Career Experts Say You Should Stay at Work the Longest
Whatever you think about the so-called ” Great Retirement ” – a trend that some say began long before the pandemic , while others say it doesn’t really exist – many working people are currently planning a career change . What’s more, according to a recent Bloomberg article , it’s a smart move, as some experts suggest changing jobs at least once every 10 years. Their reasoning boils down to “basic human psychology” that encourages change, as well as the benefits of reassessing your needs and goals that will naturally evolve over the course of a decade.
Others resent the idea that you “need” to switch your presentation to a specific timeline, especially if that timeline is based more on principles than anything else. To get a better idea of whether you should let the ticking clock influence your career plans, I spoke with career experts Charlene Lauby , Jenny Foss , and Dan Schaubel to find out if there is an ideal time frame for making changes. Here are their tips on how to determine how long you should stay in a particular job.
No magic number
Despite what some headlines claim, many career counselors like Foss see such hard and fast rules as dangerous. “For 10 years, you can be in a position that is constantly evolving, expanding, setting new challenges, etc., so why would you leave if you get all the challenges and satisfaction (and compensation) you want in one place? » He says.
Similarly, Schaubel and Lauby agree that any rule that tells you to change jobs after a certain amount of time is likely to be an overgeneralization. “If you like the company, the people, the job and the pay, that’s great,” says Laubi. “It’s a difficult task when it comes to jobs.”
On the other hand, she adds, staying in the same organization for years can mean you don’t earn as much as you could if you switched companies from time to time . Ten years may not be universal enough to be considered set in stone, but a decade is a significant amount of time – certainly long enough to be worth thinking about your job satisfaction. So how do you know if a career change is the right choice for you?
Signs it’s time to look for a new job
Laubi says most of the people she meets at work as president of consulting firm ITM Group Inc. looking for the same things. “They want to work for an organization they can be proud of. They want to do difficult and enjoyable work. They want to work with people who support them. And they want to be fairly paid for what they do,” she says. If your job isn’t marked with one or more of these boxes, it might be time to start looking at job listings.
Schaubel notes that a particularly strong sign that it’s time to change something is the feeling that your work is the same old story, day after day. If you are interested in professional growth, you need to show that you know how to deal with new challenges at work. Daily boredom means you’re not being challenged enough.
Foss puts it the same way: if you can do your job in your sleep, you don’t grow. She lists other signs that it’s time to make a change, such as disappointment in the values of the company or the management team, the feeling of unease or fear that comes up every Sunday night, or the fear that one day you’ll regret not making a change.
How to make the leap away from your current role
Thinking about leaving your job is one thing. How do you practically jump? Foss advises that you first ask yourself why you are clinging to your current job, as it could be for all the right reasons. Health insurance, a stable income, work-life balance, and other perks are all real reasons to keep working, even if it doesn’t make you happy.
On the other hand, if the main thing holding you back is the fear of stepping out of your comfort zone, the first step might be to talk to people who work in a job or industry that you are really interested in (but maybe you are afraid to jump into). ). “Informational interviews and job tracking can be a great way to get a true sense of (and enjoy) what you might be interested in doing,” says Foss.
Impulsive decision making is probably not your friend here. Laubi says she sees people who are so eager to leave their current position that “they jump into a new role or company without really thinking it through.” (Such reports have appeared more frequently in the media since talk of the Great Retirement gained momentum.) To avoid hasty decisions, Laubey suggests “[knowing] what you need and want to have before you start looking.”
It’s never too late to change jobs
Foss, Lauby, and Schaubel reject the idea that it is “too late” to change jobs. For inspiration, Foss suggests finding stories of people who made significant changes in their lives and careers later in life. “Read about them, learn from them, be inspired by them. And then start doing some movement,” she says.
Lauby notes that many job search resources specifically target “second and/or second careers.” At the same time, today’s job search strategies are much more technology-driven. Laubi says, “Be prepared to connect through social media, apply online and participate in video interviews.” A huge part of being a strong job candidate these days requires you to cross a certain currency threshold with your technical skills.
If you stay with the same company for many years
As we have noted, there is no rule that says you have to change jobs after a certain amount of time in order to be happy. Foss suggests that if you choose to stay with the same company for more than a decade, you will benefit from “looking for new challenges, new or expanded roles, or opportunities to learn and grow along the way.” Career change or not, it’s in your best interest to be aware of what’s going on in your industry outside of your company’s four walls. Staying up to date with new trends and technologies is a vital career advice for anyone who works, whether you’re trying to be a competitive job candidate or just trying to avoid anxiety in your long-term position.