“透视领导力”是一个在线社区，最有思想、最具影响力的商界人士将在此回答关于职业与领导力的问题。今天我们的问题是：你如何知道换工作的最佳时机？以下为Box公司行业高级副总裁凯伦•阿普尔顿的回答。

在职业生涯中，我们都会遇到这样的时刻：一切都很好，只是在有些方面感觉不对头。有时候，我们很清楚为什么自己有些不安分，但有些原因可能难以察觉。你或许热爱自己的工作，信任你的公司，有一支优秀的团队，但你依旧感到困扰，因为你不再具备刚上任时那种充实感。什么时候才是换工作的最佳时机？根本没有一种通用的方法可以确定。根据我个人的经验，有一些方法经实践证明，确实可以用来确定新的机会。在换新工作之前，最明智的作法应该是首先研究自己目前的职责，然后在公司内部寻找机会，而不是舍近求远。

考虑换工作时，确认下面几点可以帮你更容易做出决定：

你是否能够发现新的机会？

到目前为止，我在Box公司担任过三个不同的职位。刚加入公司时，我担任的是业务开发副总裁，这个职务与我的经历堪称绝配。我对公司的使命与产品一直保持激情，我擅长与人打交道，也善于理解人们的想法。但与其他许多小公司一样，在这家快速成长的初创公司，我有许多事情需要处理，有许多需要我关注的领域。这样的公司能持续激发我对新挑战的渴望，但并非必须要一位专门的领导者来推动具体业务。

积极寻找新的机遇，并围绕组织结构上的痛点和挑战，逐步完善自己的想法，通常可以给你带来新的责任，为客户提供新的业务解决方案，并给公司找到新的收入流。如果你能发现商业机会，并将它们变成增长渠道，既能使公司受益，又能实现自己的职业目标，这意味着你应该进一步挖掘这些选择的潜力。

你是否能够享受走出舒适区的感觉？

在职业生涯的某个节点，你很有可能渴望寻找新的途径，通过扩展专业领域来实现自己的职业抱负。而这意味着拓展视野，学习你尚未掌握的专业技能。你应该将其视为机遇而不是障碍，这种心态将助你打破束缚。这将是重新定义职业道路的理想时机。

那么，为什么在内部换工作才是最佳的第一选择？理想的情况是，你已经获得了同事们对你的信任和信心，这样一来，当你接受新的项目时，你将得到他们的鼓励。走出舒适区来获得新的技能和能力，你必将面临陌生的（但令人兴奋的）挑战，而这些新挑战将令你重新充满力量。选择在内部换工作，还可以让你有机会与新人和新团队合作，提高你在内部的知名度，使你在未来的发展前进更加广阔。

你是否相信自己有能力取得成功？

换工作可能会令人感到恐惧（尤其是进入一个全新的领域时），但你要相信自己有能力在新的岗位上有所作为。如果你认真权衡过进入一个全新领域的利弊，并坦率地与你的同事和上司交流过你的兴趣，你的自信将让换工作的过程变得更容易。最终，你的自信将助你在未来取得更大的成功。（财富中文网）

译者：刘进龙/汪皓

审校；任文科

Leadership Insider is an online community where the biggest names in business and beyond answer timely career and leadership questions. Today’s answer for: How do you know it’s the right time to switch jobs? is written by Karen Appleton, SVP of industry at Box.

We all have those moments in our career. There isn’t exactly anything wrong, but something just isn’t right. Sometimes, the reasons for restlessness in a job are clear, but that’s not always the case. You may love the job, believe in your company and have a great team, but still have a nagging feeling that you’re not as fulfilled in your role as you were when you first took on the position. Ultimately, there’s no one-size-fits-all formula to knowing when the time is right to move on, but in my experience there are some tried and true approaches to identifying new opportunities. And it could be in your best interest to first look at your current role and search within–not outside–of your company for your next big gig. Here are a few indicators that could help make your decision to move on easier:

You can identify new areas of opportunity

To date, I have held three different roles at my current company, Box. When I first joined the company, as vice president of business development, the role suited my background perfectly. I was passionate about the company’s mission and product, and I was good at dealing with and understanding people. But as in many small companies, there is always a lot to do and there were areas of focus within this fast-growing startup that sparked my relentless need for new challenges, but didn’t necessarily have a dedicated leader to drive the specific business initiative.

Actively seeing new areas for opportunity, as well as taking the time to incubate your ideas around organizational pain points and challenges, can often lead to the development of new responsibilities, business solutions for your customers and new revenue streams. If you can spot business opportunities and turn them into growth channels that would benefit both the business and your professional goals, it’s time to further explore those options.

You enjoy stepping out of your comfort zone

It is very likely that at a certain point in your career you will be anxious to find new ways to match your professional aspirations by expanding your area of expertise. This will likely mean stretching your horizons to learn the professional skills that you have not yet acquired. The choice to view this as an opportunity, not an obstacle, is a wildly freeing moment. It’s the chance to redefine your career path.

So why might shifting internally be the best first move? Well, hopefully you’ve gained the trust and confidence of your colleagues so that they encourage you as you take on new projects. By moving out of your comfort zone to gain new skills and capabilities, you will likely be re-invigorated by the unfamiliar (albeit, exciting) challenges that you will inevitably face. Making an internal move will also enable you to work with new people and new teams, providing you the chance to raise your internal visibility while making you all-the-more marketable in the future.

You’re confident in your ability to succeed

While moving from one position to the next might seem daunting (especially if it is a new area of focus) trust in your own abilities to accomplish something new. If you have taken the time to carefully weigh the positives (and sometimes the negatives) of tackling an unexplored venture — and have openly communicated your interests with your colleagues and manager — that confidence will make your transition even easier, and ultimately, help you become more successful in the future.