The world of work has changed significantly during the last few years, and I wonder if your IT career goals have, too?
Let me remind you of several recent shifts you might have experienced.
Remote and hybrid working has become more commonplace, yet many companies now ask or demand employees return to the office full-time.
In June 2022, the four-day week was tested in the UK, and this has occurred across the US and Australia over the past two years.
About 3,000 US workers tested the four-day workweek, and the results were resounding. People love working four days per week for the same pay. 15% of participants said no amount of money would convince them to work five days a week again, according to the Washington Post.
However, this has yet to translate into four-day weeks being offered.
Many markets continue to be skill short, including the IT sector.
An uncertain economy with high inflation and interest rates has seen many candidates consider a move that, in the past, they wouldn’t have.
The talent search has created a pay war, with many companies increasing their offers to new employees and counteroffering current employees to stay.
Well-being is a real focus for many organisations as employees suffer from the worst mental health and burnout in history.
Though work in IT may appear in turmoil, companies are growing, and opportunities for skilled IT employees like you are available.
With opportunity all around you, is it time to re-evaluate where your career is going and who it is with?
A better-paid role with flexibility might now be possible for you in a company with a great culture.
When was the last time you sat down and reviewed whether you were meeting your career goals and what you now want?
And I don’t mean your annual review with your line manager; I’m talking about your personal career goals, intentions, and ambitions.
Wherever you are in your career journey, it is a good idea to periodically analyse your current position, depending on where you want to be.
When you dig deeper, is everything on track and working out as expected? How flexible are your employers? How stimulating and stretching do you find your work? What changes do you need to make to meet your goals?
To help you measure if your IT career is progressing as you envisaged when you started, we have created the following checklist to provide a snapshot of whether you’re on the right track.
When you work through this checklist, it is essential to remember the reasons you got into your current role in the first place.
What did you set out to achieve in your career – did you plan on making a certain amount of money in a specific timeframe?
Was your move into your current role related to what was going on in your personal life? For example, were you about to leave home and get married, or were you saving for a deposit for a house?
Also, what is important to you about the company you work for? Do your values and what’s important to you align with the company? Do you feel you fit in with your company’s culture?
What kind of relationships do you have with your colleagues and managers?
Are they the kind of relationships you want?
If your current role or company is not fulfilling you as you had hoped, or if the pace has slowed recently, it could be a sign that you need to start making some big career decisions – is it time to move roles or organisations?
Read each statement below and decide how much you agree using the following scale -
1 – Strongly disagree
2 – Disagree
3 – Neutral
4 – Agree
5 – Strongly agree
So, let’s get started!
What did you score?
Tally up what you scored and take a look below at some of the points you may want to consider when thinking about how you want your career to progress in the future:
23-43
Alarm Bells!
This score says your career isn’t going to plan, and you are probably not enjoying your current role.
We suggest thinking about why you aren’t enjoying your position or not achieving what you want.
It might be time for you to move on or think about whether your current company or role is for you.
Do you need a more supportive environment, better career progression, or even a sector change?
44-64
Room for More
A better score suggests you enjoy aspects of your job, but there’s room for improvement.
For example, you might like the people you work with, but you feel you aren’t personally getting the support you need to achieve your career and personal goals. Maybe your current company doesn’t agree with remote or hybrid working.
Consider if you can see changes happening in your current company by speaking to your manager, or if you feel working here has run its course and want to progress, it’s time to move on.
65-85
Meeting Some Goals
You’re neither happy nor unhappy, though you wouldn’t describe yourself as wholly engaged, which means that if the right opportunity came your way, you might consider it.
When you feel this way, sometimes the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. You need to decide if you want to move, and why is this? Understand if it’s just a case of you feeling like this because you are having a bad day or two or if it’s a regular occurrence.
85+
Loving Life and Your Job
You are achieving your goals, meeting targets, and enjoying your workplace. There may be small elements that you feel could be better, but they aren’t big enough to make you think about working elsewhere.
If this checklist has prompted you to think harder about what your current role and company are providing you with, and it has made you realise that now is time for a change, then get in touch with Constant Recruitment today.
We have been helping candidates like yourself make positive career decisions for nearly 20 years, and we can help you decide what step to take next to further your IT career.
