Whether you’re already started a job or you’re still looking for one, it’s critical to be aware of when it’s time to call it quits. Apple founder Steve Jobs had said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.” Sometimes, the passion can die slowly – due to a number of reasons. However, one big reason for people choosing to move on from a job is because they feel like they’re stuck in a dead-end job. If you feel like your career has come to a standstill, check whether the following applies to you. Career and job search expert, Shweta Khare describes a dead-end job as “one where you don’t see any opportunity for growth. An everyday task seems like a burden, not an achievement. Or you’re stuck at a workplace that offers no appreciation or acknowledgement for your work.”

It’s become a routine

A job cannot be boring. Otherwise, you will not be able to enjoy doing it. Khare points out that This is perhaps what you’d be doing five years from now, and your career goals do not align with what you currently do.” A job may become part of a routine if you’re doing similar work on a day-to-day basis, there’s a lack of creativity and there’s no pleasure in it. Another reason is if it’s boring – if a machine can do the job instead of you. Joyce K. Reynolds, an expert business coach says, “If your position feels static and you don’t see a way to earn further responsibilities or get ahead even after offering ideas on the subject, you’re probably in a dead-end job.” 

You’re not being challenged

The purpose of a job isn’t just to earn the salary at the end of the month. It’s meant to help you grow and develop your skills. If your skills aren’t being tapped, if you’re too comfortable or if your skill set isn’t being challenged, you may be stuck in a dead-end job. It may be that at the start of your career, you were hungry and determined to work on a number of skills, but when you noticed that things are ignored or looked over, that flame started to shine a bit dimmer gradually. You’ve got to be motivated and pushed to your limits, in the right manner to improve your skills. 

You’re not listened to

You’re full of creative ideas and you’re drafting proposals and plans on how to improve certain aspects of your job and the product or service that you deliver. But when you pass those plans forward, nothing happens. This directly links to the previous two points – when this happens regularly, you start feeling ignored and demotivated until work becomes a routine. It will feel like it’s no longer you who’s doing the work, but a robot. 

There’s no communication with the top

Communication is critical at the workplace and it’s not just the small talk you make next to the photocopier or with your work mates. It’s as important to be able to talk to your boss, to have an idea of your future within the company. National workplace expert, Lynn Taylor says, “Essentially, you are being ignored out of a job; e-mails go unanswered and you’re lucky if you catch your boss in the restroom.”