Before You Quit: Leverage the Performance Review Process

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you didn’t have to quit your job in order to love it again? Or love it for the first time?

Now I know you may be thinking, “Carol, I thought you were all about career change and leaving bad work situations to pursue your career happiness?”

I AM!!

However, just like not all marriages that have gone south can’t be saved (marriage counseling does help some couples), you don’t always have to break up with your current employer in order to have the career you crave.

It does take some work to determine if this is even possible. I am not saying it always is but it’s worth a shot, especially if you have invested a lot of time and energy into your job, it’s a well-respected company, you like your boss/co-workers/cafeteria/stock options. etc.

Sometimes we run from one bad work situation to another, without stopping to think about it from a career management standpoint.

Are you doing all you can to maximize what you already have in your current job?

How do you do that? Here is one very practical way, and it’s something you already have to do every year (usually twice a year), whether you want to or not.

As we move into the last quarter of 2019, soon employees all over the country will be asked to do their self performance review.

Yuck, right? I always hated doing those, even when things were good. But when things were not good, it was next to impossible!

But how about we look at it as an opportunity to ask for what we want?

You’d like to learn about another department? Say so.

Wish you could work on an interdepartmental project to gain new experience? Tell your employer.

Stretch assignments? More travel? Less travel? The chance to implement a new idea. Help with navigating internal career opportunities. More training.

You get the picture.

Before you decide that you can’t have the career you want with your current employer, make sure that is really true.

False limiting beliefs are one of the biggest causes of serial bad choices.

Don’t jump from one bad job to another potentially unfulfilling workplace because you’re not doing your part to manage your career, and make your needs, ideas and aspirations known.

Use the performance evaluation process to craft the job you want to have, and if that doesn’t work:

Get out as fast as you can, and on the path to your career happiness!

However, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain – organizations that truly care about retaining and developing quality employees will welcome your enthusiastic and creative approach to this request for your input.

And those that don’t – well, you’ll know it, and once you have that info, you’re ready to launch your next career adventure.