current job? Try to make a distinction between overlying/external factors such as the company culture, your manager, the long hours etc and your profession/job in general. Are your gripes really to do with your profession or are they mainly to do with the current work situation you are in? Is the real issue that you are actually quite happy with your profession/job itself, but really unhappy about where, with whom and how you exercise it?

• Level 2: Do I like the type of work I do and the general tasks and responsibilities associated with my profession? Does my personality match my career choice and does it allows me to use by strongest skills? Are my main gripes to do with issues at the heart of my profession, as opposed to just an unhappy current job situation? Have I ever really ‘felt at home' in my profession or have I felt more like the ‘odd one out' compared to my peers from the very beginning?

• Level 3: Have I recently been going through a tough time in my personal life? Might I mistake career issues for actual life issues? Is this really the right time for a career change? Have I got enough clarity over my personal life? Would I benefit more from psychological help or reflection rather than career advice right now?
  
  
  

Where do I go from here?

Level 1: The majority of people tend to fall into this category. One of my clients, Lisa, was unhappy in her job as a lawyer. However, when going through the process described above, she realised that the source of her unhappiness was to do mainly with ‘overlying factors' and that she actually really enjoyed the intellectual challenges at the heart of the legal profession. What she didn't like was the way the profession was carried out in her current company culture, which was very stale, male-oriented and with a client group mainly in the finance sector - a subject matter in which she had absolutely no interest. She has since joined a much more dynamic legal firm where she can use her French language skills and have clients in a sector she actually has an interest in (luxury goods). In her case the solution was to stay in her current profession, but to change company culture, client group and capitalise on her language skills - more of  career ‘reconfiguration' than a total change.

Level 2: It's mainly individuals in this category who need to think seriously about a more wide-ranging carer change, as there is a clear mismatch between the person, skill set, job and possibly also your personality.

The way the job market works makes it challenging to move from A to Z. Therefore it is vital to know what you don't want any more, but also to identify what you have to offer or can capitalise on from your former career to sell yourself to prospective new fields. This will help you build stepping stones to get you to where you want to be.

Level 3: If you fall into this category, please contact your GP or local counsellor for practical and psychological help and support first. You will be in a much stronger position to change career, if necessary, once you have more clarity and energy.

Rikke Hansen - Career Concierge