Would you go out with someone who doesn’t really like you or enjoy your company?

Don’t beat yourself up because you didn’t get that job or because you were ‘too talented for them’. In the end, you are probably better off without each other.

Why would you want to work in a place where they don’t appreciate you?

Same goes for quitting. Quitting is like a breakup. If your relationship doesn’t work anymore and you both are not excited about each other, it’s best to end it and move on. It’s hard to make the move at first, but it helps in the long run. Life continues and there will be other opportunities. Why, then, do people stick with their jobs when they can’t stand them anymore?

Fear of getting fired is one of the reasons why people stick at their jobs. They think if their boss finds out they are looking for another job, they might get fired. I used to think like that, and I paid for my naive thinking with months of misery.

At agencies or studios where work is diverse, things may be different. But in the corporate world, I believe two or three years is the maximum amount of time you should work for the same in-house client. It’s enough time to learn and grow. More than that can limit your future possibilities.

When I left my corporate job, I had great work, but my portfolio was 50% filled with the same brand. I thought it was still very diverse, but agencies didn’t really look at that, they looked at the one brand and they kept asking me for different projects. In the first months of my freelance career, I got involved in projects with no budget simply to build a portfolio. Some of my ex-colleagues were at the same company for eight years, and I know some of them also had a hard time finding new jobs.

The moment you feel you can’t grow anymore at your current job, is the time to start looking for something else. Don’t wait a few years until you build a portfolio, just try and apply to companies you appreciate. Be sure you mention that you are working somewhere else at the moment, and you would appreciate discretion. When you have something on paper, then you can quit your current job.

Never stop progressing and applying for something better. And don’t forget that when you already have a job, you tend to negotiate better.

What’s your experience with job hunting? I would like to hear your thoughts in the comments below.