ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM CAREER BURNOUT? IT’S TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE
Alex Shteingardt - Managing Director
Career burnout is an all too common affliction which occurs when you feel incapable of continuing with your current occupation – and it’s something I have first-hand experience of.
Career burnout is a sure sign of career stagnation, usually resulting from frustration, disillusionment or boredom. My experience came when I found myself investing all my energy into a job in the retail sector which was giving me very little back. It was frustrating and something I had to address before I regained my full health and happiness, but more on that later on.
The symptoms of burnout are hyperirritability, reluctance to go to work, negativity, loss of energy and apathy. To tackle burnout you need to first identify the root causes. This can only be achieved by embarking upon a focused period of self-reflection, devoid of all distraction.
Ask yourself three fundamental questions:
- What is it that you don’t like about your current situation?
- What is it that you want to be doing instead?
- How are you going to get there?
Change your perspective
If you’re experiencing career burnout, then approach it as an opportunity for growth rather than the end of the road.
Don’t stubbornly ignore your burnout, forcing yourself to love a job which bores or frustrates you. Instead, take measures to improve your situation by refreshing or adding to your current skillset, thus opening up doors to new opportunities.
Maybe you want something different from life? Did you dream about interior design but your parents insisted on financial education? When we were younger, many of us chose our occupation unwittingly due to the time and financial pressures of getting onto the career ladder.
So, if you have become dissatisfied with your current role, do not be afraid of changing your career path. It’s never too late to broaden your horizons and discover talents that you never knew you had.
Listen to yourself
Ask yourself, “What do I actually care about?’ You probably have ambitions or passions that you have been putting off for years. Don’t worry; there are plenty of examples of when people have only discovered their true labour of love late on in their professional career.
For instance, I realized that the retail business in which I was working at that time was absolutely not for me. I was pushing myself to really excel and succeed and I managed, but it cost me a lot of emotion, a lot of energy and I didn’t get any satisfaction from it.
I realized that it was destroying me, so I decided to quit and take four months out to understand what I actually want to do. I was looking for a job and trying to understand at the same time what job would be the best fit for me when I came across the recruitment industry.
I realised that it offered the variety that I was missing. It was this component of communication with different people in different industries, and having to deal with their motivation, perspective, expertise and view which appealed to me most. I only then realised that it was exactly what I was looking for. So I really have experienced burn out. I didn’t know what I wanted but I was brave enough to step out of the career that was killing me. Ten years after doing so I’m happy to say, in my role as Managing Director of Hays Russia, that I made the right choice.
Assess your strengths and think where else your skills and experience can be used. It is essential to keep in mind that any new occupation should give you job satisfaction, this is the only way to advance your career with real fervour.
Independence and assistance
If you’re someone who struggles to identify your strengths and weaknesses independently then don’t be too shy to ask for the advice of others. There are few people who are able to manage their own feelings in a fair and unbiased way.
A friend, family member or professional coach can help you recognize your fears and understand their nature with a fresh perspective. Occasionally problems need to be approached from multiple angles before they can be solved satisfactorily.
ALEX SHTEINGARDT
Managing Director
Alex joined Hays plc in 2008 with a sole aim of launching the operations of the leading global recruitment company on the Russian market. By attracting some of the key people in the industry Hays operations doubled year on year. Currently, we are expanding teams, both in terms of functional recruitment areas (i.e. Accountancy & Finance, Internal IT etc.) and in terms of industry expertise (i.e. Oil & Gas, Resources and Mining).
Alex graduated in economics from the Russian State Academy of National Economy. He started his career in 1996 as a Project Executive for an international engineering company. His career in the company developed for over 8 years, and he reached the role of Managing Director of the Russian subsidiary. In 2003 Alex joined a well-known European retailer to launch their operations in Russia. He later began his career in executive search and recruitment with a Pan-European executive search consultancy.
Alex has been with Hays for 9 years and is reporting to Managing Director of Northern Central and Eastern Europe.
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