Whether you’re navigating a job transition, exploring a new industry or simply refining your professional brand, our expert career coaches are here to support you at MPI’s World Education Congress (WEC) Career Collective.

In advance of WEC—June 18-20 in St. Louis—we asked our coaches to weigh in on this question: “It’s not always easy to know when it’s time for a job change. What’s a strong indicator that it might, in fact, be time?”

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Vimari Román, CMM, PCC, CGLC, CPQC
CEO, Career Strategist & Transitions Expert, Executive & Leadership Coach
Be Productive Coaching

One strong indicator that it might be time for a job change is when your role no longer aligns with your values, goals or sense of purpose. If you’re consistently feeling drained instead of energized, or you’re no longer growing or being challenged, that’s a red flag. I often tell my clients: when Sunday night dread becomes your norm, or when you find yourself just “getting through” each day, it’s time to pause and reflect. Sometimes the role may have changed, or you have. It's okay to outgrow a role and that disconnect is your invitation to explore what’s next with intention.

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Thomas Blasucci
Senior Director, People & Performance
Meeting Professionals International 

One strong indicator is when growth feels stagnant, even after you’ve tried to re-engage or take on new challenges. If you’re no longer learning and your work feels more draining than energizing over an extended period, it may be time to explore other options. Pay attention to your energy, not just your performance. Sometimes, the clearest sign it’s time for a change is when staying feels more uncertain than moving on.

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Rachelle Stone, PCC, CPQC, TQ, PCC
Leadership Consultant, Executive Coach, Speaker
Founder & CEO, R Stone Consulting 

An indicator I often hear is frustration; that is a symptom worth exploring. One cause of frustration can be staying in a role for an unusually long time, truly mastering the work and simply being ready for a new challenge or more responsibility. Speak to your leader about taking on more responsibilities or leading a special project. There are not as many vertical opportunities as there used to be, and I’m hearing a lot about “Portfolio Careers” these days. That is when one stays in the same or similar role but in a different pond, so to speak (think moving departments from data to finance or marketing). This casts a wider net of experience, so when an upward role does open, you will have better experience as a candidate.

Frustration caused by overwhelm and burnout can also manifest as poor sleep habits, which are common in the meetings industry (late meals, alcohol, waking and ruminating). The constant demands of work and travel or switching from one project to another without a break can be overwhelming and may lead to burnout, job dissatisfaction and even health issues if not addressed. In this case, if taking on a role with less responsibility isn't feasible, establishing boundaries for recovery between projects and travel may offer better support. If that's not possible, it could signal that it’s time to leave.

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Dawn Rasmussen - certified résumé writer, CMP
Chief Résumé Designer
Pathfinder Writing and Career Services

There are some key indicators of when it’s time for a job change. Let’s talk about some of them.

1. Tension in the office. Sometimes there are a flurry of closed-door meetings with senior managers and everyone senses something afoot. Paying attention to company financial reports are also a good place to look for signs that changes might be happening… soon. Trust your instinct. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve worked with clients who reached out because they were feeling uneasy about the stability of their workplace, and by the time we finished creating their new resume (or sooner), a layoff has happened, and they were affected. Listen to your gut!
   
2. Hitting the ceiling. If you have reached as far as you can go in a company and there literally is no place else you can go, the reality is that you have reached the end of the road of your career at that company. You can choose to stick around and just go into cruise control mode, or if you want more of a challenge or career growth, then it’s time to look outside for a new role.
   
3. Toxicity. There’s a fine line of balancing the financial benefit of staying with your current company vs. dealing with a toxic workplace. At some point, the one thing that will suffer will be your mental and physical health. This can cost you both monetarily and with the expense of your well-being. So you have to weigh whether you can afford to leave and then look for a job or stick it out until you find another job. Either way, the handwriting is on the wall.
   
4. Boredom. If you aren’t being intellectually stimulated, you likely aren’t on your best game and on a growth path. Growth doesn’t necessarily mean upward mobility in terms of job title; it can also mean just the sheer joy of learning something new and stretching your wings. Companies may invest in their employees through professional development, but sometimes it isn’t enough because when it comes to the job itself, there’s no room to implement these new ideas. Finding another role that creates a whole new environment could be what you are craving.
   
5. Bias in the workplace. We all know bias and discrimination are still obstacles for many people in their careers. If it is clear that there is a management team willing to look the other way when bias or discrimination is happening, this represents a larger problem that many people don’t feel comfortable taking on as a systemic problem. It might just be easier to move on and find an employer that actually follows through on their values that promote DEI.