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How to Handle a Career Transition

Depending on why you are choosing, or have chosen, to switch careers you may be facing a variety of emotions — but it’s a safe bet that they will include both exhilaration and trepidation.

Finding your feet in a new field can take time.

That’s why it’s a good idea to lay the groundwork by taking at least one course that relates to the area you plan to work in, even if you’re just moving within a certain field.

Not only will this help acquaint you with any legal and professional issues you need to be across, it will also inform you about practices and information that might, at the beginning, be unfamiliar.

It’s important to choose a study program carefully and wisely. Online courses are very popular now, as they are flexible and can be fitted in around other commitments.

Use a good, comprehensive resource and make sure that you select a course that meets your needs and goals. Embarking on a period of study is also a great way to connect with others who will also be entering your chosen field, via online professional forums connected with the subject.

Once you’ve done the groundwork and got the qualifications you need, you’ll be ready to apply for positions and, very soon, you’ll be embarking on your first day.

However coursework can be tough, especially if it’s been years since you’ve been in class. Here are some tips about how to prepare:

1. Hang in There

The first few days of embarking on a course, be it online or at a college, are going to be exhausting as you get your head around new material and routines. Expect this and don’t be too hard on yourself.

2. Be Organized

If you have written coursework that needs to be completed, plan a regime to get it done on time. Don’t leave it until the night before it needs to be handed in – both your work and your nerves will suffer. Remember, this is an investment in your future: Take it seriously.

3. Be Enthusiastic

No one likes a moaner and there’s something infectious about enthusiasm. Seek out ways you can enhance your studies.

Perhaps you can volunteer for something connected to the career you have chosen? Some colleges and online courses will even help you partner with organizations that offer internships. Take advantage of this.

4. Get to Know Your New Field

Don’t expect your coursework to give you all the information. Do your own research. Make a habit of scanning magazines and newspapers for news relating to the area you plan to work in.

Look at the mission statements of relevant companies. It also doesn’t hurt to start looking at advertisements for the kind of jobs that you will be seeking before you actually finish your course.

That way you can be filling in any holes in your qualifications and experience before it reaches the I –need-to-find-a-job D-day.

5. Be Proactive

Make notes of things you don’t understand and follow them up, either with your tutor or by doing further research yourself. You might be surprised at how quickly you begin to see issues and potential problems in your new chosen field of work.

These are important to analyze, as they may help you come up with solutions when you find a job. Be careful, though, to frame criticism in a positive and non-judgmental way, bearing in mind that many companies have ingrained issues that have built up over time and may be more complex than they first appear.

6. Work on Relationships

Seek out supporters and mentors. It’s likely that over the first few weeks of taking a course, even an online one, you will find a tutor you click with.

Do a bit of research on them, and don’t be afraid to shoot them an email to see if they’d have time to share some tips or advice.

7. Be Kind to Yourself

You are going to find the initial stages of transitioning to a new career challenging and exhausting, give yourself a break and don’t be too hard on yourself. Plan some treats and well-deserved relaxation time and try to keep things in perspective. You will succeed in the end.

(Photo by Unsplash / CC BY)

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5 Ways to Talk Politics at Work

“Don’t hug a boa constrictor” is absolutely good advice that you should always take.

“Pull the rip cord” is also solid guidance.

“Don’t talk politics at work” is pretty good advice in some ways.

Yet, democratic nations pride themselves on affording freedoms, including the freedom to express oneself.

Having and voicing viewpoints can develop richer workplace relationships that will lead to some solid collaborations.

Or, maybe talking politics on the job is just inevitable. Here are some tips for expressing honest opinions in a way that will help you avoid trouble and offending your peers.

1. There’s No “I” in “Issue”

Well, perhaps “I” is the first letter in the word “issue.” But all too often people make political issues about their own preferences or feelings.

You’ve heard people say, “Well, Iiiiii think…” and then discuss the issue in terms of what offends them or rankles them, etc. What about talking about issues in terms of fairness, economic effects, some close-to-universal values if at all possible?

This makes you seem less self-interested and motivated by selfish interests, and should, therefore, defuse tensions before they build.

2. Acknowledge Differences

Smiling and saying, “Now I know we disagree on this, Richard,” can help a lot.

Use this tactic as opposed to gleefully telling Richard you’ve really got him this time or that you know his stupid socialist ideas are going to love such-and-such.

If you make it about expressing views rather than winning, HR can’t fire you.

3. Get to Work

This one is so obvious it may slip through the cracks. University of New Haven professor Stuart Sidle brings us down to earth with a very pragmatic tip — be sure the work is getting done.

That will cause your political discussions to be suitably brief, not sprawling into long, drawn out messes.

4. Don’t Assume Agreement

Have you ever been embarrassed by someone uncorking some really extreme political viewpoint as though it were just obvious you were going to agree? Don’t be that embarrassing person.

While you don’t want to be too pointed about asking someone’s political beliefs, never talk to a person as though you’re at a gathering of a political party or some other safe-house of like-minded individuals.

Instead of, “People need to learn that greed doesn’t give us a right to destroy the planet,” try something like “I can see both sides, I just tend to value conservation more.”

This can allow for agreement if your conversation partner feels the same way, and it paves the way for a disagreement — you’ve said that you happen to feel a certain way, not that you’re right. You’re implying other people feel differently.

5. Be Serious

Discussing politics and making jokes are two different things.

While having a problem with the Affordable Health Care Act (to take the radical step of calling it by its correct name) based on sound reason should be acceptable — even if it’s a heated topic — making some joke, which usually has some insult in it, will get you in trouble.

That’s where you get into unprotected speech — you can be disciplined for harassment in that case. The way the First Amendment protects political speech at work (in general terms) is by preventing employers from firing you because they disagree with your politics.

It doesn’t create a free-for-all. It is there to protect well-meaning people, not cranks who want to make light of serious situations.

So: Feel free to talk politics, just wait until you get home to really let loose!

(Photo by svenwerk / CC BY)

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Your Guide: When to Post on Social Media

You suffer from insomnia, so you think the best way to spend the night is post some statuses or images on Facebook and start interacting with your friends or fans.

Is that a good decision?

Do you really want to share your wisdom at a time when it doesn’t stand a chance of reaching a great audience?

It is very important to post the right content at the right time.

If you want to boost your popularity on these platforms, you need to strategize!

No Universal Rules, Just Tips

Is there a perfect time for posting on social media? There is no universal rule.

Your plan will depend upon multiple factors, including the platform you are using, the audience you want to reach, the type of information you share and the way the users interact with the site.

Don’t worry; we have tips that will help you figure out the mystery! Use these to devise your social media strategy.

1. Consider Working Hours

Most people work from Monday to Friday. The best hours to share your updates would be between 7 and 9 a.m., during lunchtime (between 12 and 1 p.m.), and in the evening from 5 to 7 p.m.

The engagement of social media users peaks on Thursdays and Fridays. This schedule will work on most social media platforms. Pinterest is an exception.

Before you start developing your social media posting strategy, don’t forget the fact that time zones are important if you have an international base of followers.

If this is the case, you should experiment a lot in order to come up with your own statistics.

2. Use the Times of Chaos

Did a huge affair in politics just hit the news? Maybe there is a hot celebrity topic trending right now?

It’s the perfect time to be active on social media, regardless of the type of updates you have in mind. You don’t have to get engaged in the situation; simply share your image, status or any other content.

Everyone is on Facebook and Twitter when something important occurs, because they want to become aware of public opinion and engage in discussion. When your update posts during that time, you’ll have a larger audience.

3. Analyze Your Audience

Some experimenting won’t do you wrong. Post your updates randomly at different hours of the day or night. Of course, you shouldn’t do this in a single day.

Make a plan and observe how the audience interacts with your profile. When do you get the greatest number of likes, shares and comments? That information will help you start posting effectively.

The Platform Is Important

Your activity will depend upon the platform you are using. Facebook does not function in the same way as Twitter or Google+.

The three tips mentioned above work for all these platforms, but you should also adapt your strategy in accordance with the website’s trends and practices. Let’s see how statistics can work to your advantage:

1. Facebook

Posts to Facebook get the most shares at 1 p.m. If you want to get the most clicks, post an update at 3 p.m. (it’s the time when most people get tired from their work, so they are looking for some amusement).

Anytime between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. will be relatively beneficial for your activity. Avoid late evenings and early mornings.

The recommended frequency for Facebook posts is twice a day. Some people get too creative; they try hard to get awesome ideas for statuses every half an hour.

This is not Twitter. Your friends/followers won’t be glad to see a feed cluttered with your posts.

2. Twitter

This is the right platform to use in the morning. Most people start their days with this, since the stream of information is a nice way to find out about the latest occurrences as soon as possible.

You can also share you tweets on Mondays through Thursdays between 1 and 3 pm.

Activity on weekends is low, so you might want to skip it unless you have something really important to share. Weekends offer 14 percent less engagement than weekdays when it comes to business-to-business interaction.

You have a chance to get the highest number of retweets at 5 p.m.

3. Pinterest

Unlike the previous two platforms, this is a great website to use on weekends. Saturday is the best day for pinning new images. The right hour to use this platform is different too — on a usual day, you’ll get the most attention if you update your boards between 8 and 11 p.m.

Twitter may work during normal working hours, but that’s not the case with Pinterest. Save this platform for the moments when most people have free time on their hands.

4. Google+

This social media outlet is (almost) always ready for your content. You can post your content on any weekday with the same chance to attract attention.

You want to get the highest level of engagement? Try posting on Wednesday at 9 a.m.

5. Instagram

Activity on this platform is a great way to start the week. This website gets the most attention on Mondays.

You want to be active during off-hours, since that’s when you stand a chance for Instagram users to interact with videos and images.

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Social media is a wonderful tool, but it can be a complete black hole if you don’t have a plan. Use these guidelines to make your own. What best practices can you recommend?

(Photo by StartupStockPhotos / CC BY)

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How to Discuss Salary with Coworkers

This article is not about asking for a raise.

It’s not about suing your employer.

Nor is it about negotiating a salary during a job interview.

It’s about the best ways to navigate the delicate topic of salaries when it inevitably comes up among coworkers.

Despite what you may have heard, it’s not something to avoid, just something to do with savvy.

What’s the Controversy?

What’s the problem with talking about salary, and if it’s so bad, why does anyone do it, aside from silly human-nature reasons?

Well, the obvious problems that can arise such as jealousies, cattiness or foolhardy attempts to get raises will thread their way through our tips in a moment. But another reason some people don’t talk about salary at work is that many workplaces have policies forbidding them to do so, even if those policies are illegal.

On the flip side is a political movement for greater transparency. This can mean employers publishing salaries, or it can mean employees seeking out the information.

For example, a software developer named Lauren Voswinkel started a Twitter campaign called #talkpay to openly discuss salaries and to encourage others to do so.

This was virtual rather than at the workplace itself, but it touches on the idea of using discussions of salary to redress wrongs —Voswinkel found she was underpaid compared to co-workers. The idea of salary transparency narrowing the salary gap between genders has been gaining traction.

So if we agree that some salary discussion is going to be inevitable, even if you’re not the one to bring it up, let’s look at some tips for having discussions about salary that could possibly be empowering, while avoiding some of the animosities and other pitfalls that may occur.

1. Have a Clear Goal in Mind

First, if someone else brings up salary, and you basically don’t want to find out you’re underpaid or anything else that will make you uncomfortable, remove yourself from the situation. But if you’re going to look into the matter, be clear on why you are doing so.

It can be useful to know salaries of people in higher-up positions analogous to those you might like to apply for in the future. Or, understanding the salary structure in your organization can help you get a sense of your advancement opportunities (salary-wise).

However, if you’re hoping that so-and-so doesn’t make more than you or coming at it from any other gossip-like angle, you may wish to hit the brakes first.

2. Don’t Let Hearsay Upset You

You may have had the experience of hearing a second-hand account of someone’s salary. Often, this comes up expressly because the person spreading the rumor is upset at how high the salary is.

If you’re not getting someone’s salary straight from him or her, don’t let it cause envy. Numbers are easy to mix up — you may be getting upset over inaccurate information.

3. Weigh the Information

When you initially hear that someone is making ten G’s a year more than you, it will knock you off balance. It can be easy to initially forget that one of your higher-earning coworkers has ten years’ experience on you or a degree you don’t have.

A higher-paid coworker may be in a similar position but may have duties beyond yours — there are many contingencies that could lead to the discrepancy, and they may be ones that you won’t always be able to recognize immediately. It could take an inquiry or two, as appropriate.

4. Small Conversations

If you’re going to bring up a conversation about salary, try to do it either one-on-one or in a small group. You’ll probably get the best results from people with whom you’ve built up a lot of trust already — it’s not a conversation for everyone in the break room.

It may also be good to try to have the conversation with employees within your department or who aren’t likely to have salaries all over the map.

—

Do you talk about your salary with coworkers? Do you see a benefit to doing so?

(Photo by Tax Credits / CC BY)

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3 Steps to Handle Emergency Projects

Your boss calls you in.

Upper management has decided a crisis is brewing and the problem needs fixing immediately.

You are chosen.

What was your response?

For many of us, the response is to say, “Of course,” and leave the office wondering how we’re going to fix this. Then we go back to our desk and sit for a moment.

Then we turn to our coworker and say something like, “You’ll never believe what they just asked me to do!” Venting ensues.

Complaining to your coworker probably didn’t help the situation. Here are three steps to take control of situation calmly and efficiently.

1. Ask Questions

Yes, I know. You were summarily dismissed after your assignment. Let’s keep in mind that your boss probably wasn’t any more excited about this new assignment than you were.

Give him or her some time to process. In the meantime, start a list of questions that you need to know before moving forward.

• What exactly are the expectations?
• What does success look like to your boss — and your boss’ boss?
• Why is this a crisis? Who says and why?
• When does success need to be accomplished?
• Who is on the team to accomplish this?
• Who can you go to for any assistance?
• Who is your main internal customer?
• Do you have any budget constraints?

Set up this meeting with your boss within about 24 hours of the assignment. Depending on the manager, it may be helpful to give them the questions in advance. This gives your manager time to process the new work and gives you time to prepare.

2. Create a Plan

At this point, it’s probably pretty down and dirty — not a formal MS Project list of tasks, but a list of the actions that need to happen to get to the objective. You should know who you’re actually doing this work for — it may not be your manager.

Get some time with your customer and go over the plan with them. Reiterate what the end goal is — what does success look like? Get their buy-in, particularly on the deadline.

Many upper managers are unaware of how long work actually takes. Even a notional plan can make them aware of when they will get their result.

In my experience, they usually want everything perfect tomorrow. Secretly, they know that can’t happen, but they don’t know how long it takes. Tell them.

3. Execute Your Plan

Once your customer and you agree on the time frames and the task list, formalize it so you and your team knows what to do when. Then execute.

Remember, the most important thing about accomplishing work in most organizations is communication. Keep your manager informed about your progress as well as your internal customer or upper manager. If you don’t know exactly how to communicate, ask.

Managers are busy people. Email may or may not be the best way to keep in touch. For some, a voicemail once per week does the trick. For others, a daily instant message with the day’s progress makes them feel better. This is your opportunity to learn how to manage your managers.

We all know that the best laid plans, blah, blah. Keep communicating and working issues until you have your final goal. Then celebrate!

Even if it’s only bakery cookies for the team at your final meeting, don’t let everyone go back to their desk without some kind of recognition. Encourage the internal customer to be there and join in your success. Very little work gets done without the effort of an entire team.

Final Thoughts

Calmly and efficiently putting together a plan for that critical work assignment shows you can be counted on in a crisis. When given a new assignment, take a deep breath and begin gathering the information you need to prepare a plan and accomplish your result. And don’t forget to party!

(Photo by FirmBee / CC BY)

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How to Build a Strong Company Culture

When a great business concept is born, its creator spends much of their time planning budgets and hiring employees.

They may even setup social media accounts to help spread the word on their product or service.

However, regardless of what niche the business happens to occupy, the one aspect that makes the business truly unique is its culture.

Workplace culture is defined as the unique style and approach of any given company. Culture impacts everything about a company, from its hiring practices to its level of employee engagement.

Granted, what works for one business may not work for another. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to creating the “perfect” company culture, but there are some factors that will foster a cohesive and productive one.

Setting Clear Roles & Goals

If it’s one thing that’s true in any workplace, it’s that employees like to feel that their contributions are valued. What can undermine this need very quickly is a manager who does not explicitly state what the employees’ objectives and respective jobs are.

It has been shown that employees who have a deep understanding of their role and how it contributes to the company’s bottom line are powerful motivators. When they know how significant their contribution is, no matter how small, it tends to spur employees into action.

Take a look at your own organization. Does everybody understand their role and how their specific tasks help achieve company objectives? If not, consider revising the current approach if your employees struggle with motivation or job role confusion.

Give Respect, Earn Respect

This ideal may be considered beating a dead horse, but there are still a large number of organizations that don’t practice it. Instead of shying away from employee discord, regardless of the situation, try handling it proactively.

This is especially true in organizations where attrition rates are high. Part of making an employee feel valued is listening objectively to their concerns and fostering an environment that makes them feel comfortable talking to you. They simply will not feel comfortable talking to someone that they don’t respect or feel respected by.

Some of the ways that employers can make their environment more conducive to communication include:

• Build trust by assigning a task and trust that the employee to do it.
• Be an attentive listener.
• Practice mutual respect.

Even in an organization that historically lacks in this regard, it’s entirely possible to turn it around by simply being a respectful and empathetic human being. One of the worst aspects of a failing company is the complete lack of communication, so make sure that your company culture invites open communication through consistent mutual respect.

Acknowledge Achievements

All wins, whether big or small, need to be acknowledged. Part of gaining mutual respect and trust from your employees is to consistently inform them of the value of their contributions.

This doesn’t mean shooting off a generic compliment, however. In order for this to work, the acknowledgement needs to be genuine.

For example, if a hard goal for a team is set, they’ll need consistent feedback so that they know if they’re heading in the right direction. To provide the best quality of feedback possible, set small goals from the start of the project to the end goal and inform your team when those goals are met.

For this to be effective, ensure that the goals you set are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Timely

Further, it’s a good idea to have goal progress written on a chart or graph so that your team can monitor their progress. Make sure that progress is regularly updated and inform your team how their contributions are helping to reach the end goal. Doing so is a powerful motivational tool and keeps everyone informed real-time.

Know Your People

Part of a healthy work culture is the camaraderie that exists between both employees and managers. As a manager, getting to know your employees allows you to assess their strengths and weaknesses, as well as personality types. Some managers even have their employees take a personality test to learn more about them.

However, in the end, face-to-face communication is the best way to build relationships. Nonverbal communication doesn’t translate well through email or social media very well, and can result in seemingly endless message streams where no one really learns anything about anyone.

Through consistent communication (face-to-face when possible), you can get to learn a lot more about your employees, what motivates them, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Remember to foster an open environment and put them at ease to get the best information possible.

Communication is Key

In the end, what separates a strong company culture from a fractured one is the depth of communication that occurs. A stifling, uptight office environment hardly invites camaraderie, and its culture suffers as a result.

In contrast, a strong company culture has its roots in mutual respect and open communication, where everyone feels valued and knows where they stand.

(Photo by StartupStockPhotos / CC BY)

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Are You on the Right Sleep Schedule?

How common is it for people who run their own businesses to sacrifice sleep?

Do a lot of us get three or four hours a night?

Have you ever pulled a full all-nighter, and it wasn’t for a chemistry exam back in college?

Getting that exalted eight hours is something I’m here to recommend. And yet …

Here are some bright-eyed and bushy-tailed thoughts on some alternatives to a traditional night of sleep for those of us who either have too much to do or who just have a hard time operating on a traditional timer.

It’s proven that less than eight hours of sleep will suffice, particularly if you have a chance to nap at some point during each twenty-four hour cycle.

In fact, this concept comes complete with terminology. In short, there are two basic alternative sleep cycles: biphasic and polyphasic.

Biphasic                                                                

The biphasic sleeper divides eight hours of sleep into two quick bursts of roughly four hours each. An example may be from about 3 a.m. until about 7 and then about 1 p.m. until about 5. This may involve a nap of an hour somewhere in between.

Each short duration of sleep should leave you feeling refreshed. That’s because you should wake up as your brainwaves come up near the top, rather than getting pulled out of REM sleep, which would cause you to feel jarred and groggy.

In fact, an essay from livescience.com contains the assertion that people who wake up in the middle of the night are doing so because that’s what’s perfectly natural. The essay quotes a sleep historian, Roger Ekirch, who explains that the one, eight-hour stretch of sleep is a modern invention.

Polyphasic

The polyphasic cycle is similar to the biphasic in terms of the main period of sleep. In polyphasic, as in biphasic, this is just a bit shorter, lasting on the order of two-and-a-half to three hours.

The polyphasic sleeper takes a couple of short naps during the day. The idea is to not stay awake for far too long at once, driving yourself nuts and exhausting yourself.

Benefits of Different Sleep Schedules

The benefits of any of these non-mono-phasic styles revolve around becoming refreshed. Rather than being asleep for eight hours and then awake for sixteen, the polyphasic or biphasic sleeper hits the reset button more often.

Matthew Walker, a psychology professor at UC-Berkeley, has conducted research that explains how this works. Walker explains that the hippocampus serves to provide short-term memory, storing facts for a period of time before forwarding them on to the frontal cortex, where they can be analyzed in depth.

The problem is, just like computer storage, the hippocampus gets full, and experiments Walker has conducted shows that naps can serve to clear out this storage, allowing it to then send on the facts and be open for new ones.

This shows that binge working doesn’t lead to higher quality work — that a quick dip out of consciousness is necessary.

The greater quality of work done by polyphasic and biphasic sleepers is often accompanied by the sort of focus that makes the work go more quickly and thus gives more free time. The refreshed worker can get work done quickly, knowing that more sleep is never too far away. It’s all about treasuring the time when one is awake.

(Photo by Pedro Ribeiro Simões / CC BY)

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9 Signs It’s Time to Change Careers

What is your first thought every morning from Monday to Friday?

If you seem to toss and turn, hitting the snooze button while mumbling about how you hate your job or your life, then you’re probably one of those people who think a job is a deadly chore.

You are a miserable soul, and your job or career is sucking the life out of you.

Is it time for a change? Not necessarily.

Maybe the job isn’t the problem, in which case a job switch wouldn’t help much. On the contrary, you might feel that your choice of career has everything to do with your misery.

Here are nine tell-tale signs that your career is to blame — and that it’s time for a change.

1. The Work Just Isn’t You

If you’re required to take on responsibilities that you feel aren’t a good match for your talents or skills, then you are probably looking at a job that was never right for you in the first place.

This is exactly why employers look for the right “fit.” They are expecting a candidate who is comfortable with the roles and responsibilities of the job. If you feel like you’re on the wrong team, chances are you are also on the wrong side of the field.

2. You’re Always in a Bad Mood

Thanks to your wonderful job, you don’t have an ounce of patience anymore. You find yourself bickering and barking at anyone who crosses your way or “makes you lose your patience.”

When it’s your job that demands you add something new to add to your already-large list of things to do, you just can’t bear it. You are the mean person behind a desk with a terrible job and zero tolerance for “nonsense.”

3. You are Constantly Exhausted

You seem to be tired all of the time. Your work is like a soul-sucking demon leaving little, if any, life in you.

Most of your time and day is spent working at your job, and during off-hours you try to make up for the stress and exhaustion, but it NEVER seems to be enough. Even your body hates your job and doesn’t seem to want to adjust to its schedule.

4. You Know Your Talents Lie Elsewhere

If you are 100% sure you are not doing what you are best at, it’s time to stop daydreaming about that dream career and start making a move toward the change.

Your time and skills seem wasted in the job you are currently doing. For you, your career has no purpose or meaning.

5. Your Growth is Stunted

You have been looking for a promotion or even a salary change for years, but something always keeps getting in the way. It could be your boss, a company policy or dreaded politics.

Whichever the case, you don’t seem to be moving forward in your career no matter how hard you try. This is another surefire sign that you need to get out.

6. You are Perpetually Bored

You are so bored that you don’t even notice your surroundings. You seem to ignore all the good in your life because you are running like a robot.

Not only are you unexcited in the morning when you wake up, but you also lack any amount of energy or enthusiasm you had in you when you started out. This is also how you go to bed every night of every day.

Passion and career are at far ends of the continuum. You even doubt the possibility of it.

7. The Remuneration Just Isn’t Enough

Your current compensation doesn’t make up for your unhappiness with the job. You feel like they are paying less than the amount of work you are doing.

It could be your unhappiness with the job or the fact that you are actually being underpaid. Either way, your job doesn’t seem to reward you in any way, be it financial or non-financial.

8. Sunday Nights are the Worst

You don’t just dread the Monday mornings and experience many call the “Monday morning blues,” you hate them.

Not only that, you also start feeling the pain and anxiety the Sunday night before.

9. Your Overall Behavior is Negative

Lately, you’ve been a negative person, and you feel that your job is to blame. You find yourself giving off those vibes mostly during work.

What comes out of your mouth is unkind, cruel and callous. Your colleagues and customers might just shake it off with a shrug and leave you be. However, there is a problem with your attitude and you know it. You simply blame the frustration you experience while you work.

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If all or most of these feelings sound familiar to you and your own career situation, you need to take control. Try various ways to add more meaning to your work, even if that means asking your boss to change or add more responsibilities.

If you’ve tried this and other approaches and you still experience a draining situation, it’s time for major change — a career change.

(Photo by click / CC BY)