1. If I woke up tomorrow with the ideal job and life, what would they be?
Okay, an easy one to write off as “life-coach bullshit cliché,” but answered thoroughly, it’s one of the most important questions you could ask yourself—period. Really knowing your career and downtime wants provides a useful yardstick by which to measure your current job. If your answers are nowhere near where you want them to be, you now have criteria to fuel focused job-hunting. If you’d been considering switching companies, you’ll now have a tangible passion behind your application. But if your current position comes pretty close—well, maybe the problem lies elsewhere.
2. Is it within my control to achieve my ideal job and life right now?
If the answer is no, that’s when you start working on a list of what needs to happen to get you moving toward these goals within the next year. If your current job can facilitate anything on the list, maybe it’s worth hanging in there. Even a hated job can become a brighter prospect if you know that every day you go in is one day closer to getting the hell outta Dodge as you gather the skills for a new position. If the answer’s yes, well, what are you waiting for?
3. Can I still afford to feed the cat?
Considering quitting before securing another position? Realistically evaluate your monthly expenditures, taking into account your savings. Can you cover your bills? An emergency? A night out? In the current climate, three to five months banked salary is advisable—whether you have something new lined up or not. Moving on or seeking a new position requires zero financial distractions.
4. If a new boss asked me why I left my old job, what would you I say?
Hint: “My last head of department was a dick” or “I was bored” are NOT good enough responses. Quitting without a reason rings alarm bells and can mark you as an unreliable job-hopper. But well-thought-out reasons for leaving signal savvy and drive to a potential employer and outlines from the start what YOU need for a job to be satisfying. If you can’t come up with at least four good reasons for quitting, it may be that the problem is with you.
5. What do I lose by quitting?
When you’re hell-bent on departure, it’s easy to forget why you took the job in the first place. In the tumult of resignation, remember those initial positives: the potential for promotions, the perks, the pension, the training, the health insurance. If you leave now, what do you forfeit? Consider that your disillusionment could simply be routine and a lot more challenges are simply there for the taking—once you’ve remembered they exist.
