Thinking About Changing Jobs? Key Factors to Consider Before Making the Move

We all know that changing jobs too frequently is a bad idea. So, I wanted to know what should be taken into consideration when one decides to make a shift. What things should be reflected upon? Should one only quit because of better future prospects?

Being an HR professional, frequent job hopping is not a good idea. However, if you feel like your expectations are not matching with your current job in your organization, then it's better to consider a change. Firstly, satisfaction is essential in terms of the job and monetary gains. But if your current company provides opportunities to learn, why consider changing?

The primary role of HR is to retain employees. If HR professionals themselves are not fulfilling their duties, it raises questions. Therefore, it's crucial to reflect on why you want to make a change. Additionally, when interviewing for an HR position, expect to be asked why you want to leave your current organization. As HR professionals, we must be diplomatic and handle such questions tactfully, even if we face numerous challenges in our current role.

Hi,

There are three considerations:

- Good Brand
- Good Money
- Good Job Profile

If you get TWO out of these THREE... consider it seriously!

Cheers,
K

Hi Khyat,

In my point of view, job satisfaction is more important than money and brand. If you are working with a CMM level company and earning good money but have no job satisfaction, it's completely useless.

Regards,
Anjum Joshi

Well, it largely depends on:

(1) Your goal. Where do you want to be after a particular period of time, say 5 years, etc.?

(2) Where do you stand in your current organization? Where do you see yourself in your current organization after 1, 2, or 3 years?

(3) Your work profile. Are you doing what you like?

The last one, in my opinion, would be:

(4) How much do you earn? Are you duly compensated as per your competence?

That's a good question posed. As an HR professional, our department is always faced with this question – both when recruiting new employees and when someone resigns.

Consider the following:

1. Is your work profile as promised when you were recruited?
2. Are you learning new, challenging things, or has your role become monotonous?
3. Are your activities aligned with your goals?
4. How do you see your future here? Is the growth path well-defined?
5. Are you being underpaid compared to your colleagues?
6. Organization environment/work culture
7. Are you constantly under unnecessary pressure, or is the workload truly overwhelming? (Are you working smart enough?)
8. Is the management helpful and positive, or are they stringent?
9. Have you discussed your difficulties or any problems you are facing with your managers/mentors?
10. Lastly, are you proactive – an optimist or a pessimist?

Be honest in evaluating the entire situation; otherwise, you may find yourself restless in all future jobs. Remember, no one is perfect, and the same applies to organizations as they are man-made. Each company has its own pros and cons. How we navigate through them is a challenge to ourselves.

The key to finding a solution is to list down the pros and cons honestly. The points above may have resonated with you and triggered additional thoughts to add to the list.

Rupa.

Hi Khyat,

Have you conducted exit interviews? They will give you a good insight about why people leave jobs.

In my experience, people use the following process unconsciously when they decide to change jobs:

1) At the offer stage, they equate a value for the role/work they are going to do versus the compensation they are going to receive. If it is equal, or in a positive favor of compensation, then they join. This, of course, is after considering issues like family constraints, travel, location, etc.

2) After they join, they become exposed to the company's culture (the way things are done). If the culture totally disagrees with what they personally believe and value, then they will leave that organization.

3) Given that no culture is a 100% fit for any employee, the employee will adjust to the extent that he thinks is fair. He will accept certain behaviors as part of the job and continue to work. Throughout this time, he will unconsciously evaluate the monetary value versus the job and versus the environment he is working within.

4) If the job market situation is bad, or if he feels that he cannot get a job anywhere else, he continues to work.

5) When he starts becoming unhappy in his profile or company, he doesn't leave immediately. He stays around hoping that things will improve. If they do, he stays. If they don't, he becomes more disgruntled. At this stage, such an employee is like a poison for a new joiner, and as such, should avoid being given the responsibility of being a buddy or mentor.

6) As things get progressively worse (in the employee's perception), he now consciously evaluates monetary value against the job, organization, culture, and future prospects. If it is perceived as strongly negative, then the employee starts looking for a change.

And the day he gives his resignation, his boss and HR try to keep him back. But by then it's too late.

Hope this is helpful to you.

Regards,

Ryan

I found this article in my archives. I don't know the source, except that it's a forward, but it should help in understanding the dynamics of job changes.

Jumping jobs?

You're tired all the time; you don't want to get out of bed in the morning; you can't concentrate at work anymore. Guess what, you could be one of millions of people that need to consider a job or career change.

If you even think you are starting to feel 'burned out' or uninterested in what you are doing, make some time for a real conversation with yourself - starting with the question.

"What do I really want to do with the rest of my life?"

Most people consider themselves lucky to have a job. But it may be time to start asking just how happy you are with it. Gone are the days when you could expect to work for the same company all your life and then receive a pension that paid income for life.

Today, people are more conscious of the opportunities that exist with different MNCs opening doors in India. Job satisfaction has been on the decline since 1995; overall satisfaction approached 59 percent in 1995, but currently it's down to 49 percent.

As against older people who are at the end of their careers and are comfortable in their existing set-up, younger people get most frustrated in the same organization after a couple of years.

Also, the same comfort level can be termed stagnation. Hence they are even ready to take risks and move to a different industry. So, if you are ready for the switch, first do intense personal assessment and consider the following tips:

Find reasons

You need to pinpoint why you are looking for a change and whether you have the right reasons. Is it better compensation or benefits, or is it dissatisfaction with career potential?

If you are ambivalent about leaving, career consultants say there are a number of red flags that signal unhappiness at work.

The root of your discontent could be linked to anything from dysfunctional relationships at work to a personal clash with the organization's values. It could be a lack of close relationships, either with colleagues or your boss, that could be disheartening.

A simple change can often be the remedy to your workplace woes. When contemplating a change, think about classes you took in college and even high school that appealed to you and left you inspired.

What's the way you like it?

You needn't change the organization. Maybe what you do is not what you like. The solution could be as simple as moving to a different department. Voice your commitment to the organization and express how much you'd like to stay.

Then ask about other positions that might suit you better. When considering a professional makeover, don't think in terms of job titles.

Those can be limiting and can feed people's fears that they're pigeonholing themselves into doing one thing for the rest of their lives. Don't feel pressured to stick to one job. There are options beyond those that we can visualize. We just need to seek them out.

How does the industry look at you?

There is no rule as such, but put yourself in the position of a potential interviewer and think how you would react to your own CV.

While your current job may not be right for you in the long term, it is in your own interest to develop your role and responsibility as much as you can before you move on. Interviewers will naturally want to know what you have achieved and what has made you decide to change jobs.

Your application will be much more attractive if you can show evidence of your ability to manage your own personal and career development. Most important of all, you can use this experience to ensure that your second job is a better fit. You should be much clearer on what is important to you and what you have got to offer.

Consider your finances

If you're unemployed and bills are stacking up, you might take the first offer that comes along, even if it isn't perfect. But if you are considering a job change, make sure you aren't loading yourself up with debt.

Too much debt causes you to be more vulnerable during a job transition. Therefore, get your financial picture in order and give yourself a cushion of about six months. But you should know what you are worth on the open market.

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