UNHAPPY AT WORK? IT'S TIME FOR ACTION
- By Jill Turner
Now is a time when many people start to reassess their lives, and many of us spend much of our time at work, our careers are one of the first things to come under focus.
Maybe you are bored in your current employment, fancy a new challenge, feel you are stuck in a rut with other people being promoted around you, or even fear a wave of redundancies?
But where to start? Look around at the jobs pages and websites of local or national newspapers, flick through any professional magazines or think about signing up with a recruitment agency or website.
A recruitment agent or career counsellor can look at your skills and experience and help you decide on a new direction, if that is what you fancy.
If you sign up with a recruitment website, like totaljobs.com, they will send you the latest suitable vacancies and can also take a look at your CV to make it the most impressive it can be.
There may be extra skills you have, that could be attractive to a prospective employer, that have been ignored or downplayed on your CV, and if you are looking for a career change your old CV could definitely do with an overhaul.
They advise: "In the short term, assess what you want from your next job and consider salary, whether you want increased responsibility and opportunities for training and development or whether you are looking to find a job that gives you more time for family, friends and hobbies."
They also suggest considering whether you want to stay living in the same area or whether you would look at moving elsewhere in the country for the right job.
When considering salary - especially if you are thinking of reducing your working hours or taking a lower-paid job - take a look at what you need to earn and remember to factor in any loss of benefits, such as pension, health care or travel expenses.
And, although you may not be intending to make a move straightaway, the time to start thinking is now.
"Don't wait until you resign or lose a job before you work out your future career plan," advise the totaljobs.com experts. "Start now so you are ready when the time comes.
"And don't apply for jobs without a career plan or goal in mind. You are wasting your own time and that of potential employers."
DO YOU NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE?
According to Learndirect if you do more than a couple of these during the working day, then it's definitely time to move on.
1. Surfing the web
2. Endless emails - personal emails, not work ones
3. Playing the office funny man
4. Chatting, for hours
5. Being negative about the job 6
6. Calling people to arrange your social life instead of work meetings
7. Sleeping on the job - when no-one's looking
8. Going on made-up errands - heading off with a piece of paper in your hand
Learndirect offers a free advice service where a careers coach can help you identify what kind of work would really enthuse you and decide on the best way to get there, whether it's promotion, a new job or even career change.
There is also a free online skills and interests test which could help you, in a few moments, decide if you want to move into a new area.
Call 0800 100 900. Lines are open from 8am to 10pm seven days a week. For more information http://www.learndirect.co.uk/ 
