Knowing Your Role – When Is It Time to Stay or Leave?

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:20 AM PDT  Career Plus Work Blog - Right Management

As of 2010, the average American between the ages of 18 and 46 has had 11 jobs. This means that the average worker today is staying at each job for an average of 4.4 years. And for Millennials, those born between 1977 and 1997, the average stay in each job is expected to be less than three years. Changing jobs that frequently is not necessarily a bad idea because it allows you to test drive multiple careers so that by the process of elimination you can gain clarity about your career. But you have to know your role, and have regular checkpoints to reflect on your career, to determine when it is time to stay or leave.

Evaluating and Assessing Your Role

To really understand and know your current role in the organization, require that you invest some time to evaluate the role. To start the process, answer the following questions.

• § How long have you been in the role?
• § Were the promises made to you when hired kept?
• § Are you losing passion for your work or feeling stifled in the role?
• § Have you discovered new passions since you started in the role?
• § Has the role evolved since you started?
• § Have you undergone any career/professional development?
• § Have you acquired new knowledge, skills and abilities?
• § Does your present salary and benefits reflect your real roles and responsibilities?
• § Do you like what you are doing?
• § How do your roles and responsibilities contribute to the successful operation of the organization?
• § What is your career ambition? In five years, what would you like to be doing professionally?
• § Do you feel that you are maximizing your potential?
• § Is your current role a natural springboard to where you would like to land?
• § Would leaving your current job substantially improve your situation?

Decision Point: Stay or Leave?

Now that you know and fully understand your current role, you are at a decision point. Should you stay or leave? Only you can make that decision. Do not become complacent, decide on your next steps based on the information that you have in front of you. And it’s okay to stay in your role if you have consciously decided to do so.

Knowing your role, and having regular times when you reflect on your career, is a good indicator to help you decide when it is time to stay or leave your role.