Extra crispy: When that inner voice is telling you you're burned out, listen

Q: I've been a project manager running million-dollar software projects for 15 years. However, I'm sick of the stress, never-ending deadlines and frantic pace of technology. I'm 41, and I can't keep this up for another 10 years. I'm trained to recognize classic burnout syndrome but dealing with it personally isn't easy. I find myself wanting to go pound nails for a builder or mow lawns or just to do something mindless. I think I could step out of corporate life for a while and come back later, but I will have lost my contacts. What's the answer? "Would you like some fries with that, sir?"

NICK'S REPLY: No, no fries. Pickles -- more pickles for this table! (With apologies to Chubby Wells, aka Rodney Dangerfield.)

Welcome to burnout. It happens to many talented people. It's nature telling you to flip the burger because one side is done. It's time for the other side. You're allowed to get out of the kitchen and go kick the can for a while. Give yourself a break or you will indeed burn up. Jobs can be replaced, but you get only one body, one mind. There's no reason to lose your contacts. It's not hard to maintain the best ones when you take time off.

I was about 40 when I chucked it all to write a book, start a Web site and launch a second business. Yes, it was a risk. But getting off the burner is necessary when you feel burnt. With the relief come new experiences and new choices I forgot were mine. If you're good at what you do now, I can almost assure you that you'll be good at whatever you decide to do after some time off. And if you stay in touch with your best contacts, you'll always have the support system you need to succeed again.

Here's the secret: Trust your ability to earn a living and to do useful work. When you're done kicking the can, you'll be able to dust yourself off and figure out again what to do next.

THE HEADHUNTER TIP:

Know when to end the interview.

If you find yourself interviewing for the wrong job, no matter what the reason, end the interview. There's nothing wrong with saying: "It seems this job may not be right for me. You want to hire the best candidate to suit your needs, and I want to find the job that will make best use of my skills. Perhaps we should end this interview."

The interviewer will respect your integrity.

The meeting may just end at this point. Or you can take advantage of the shift in the meeting's tone and casually ask the interviewer if he can recommend other opportunities. The interviewer may ask what kind of job you are looking for. Be ready to answer the question, because you may have found an employer who cares as much about integrity as you do. You also may have found the perfect new opportunity.

Copyright 2009. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.