If you open up this article, maybe you haven’t outgrown of your job but you’re not sure. Here’s where I come in and help you. There is a difference between whether you have outgrown your job or you are bored with your job.
I have collated a list of questions for you to ask yourself if that is the problem:
1. More, more, more… Do you feel that you can do a lot more in your current state? A lot of times when we felt that we have mastered the job, we basically can finished the tasks with one eye open. There is not a lot of challenge to that. In that case, will it helps if you take on a new project in your company? Maybe you’re a business analyst and running through the numbers daily takes half of your day instead of the usual full day, pick on a project that differs from your field, like planning a department event or ask to coach someone who can cover you in your absence.
2. You spend more time chatting with others than at your own desk You are so efficient in your daily work that you have plenty of time left in your hands and you are watching the world go by outside your window. You envy your fellow colleagues rushing to meetings or hammering their keyboard to complete their deadlines. Perhaps you can jump in and lend a hand? This way, you can make use of the time on your hands to learn something new from your colleagues and they will appreciate that you are helping them.
3. You are dying to knock off Every now and then, we will be watching the time on our laptop for it to strike six so that we can pack up and go home. Or you daydream about doing their dream job once too often. If you are doing it almost everyday, that is not a good thing. Take that time and review that day’s tasks, could there be something you could have done better before submitting? Perhaps you can make sure there is no typo error in the report before you click send or is there a better way to illustrate your point in your PowerPoint slides?
4. Honing your sword
You are an expert in what you do and that’s what your company is paying you for. So good that you have completed all your tasks in half the time. Take a step back and see how you can be more innovative in your work, think up on creative ways to improve even further. Whether it is the way processes works or your presentation skills, there is always room for improvement. Remember, businesses always evolve so does your customers. So staying stagnant doesn’t help you or your company.
5. Pick up something new Learn something new pertaining to your role. It can be a new language that will help should one day your company decide to break into a new market. Or enhance what you already know. If you are in a marketing field, read up on new ways to market, catch up on articles that written about your field. If you are in Human Resource, look at new software perhaps you can introduce to make your department more efficient or find out what are the latest avenues for recruitment. This way you can let your management know that you have taken time to hone yourself in the benefit of the company and you can put that in your yearly appraisal too.
6. Explore external learning If you are working in a bigger firm, check with your HR if you can be reimbursed for classes related to your role. If you are in a smaller company, ask your boss if it is something he can consider as an investment on you. If you are as good as you think, chances are he or she will agree to it. It doesn’t have to be classes during your own time, there are plenty of seminars and online courses that you can do during your work period.
7. You jump, I jump If you have done all that above, I think it is the right time to ask for a promotion or a transfer to a different position. It can be a rotational role within the same department. This way you can bring new skills and fresher outlook to the new team you just joined and also back into your job when you completed your rotational role.
With the economy these days, companies will be pleased that you want to learn more and upgrade yourself. This will make you less likely to be dispensable too.
Agree with me? Join me at Twitter MiddleMe_net or drop me a comment below.
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