[aeze]

For my past several jobs, I've put together a job satisfaction matrix that I fill out once a month. If it scores below a threshold three months in a row, that triggers a job search.

It helps me because I have a habit of fixating on the team’s mission and ignoring my own happiness, so the monthly check-in keeps me from staying somewhere longer than I should.

[layer8]

How many times have you switched jobs already, and what was your average tenure?

[aeze]

Over ~15 years I've switched four times. Three if you don't count being brought over in an acquisition.

- 6 years

- 3 years -> triggered by matrix

- 3 years -> until acquisition

- 5 months -> acquiring company, triggered by matrix

- 2 years, on-going

[physicles]

Would you mind sharing this? Seems really valuable.

[aeze]

Sure - it's fairly personalized based on what I'm looking to get out of my career, but it has questions roughly like this:

  - Am I free from feeling frustrated/stressed at work once a week or more?
  - Am I free from work stress/anxieties outside of work hours?
  - Am I keeping up with my hobbies?
  - Do I feel respected and valued, with the ability to influence my work environment? 
  - Do I feel proud of my work and confident discussing my job with others?
  - Am I learning/growing?
  - Am I excited about the company's direction and secure in its stability?
  - Do I feel like my job is secure?

I score each item 1-5 (1 = rarely, 5 = always) and track the total. If that total stays below my cutoff for a few months in a row, that would trigger me to start looking. Sometimes I include notes beside any low/high scores for context.

Friends have challenged this, asking if I can't just feel when it's time to move on, which I can, but I've found this leads to me being more thoughtful and proactive about it.