Here we are in 2022, and COVID is showing no signs of slowing down. Nor is the “great resignation” looking like it will let up anytime soon.

Have you been tempted to join the roughly 38 million U.S. workers who quit their jobs last year? Are you itching to do something bigger and bolder, or perhaps something quieter and more flexible? Either way, two Kellogg professors want to make sure you’re thinking through a few crucial questions first so that you can find what you’re seeking in your next job. We’ll focus today on those questions.

What to Ask Yourself Before You Quit

There are many reasons that the pandemic has prompted people to quit. Many want—or need—a more flexible schedule. Others have realized that life is too short to do something they don’t love. For others, the social-justice protests of 2020 reinforced that they want to work for an organization that aligns with their values.

Nicholas Pearce, a clinical professor of management and organizations, says there’s an additional underappreciated motivation: a desire to regain control of our lives. In a recent op-ed in The Washington Post, he and a colleague argue that since the pandemic has taken away so much of our control over our lives—where we travel, with whom we socialize, etc.—many people are reasserting that self-determination by quitting their jobs.

Yet, they write, “it’s important for people who are considering quitting to recognize that it might not be an effective elixir for what ails us most deeply. Knowing why you so badly want to leave your job may keep you from acting hastily and regretting it.”

If, indeed, your desire to leave stems from a sense of powerlessness, Pearce recommends first seeing if there’s a way to regain a sense of power in your current organization. “They can recognize the power that accrues to them as experienced employees who aren’t leaving. Then, they can try to leverage their ‘staying power’ to renegotiate or redesign the least satisfactory aspects of their job.”

If you’ve done the self-reflection and decided that you truly are ready for a new job, Ellen Taaffe, a clinical assistant professor of management and organizations, has advice on what to ask yourself to get the most out of your career pivot.

Take stock: What have you learned about yourself and how you like to work during the pandemic? And it shouldn’t just be “I like working remotely,” Taaffe says. Get specific. Do you love not having a commute? Do you feel more productive? Write down your answers and keep them in mind when seeking out a new opportunity.

Imagine the future: What, exactly, do you want to be doing next? Taaffe frames the question as: “What do you want to do, drop, delegate, decline, or dare to do?” Then make sure you’re translating these wants and needs in ways that will add value to a potential employer. “Be prepared to explain, ‘Here’s what I’m really good at, this is what I want to do that can add value, and here’s how we can shape it,’” she says.

Understand an employer’s values: Do your potential employer’s company values match your own? The pandemic and social-justice movements like Black Lives Matter have caused many to prioritize working for an organization whose values are in line with their own. Taaffe suggests asking the same questions about company culture to every person you encounter in the interview process and listening for how consistent the answers are. Also ask about how the company dealt with failure or mistakes made during COVID—because absolutely no one had all the answers. “How do [values] show up in behaviors and not simply signs in the lobby?” she says.

New Year, New You?

Are you looking to make a career change in 2022? Or are you hoping to improve some aspect of your job or your organization? The Insightful Leader would like to help. Send us your questions and we’ll try to find a professor who can answer them or some research that applies to your dilemma. You can email us at insight@kellogg.northwestern.edu.