Partner Article

When and why to stick with your current job

Employment outcomes aren’t always strictly up to us. In fact, prevailing economic conditions and decisions made much higher on the corporate hierarchy often have greater impacts on our job security than any other factors.

Though we may be at the mercy of circumstances at times, we are still active players controlling our own career trajectories – to a point.

Most people change careers a number of times during their lives, so moving on is a natural part of the employment experience. But when should you pack up and go? And what are the tell-tale signs for staying put? The answers aren’t always clear, but there are a few things to think about as you set the stage for a potential job change.

The grass is always greener

The other side of the fence often tempts us with greener pastures, but the reality of the situation isn’t always as rewarding as the lure. The fact is, other employers conduct business in many of the same ways your current bosses do. Moving to another organisation might just be trading one set of difficulties for a similar set, on the other side.

As you reflect on your current conditions and employment opportunities, factor in the “grass is greener” phenomenon, so you don’t jump ship into a sea of disappointment.

Industry slowdowns

Recent economic conditions, including devaluation of real estate, underemployment and job sector shifts have left many members of the workforce with scattered views of their employment circumstances. For some, conditions are unlike anything they have seen during their careers.

For younger members of the job force though, entering their first significant employment roles, turbulent conditions are the only references to draw from. The point is; economics change quickly, so leaving your job doesn’t always make sense.

Before stepping down from paid work with your current employer, thoroughly assess your future employment opportunities in the industry. You may well find slowdowns and other hiring conditions that make it less than ideal to change jobs. On the other hand, properly vetting market conditions furnishes peace of mind for staffers making transitions – at the right times.

You learn something every day

To a certain degree, employment is about personal fulfilment. Not always measured in terms of pounds, what you bring home from work keeps you going back every day. It can be difficult to determine exactly what stimulates you most about a particular work role, but if you are learning continually and expanding yourself in rewarding ways, your current job may be a good fit.

To stay on the right track, always evaluate your job using metrics other than salary. You may find it harder than you imagined to benefit in the same ways, by shifting jobs. At the same time; staying tuned-in to your internal drive for personal satisfaction also helps show you when the time is right to move on.

Networking for success

Early in your career, you may have felt like a small cog in a very large machine. Over time, however, you grow to realise how interconnected your industry really is. The same primary players move between roles; changing companies and assignments, without really impacting the landscape. Where you fit in the grander scheme of things has a great deal of impact on the best ways to further your career.

Networking within your industry uncovers potential for employment you may not have been aware of previously. And it is not uncommon for business executives to draw key personnel to follow them as they advance through the corporate pecking order. In many cases, your best move is to stay-put until you have enough industry contacts to control your own career trajectory.

Changing jobs is a major event, despite workers’ tendencies to do it multiple times during their careers. While the decision to make a job shift is highly personal, staying true to certain employment principles leads to success, in the long run.

Article written by Sarah Brooks, from people search, and reproduced from employersjobs.com’s blog.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by employersjobs.com .