The Great Resignation is an ongoing trend where millions of people are leaving their jobs. This trend began around March and April of 2021 and has since inspired over 45,000,000 people to resign voluntarily.
There are plenty of potential causes for this mass exodus. Some common reasons include:
- Waiting to change jobs through 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic until the job market stabilized
- Wanting to stay permanently remote and looking for jobs that will allow them to do that
- Realigning priorities about work-life balance and finding a job that is more conducive to those goals
But is the Great Resignation a good reason to leave your job? Let’s discuss why this might be a great time to start the job hunt again.
Does This Mean You Should Leave Your Job?
The current job market is almost completely catered to employees and job hunters—companies are having an incredibly difficult time retaining and attracting talent. Hence, they’re willing to go above and beyond to make their job openings more enticing for all candidates.
This trend doesn’t mean you necessarily have to leave your job—especially if you’re content with your current role and feel like your company genuinely values you as an employee.
But if you have been thinking about pursuing new opportunities, now is a great time to go for it. If you read through job sites today, you’ll see countless job listings with competitive pay ranges and ramped-up benefits since so many companies are competing against each other for talent like you.
6 Good Reasons to Leave Your Job
Looking for new work can be frightening—after spending months or years with your current company, it can feel like you’re ripping off that security blanket. Because of this, many people feel like they need a genuinely good reason to leave their job.
To help you feel more confident in your decision to leave, here are six reasons leaving your job could be the best decision you make this year:
1. Bad/Toxic Work Environments
A study by MIT Sloan Management Review found that the number one reason people have left their jobs during the Great Resignation is a toxic work environment. This usually means the worker felt disrespected or that the management was unethical or abusive. No matter how much money they made, the work environment was so stressful it simply wasn’t worth their time anymore.
But a work environment doesn’t have to be toxic for it to be a bad fit. Maybe it’s just “fine.” It’s not bad or good; it’s simply unengaging.
2. Better Compensation
Many people point to compensation when they’re looking for a new job. Whether it’s the base salary/wage, benefits package, or perks of the job, getting more reward for hard work is always on the mind.
3. Complete Career Change
Are you looking to go down a different path? The Great Resignation affects every industry, so you’re bound to find job openings in virtually any type of employment you might want to try. Now is an excellent time if you want to switch industries altogether just to try something new.
4. New Career Advancement Opportunities
Instead of waiting for your company to utilize your skill set, see what roles other companies are looking to fill. Perhaps you want to transition into a managerial role, but your company doesn’t currently have openings. And anytime you want to discuss it, you’re told to wait until an opening comes up.
5. Misaligned Company Culture
Sometimes companies simply aren’t the right fit for an employee. You may be surrounded by coworkers who love and appreciate your company’s work culture, but you don’t see it the same way. If this sounds like you, it may be time to look for a company culture you gel with.
6. That “Gut Feeling”
The idea that you need a good reason to leave your job is mostly for show. While it’s polite to let your managers know why you’re leaving, sometimes it’s just a gut feeling. You don’t have a specific reason; you believe it’s time to move on. This is a valid reason.
3 Tips for Finding a New Job in the Great Resignation
If you’re ready to take the plunge and start applying for new job opportunities, consider these three tips:
1. Use Your Current Connections
Don’t neglect the connections you’ve already made, including those at your current company. While it may be an awkward conversation to start, see if any of your managers or coworkers are connected with people at companies you want to work at. Otherwise, you can use your connections on websites like LinkedIn to get your foot in the door with new companies.
2. Let Go of Guilt
You may leave behind some coworkers and managers you’ve appreciated during your job. This may even make you feel guilty, especially knowing how much work it will be for them to hire a replacement. But don’t let this guilt control your decisions—a good manager and caring coworkers will support you while you look for new work.
3. Tailor Your Application for Each Job
While so many companies are looking for jobs during this phenomenon, you’re not the only one applying. There are millions of employees looking for new jobs every month, so you have to know how to stand out among the crowd.
A great way to differentiate yourself is to tailor your resume and cover letter to every job you apply for. This may involve:
- Highlighting skills on your resume that the company is looking for
- Swapping out which jobs you list depending on the required experience
- Talking about why you’re interested in working for that specific company in your cover letter
- Describe and quantify your accomplishments in your role instead of talking about what you did
About ClearSource
Above all else, you should look for a company that takes care of its employees. ClearSource BPO prides itself on how well we treat our employees. So if you’re interested in working in the customer service industry or simply want a job to bridge the gap while developing your skills for a new career path, consider applying for a job at ClearSource.
If you have any questions about what Clearsource can do for your career development, don’t hesitate to give us a call.
