Sick of your job? There's a right way to find something else

Q. I have stayed two years too long at my current job. I feel trapped. I can't seem to get an offer for another opportunity and I am going from feeling bored to feeling hatred toward my current position. I'm not learning anything new and I'm doing the same old, same old on the job. I am thinking of just leaving, even if I don't have another job yet. This is pretty scary for me but that is how miserable I am. I'm having a hard time getting up in the morning to go to work. I am late constantly, which really annoys my boss, but I can't seem to help myself. Any suggestions?

A. If you can live financially without an income coming in for several months until you find work, leave. I am afraid you will get fired fairly soon if you stay any longer anyway. Your attitude is terrible and may affect the quality of your work as well. Leave while you can still get an acceptable reference.

Understand that you are leaving at a time when many companies are being very careful about new hires due to the slowdown in the economy.

You did not mention what industry or job you have but take this into consideration if you decide to leave.

You also did not mention your age. In a good economy, it can take a mature worker (age 45 and older) six months to find work. In a poor economy, it can take two to three times longer.

Having an emergency fund of approximately six months of wages also can be a critical factor in deciding whether you can leave a job without a new one.

I urge readers to put away funds every pay period into a savings vehicle that can be tapped fairly easily if needed, such as a money market account. This is separate from your 401(k), 403(b), or IRA accounts. This is an account that you can tap into whether you decide to leave your job voluntarily or the job is eliminated.

I just heard Suze Orman speak and she challenged the audience to put away $50 every month into such an account. When you are living paycheck to paycheck, you don't have this flexibility. And don't forget to put away money for benefits as well. You will need to continue your health benefits while you are looking for another job, unless your spouse can provide benefits for you.

If, on the other hand, you decide to stay on the job until you find another, you need to make a serious attitude adjustment.

Your employer deserves a full day's work for a full day's pay. Your employer expects you to be on time for work every day. Your employer expects you to have a smile on your face and to leave your personal troubles at the door. Your employer expects you to conduct personal business on your own time, not company time. That means job-search activities should be conducted only on break time or lunch time, never when you should be conducting business for your employer.

It also means that you make job-search phone calls on your cellphone and use your own home computer for job-search activities, not the company's computer. Understand that getting caught misusing company time or resources are grounds for dismissal at most companies.

I am not unsympathetic to your situation. I believe everyone has been in your predicament at one time or another - where you know it is time to move on and learn new skills but the job opportunity has not presented itself.

Use your time well on the current job. Use lunch breaks to network with other colleagues. Set some stretch goals for yourself each week. For example, say, "I am going to send out 10 resumes and cover letters per week. I am going to set up three networking meetings per week. I am going to research two new companies each week."

Keep up the momentum. An opportunity will appear. It just might take longer than you had hoped.

If you decide to stay, however, you owe your current employer the best job possible, every day, until the day you leave for the next opportunity.

Employers, take note of this situation as well. With a serious shortage of workers predicted for the future, it is really important that we all have a retention mentality about our workers.

Are there internal rotations we can create, special projects that involve cross-team participation, internal or external training and education we can recommend for professional development?

Companies need to be constantly thinking of how they can offer opportunities for employees to continue to learn and grow. This includes mature workers as well!

In survey after survey, when mature workers are asked how long they will stay with a current employer, they respond, "As long as they can continue to grow and develop."

Employers need to take this very seriously as baby boomers become eligible to retire and there are not enough Generation Xers to take their places.

A. Well, it depends a lot on what is done at your company. I see absolutely no reason not to ask your boss exactly what that means at your company and how to prepare for it. If performance management discussions are done well, they can be a terrific way to identify areas that you are very good at and to identify areas where you need to develop.

Basically, performance management is a process at your company to measure, monitor, and provide a venue for discussing employee performance, everyone's performance, from mail clerk to CEO.

Frequently there are forms that are designed at your company for the manager to complete. The questions may differ depending on whether the employee is a manager and what his duties are.

Sometimes, there is a list of skills and competencies that are important to your company. These might include customer-service skills, communication skills, ability to meet deadlines, project management skills, management skills, etc.

Often there is a rating scale from one to five and the manager will rate your performance in each of the categories. Sometimes, instead of a numbers scale, there are headings, such as Always, Frequently, Sometimes, Not Often, and Never.

In other performance management systems, the manager and employee mutually set several goals the prior year. These are goals that tie in nicely with the goals for the company, department, or division.

It is the employee's contribution to meeting the overall goals that the manager will be reviewing. For example, in a training and development department, a trainer might have the following goals: To deliver eight different training programs, design and deliver one new training program, support one of the company's major divisions' training needs, and work on a special project.

A year later, it is now time to review those goals and see what was accomplished and what was not. The manager and trainer will discuss how these goals were accomplished, what barriers the trainer had to overcome to meet his or her goals, number of people trained, etc.

Here is where you as the employee can prepare for the discussion. Brainstorm with yourself all of your accomplishments over the past year. Look at the goals that you set with your manager last year and honestly report out what the outcomes were. If you met your goals, you should feel very good about your performance. If you were not able to meet your goals, explain why you weren't able to do so. Perhaps other priorities got in the way. Perhaps something unforeseen happened, such as a buyout of another company that kept you very busy.

There are many plausible reasons why employees don't meet their goals. You just need to be prepared to explain why you were not able to meet all of your goals.

These performance management discussions can be very productive if they are done well. You can learn a lot about your manager's expectations and priorities at these meetings.

You should walk away feeling good about what you accomplished and have clear goals set for what you should be working on for the following year.

Sometimes managers will combine a development discussion and a performance management discussion into one conversation.

A development discussion should be focused on areas in which the employee needs to develop.

For example, a seasoned manager notices that a new supervisor is having a hard time with team building and getting the group to work as a cohesive whole.

The manager might recommend that the new supervisor take a team-building course to give her or him some strategies for working more productively as a team.

Again, if the development discussion is done well, it can be a very useful tool for the employee. It will give the employee some concrete items to work on in the coming year that hopefully will improve performance.

The key to a good performance management and development discussion is to come to the meeting prepared and open to constructive feedback.

Really listen to what your manager is saying to you, jot down some key points that you don't want to forget, capture your goals for the new year, and enjoy this one-on-one time with your manager.

Most managers are thoughtful about these meetings and really try to give constructive feedback that will help the employee grow as an individual and as an employee.

Be sure to thank the manager for her or his time.

Remember, most managers genuinely care about their employees and want them to flourish in their roles.

Do your part to maximize these meetings by arriving prepared and open to hearing what your manager has to say about your performance.

Joan Cirillo is the executive director of Operation A.B.L.E., a nonprofit that provides employment and training opportunities to mature workers 45 and older.

E-mail questions to jobdoc@globe.com or mail to Job Doc, Boston Globe, Box 55819, Boston 02205-5819.