The Great Resignation Archives - Page 2 of 3

It’s Time to Resign! What’s Next?

The writing is on the wall, and you quit a long time ago in your heart. You don’t know what your next step is. Well, I can help you get started, but so you’ll see, I believe in strategy all the way through.

Don’t jump on “The Great Resignation” train.

Don’t prepare a speech and walk out. Unless, of course, you’re being abused. In that case, know what you’re taking with you. Know what you’re leaving behind. Count the costs understand the loss.

Forget what your friends are doing. If you’re jealous of their moves and feel left out, debrief. The feelings are real but don’t compare your lane with their freeway. I offer a little more in this article on Fox Business.

Passion alone isn’t going to cut it. But don’t just listen to me. Watch this conversation with Terri Trespicio, author of “Unfollow Your Passion.”

Unfollow Your passion with Terri Trespicio https://t.co/YbRqixX2pY

— Mark Anthony Dyson (@MarkADyson) December 4, 2021

Instead, start with my six signs, and there are more, but you should know and embrace your own:

1. When you realize the job has changed into something you don’t enjoy anymore, or the value is gone. The elements and dynamics you once enjoyed are mundane or lack meaning to you, your boss, and the organization.

2. The rewards of self-satisfaction have demands where you are now doing things you don’t want to do. At first, the pride of the work was the honeymoon stage, but the thrill is gone.

3. You were noticed and rewarded at first, but now you have to fight to get recognized. You’re taken for granted, or your boss may be rewarded for your work and ideas. In either case, your motivation is waning. Drawing more attention to your work may help, and it may need to document those successes and make them well known. If that doesn’t work, use your accomplishments and results as a springboard to find another employer.

4. Working for a bad boss who mistreats you is often the worse situation anyone experiences. Although the range of mistreatment is quite broad, some bosses overstep their boundaries to where their errant ways become personal. Complaining or filing a suit might be a soul-sucking option, or the easiest option is to find another job or just quit due to damaged dignity.

5. Rumors your position, department, or you will be laid-off. If you ask your boss about it, they will likely decline to answer it (or lie to you). Since the rumor mill is undependable, you should start engaging your network for future possibilities. Even if it doesn’t happen this time, it may happen down the road. If you ignore a job search until you hear rumors, you’re likely light-years behind in making a seamless transition to the next job.

6. You haven’t received a pay raise in more than a year. Talking about it with your boss could be challenging as we are in a pandemic that’s been economically turbulent, and inflation is surging. If you’re thinking of asking, consider the signs the company or your boss may directly or indirectly broadcast. Look for announcements of increases in hiring or freezes, sales performance surges or declines, or even layoffs. Timing is everything for pay raise requests, and it deserves serious consideration in determining your next moves.

Quitting is life-changing, yet it must be empowering. Don’t let someone else’s reason be yours.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

The Great Resignation Spirit is Not Here or There

Underappreciated workers are pondering “The Great Resignation” as if it were a club or sorority. Even the media are labeling this as a phenomenon rather than a movement. I use “movement” somewhat loosely at this time because this has many layers associated with it.

By labeling this “movement,” makes it easier to market. Career counselors, advisors, resume writers, career coaches, and the like love the term “hidden job market” as if there were a marketplace for hidden jobs.

Similarly, “The Great Resignation” has a marketplace, too, right?

Wait, don’t answer that yet.

People use this to market services by misplacing your desires through FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). You should consider the real issues as a job seeker, career changer, or just a professional who wants to advance their career.

Here’s a potpourri of ideas you can misunderstand or misplace:

1) People need to know that “The Great Resignation” is not a club to join to get hired automatically. If you lack the proper resume and interviewing skills before and haven’t prepared in any way, it won’t change your results. A lack of preparation will yield a lack of results.

2) If you’re not presenting yourself as the prescription to the employer’s job description, then you’ll be overlooked by those who do. It would help if you were the remedy to an ailment a company or hiring manager.

3) Presentation means more than what you have on paper and must look beyond the resume to resonate with the employer. We can argue whether or not you need to customize each resume for each company. Still, you must present yourself uniquely to every employer’s culture and provide solutions to that company.

4) People increase their success rate when they know more people than the person who refers them. It helps to have many views and perspectives during the interview process and after onboarding with the company. You’ll have a powerful presence when several coworkers check on your weekly to help you acclimate to your new company.

5) People still need to ask questions during the interview and expect honesty from the interviewer. Although it’s valuable to know the answer to how a company transitioned to working remotely during COVID, if the interviewer doesn’t provide a candid response, consider that a red flag. Employers will expect you to answer the same question. Preparation is essential to show that your professional development, experience, and lessons learned resonate with the employer.

6) People should not regret walking away from a bad deal, especially if it’s a gut-level decision. If there are conversations where there’s contradictory or wrong information, or if the answers seemed inauthentic, or any other reason, walk away. Additionally, if you don’t feel the terms are unfair, it’s hard to give your best work.

7) Don’t ignore the strikes that are taking place in five different states. The heart of the issue is not career change or career transformations. For example, Kellogg workers are striking after years of inflexible schedules, inhumane treatment, and unfair salaries. Although they have yet to stage a mass exodus, they seem to want change in conditions first and foremost.

8) Healthcare workers, nurses are migrating to where the money resides. Not all of them. But many are willing to face the overwhelming rise in hospitalizations. There’s even a call for retirees to come back, state licenses are waived, and paying for meals and housing in addition to six-figure pay for three months of work.

Entering “The Great Resignation” means job seekers must fix their efforts on competing for positions where they’ll be hundreds of candidates. No one will coast to a new career or even a part-time job just because there’s a movement. To show up unprepared to show you are the best fit will cost you time and money, and likely you thought it would be easier.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

The Big Shift and its Tiny Window

With the number of job openings, it seems the job market is overwhelming in favor of job seekers. We can argue for how long, but the navigation of it is complex. I don’t know if I can break it all down at all, but I’m going to acknowledge its existence. There’s a tiny window of opportunity.

Reports from CNBC and other sources show four million workers who resigned in May have fallen into several categories. Whether you call it the “great resignation” or “the big shift,” a mass exodus is occurring and can’t be ignored. In August 2019, resignations were exceeding four million. It didn’t get the same attention from May 2020, but softer landing places were immediately available. In August 2019, there were approximately 7.3 million job openings compared to the 9.3 million openings in May 2021.

Through speculation and Twitter chatter, here are reasons people left:

Those who have been unhappy with their jobs pre-COVID.
Those who were treated inhumanely during COVID.
For those who want something better and their faith, there’s a job seeker’s market.
Job seekers who reskilled and upskilled thoughtfully and are ready to find the “dream job.”
Professionals who are betting on themselves.
Working remotely, meaning more connection with family or isolation from people, means something significant.
Some thought working a lousy job would be better than working remotely. They are leaving, too.
And everyone else in-between.

Yet, what is this “Delta Variant” we keep hearing about.

There’s more to this list, and everyone has a perspective. Whether you feel this is the time for you to find your “dream job” or a “better situation,” the mass exodus has a small window. Or at least I think it does.

The winners of job openings now started preparing at least six months ago. They are a decisive bunch. Many were just fed up. Others desire better compensation, matching values, and more money as a ring to it.

Then there are those retiring in the next year or two, but just from the job. They are looking to continue their careers elsewhere. It’s not news older workers were walloped during the pandemic. Only a few are going fishing. Everyone else doesn’t want to leave regrets on the tale. That’s a far cry from when my aunt and uncle retired in the 70s at 65.

Obviously, our desire to be free in life with less restricted COVID regulations means everyone welcomed a big shift. You add a promising summer of life resuming activities. This could be a coming of age for Generation Z. Somewhere in the coming years, they will remember what it’s like to be restricted in everything, including career moves, and learning how to do it during COVID will be useful.

People thought their career restrictions were worse than COVID restrictions for far longer. People made career moves. Some were either more determined or more ready. Others got spots in a thriving industry because they had skills the employer found valuable for now.

It’s way too early to think this job market is a great place for job seekers. The great recession brought us lots of jobs that couldn’t be filled right away. Employers said they couldn’t find the right person. Although there’s a lot to unpack there, let’s just said it didn’t help the folks who could have learned those skills.

If you’re contemplating a move without a parachute, remember the window is tiny. I hope you’re networking , connecting, and engaging those who left for greener pastures to see if and how a change is right for you. The window is tiny. It might be for those who’ve been preparing. Likely it is, but you’re listening to the chatter and the pitter-patter of feet leaving.