Have you ever wondered if you’ve picked the right career?
We spend 12 years of our lives at work, and given how much time we devote to our jobs, it’s incredibly important that you are happy and satisfied in your career. Yet despite this, research shows that UK workers actually have one of the lowest levels of job satisfaction in the world.
So, how can you tell if you’re in the right job? And what can you do if you’re not?
Read on for six signs you’re in the right job – and how M&E Global can help you make a change if you’re ready to search for new opportunities and are interested in defence industry careers...
1. Time flies and you’re never bored
It sounds obvious, but enjoying your work is really important when it comes to your career choice. After all, time flies when you’re having fun – and if you’re in the right role, you will find yourself excited, motivated and engaged by your day-to-day work.
Of course, no one can be happy all the time, but if your working day passes quickly, you rarely find yourself clock watching and you’re still managing to achieve everything you want to, then chances are you’re in the right job!
2. You feel challenged and you’re progressing
Can you see your CV growing and feel your confidence increasing over time? Do you feel like you’re learning new skills, experiencing new things and pushing yourself on a daily basis?
Whatever your age and however much experience you have, the opportunity to continue to learn is key to your happiness. In fact, 68% of workers have changed jobs due to a lack of learning and development.
When you’re in the right job, you’ll feel inspired to learn and as if you are growing and developing. So, if you feel like you’re being suitably challenged, you’ve won the career lottery!
3. You get on with your co-workers
What do you think of your co-workers? If you’re lucky enough to work with a group of like-minded people that you get on with, you’ve hit the work jackpot – and it also means that you’re a good fit culturally for the company.
Of course, friendly competition is natural as you are all trying to better yourselves, but if you feel like you’re part of a team, you’re onto something special.
4. You’re fairly paid
When it comes to job satisfaction, salary and remuneration is right up there in terms of importance. Let’s face it, even a dream job can turn into a nightmare if you're not being paid enough. In fact, nearly 50% of people would leave their job if the salary wasn’t competitive.
It’s important to feel like your compensation is an accurate reflection of the skills you have and the value you bring to the company. So, if you’re happy with your salary and feel like your compensation is an accurate reflection of the value you bring to an organisation, you’re in the right role.
5. You’ve got a good work/life balance
The right job will offer a great work/life balance: you'll have plenty of opportunity to succeed and progress your career, but you’ll also have time for yourself and your personal goals too.
Work/life balance is incredibly important when it comes to job satisfaction, so if you’re happy with the amount of time you have for you, you’re on to a winner.
6. You don’t have the Sunday blues
Two-thirds of UK workers report experiencing regular Sunday blues – and if you’re unhappy at work, the Sunday blues can hit you hard. However, if you’re in the right role, you’ll feel refreshed, focused and ready to take on new challenges at the start of a new working week.
What to do if you’re not happy in your job
If the signs are suggesting that you’re in the wrong job, it could be time to take action – and if you’re looking for an exciting and varied role with plenty of chances to progress, why not consider defence industry careers? Here are just a few of the benefits of undertaking a defence contract role:
1. You can progress quickly
One of the best things about contract roles is how quickly you can progress your career. So, if you feel like you’ve been stuck in the same role without progressing for a long time, a contract role can enable you to climb the career ladder quickly.
What’s more, because contract roles are usually offered for a fixed period, you can strategically plan each move to make up for lost time and ensure your career is heading in the right direction!
2. You can learn new skills
In a similar vein, if you’re hungry to improve your skill set, contract roles can help you hone your skills.
You’ll have the chance to develop different skills with every role, so you can really expand your knowledge quickly, making contract roles the ideal solution if you feel like your development has been a bit stagnant in recent years.
3. There’s plenty of variety
If you’ve been feeling bored and unfulfilled in your job lately, defence contract roles are the perfect antidote. In contracting, every day is different.
HGV mechanics could work on some of the world’s most advanced equipment such as Humvees or even Bradley Fighting Vehicles, whereas aircraft engineers could work on Chinooks and Apache helicopters – and supply and logistics roles offer a huge degree of variety too.
Basically, whatever your specialism, with contract roles you’ll never be bored!
4. The pay is competitive
If you’ve been feeling frustrated about your salary, contract roles offer extremely competitive rates of pay. Defence contract roles typically require highly skilled workers – and this is reflected in the level of pay.
Contract workers will usually be paid more than they would be in a military role or on civvy street, and some roles will even include a sign-on bonus too!
5. Adventure awaits
Finally, if you’re looking for adventure, a contract role overseas is a great way to experience new countries and cultures!
From Europe to the Middle East, at M&E we have contracts in a number of different countries, which means our candidates can experience different working environments all over the world.
How we can help
At M&E, we have more than 20 years of experience and are experts in defence industry careers. So, if you’re ready for change and want to shake things up, get in touch with our team to find out more today. Alternatively, you can also check out the roles we are currently working on here.
