Thousands of Brits have considered quitting their jobs during lockdown, according to new Google data.
With an estimated 7-9 million people furloughed and the majority of the population working from home, fed up employees are reevaluating their job prospects. New research has revealed increases of over 130% for searches in “how to move jobs”, “job change” and “move careers”.
Despite January usually being the peak in new career searches, the research, conducted by Employment Law firm Richard Nelson LLP, has analysed Google Trends data to find a significant increase of interest in career changes in May 2020.
Google data comparing January 20′ to May 20′
- “I want a new job” – 194% increase in the number of Google searches
- “Job change” – 157% increase in the number of Google searches
- “How to move jobs” – 138% increase in the number of Google searches
- “Move careers” – 138% increase in the number of Google searches
- “How to quit my job” – increase in the number of Google searches
- “Find a new job” – 46% increase in the number of Google searches
- “Career change” – 36% increase in the number of Google searches
Commenting on the research, Jayne Harrison, Head of Employment Law at Richard Nelson LLP said:
“We have seen a significant rise in the number of employees dissatisfied with their current role, echoed by the Google search data in May. The pandemic has meant that many individuals have had the sudden opportunity to work remotely and experience the flexibility of not commuting. This has caused their priorities to shift as they begin to see the value of greater flexibility and added time at home.
“With many employees feeling dissatisfied about being furloughed, they have had the time to properly evaluate their job role and the firm they work for. This has caused a significant rise in employees assessing which opportunities are available to them outside of their current position, adding to their own skill set and using the time to apply to new roles.”
To aid readers seeking a new role in the pandemic, Richard Nelson LLP asked Steven Ebbers at career coaching firm, Uprise Academy, to provide 7 tips for those who are considering a career change:
Think outside the box
When we think about career change very often we tend to look at the past and our skills and apply this to the future. We forget there is so much more we could do. Try writing out 3 alternative career paths, some maybe unconventional for someone with your skills, just to open up barriers.
Develop a Personal Mission
This is a tangible statement that is deeply meaningful to you that guides your decision making. Your Personal Mission describes what has meaning to you, how you want to make an impact and the skills you have that help you with the execution. From there you can start seeing what’s out there that aligns with this mission.
Reversible Experiments
If you are thinking of changing industries or doing a completely different job, don’t dive straight into the deep end. You need to test your assumptions and gather data. A way to do this is to design reversible experiments. Thinking of getting into journalism? Write 3 blog posts. Thinking of starting an adventure travel company? Organise an adventure trip for 5 friends.
Community
Career change is hard and scary, it comes with a lot of uncertainty. To go through this period of change it can be incredibly helpful to go through it with a community of people who are going through the same thing. You can share little wins and roadblocks, brainstorm on new directions and hold each other accountable. It can make a massive difference to know you are not alone.
The Hidden Job Market
Here’s a fun fact: 70-80% of jobs are never advertised! These jobs are filled internally or come via personal networks. So instead of looking for a job on a job board develop a personal mission and start having conversations with people who are in industry you find meaningful. LinkedIn is perfect for this. “Hi Jane, I love what you do and it would be great to have a conversation with you to learn more about X”, a message like this goes a long way.
Solve the right problem
So you know what you don’t want….but what is it you do want? Instead of running away, make sure you move towards something. Otherwise odds are that you’ll experience the exact same problems in your new environment. A good way to do this is to do a “Needs Analysis”, what boxes need to be ticked? Do you really need to change careers, or just have a good conversation with your boss? Where are you willing to compromise? How have you been complicit in creating the conditions you say you don’t want and what can you do to change that in the future?
Embrace the unknown and feel alive
Define what success would look like for you, think bigger than in jobs. Adopt an entrepreneurial mindset, embrace the unknown and the uncertainty that comes with it. That’s exactly where life happens…when you try new things and aren’t sure it’s going to work out. Maybe you’ll even fail? So what! Get back up, learn and try again.
