Move from one job to another, but only for the right reasons
It's yet another day at office. As I logged on to the marketing andadvertising sites for the latest updates, as usual, I found the headlinesdominated by 'who's moving from ne company to another after a shortstint', and I wondered, why are so many people leaving one job foranother?
Is it passe now to work with just one company for a sufficientlylong period?
Whenever I ask this question to people who leave a company, the answers Iget are: "Oh, I am getting a 200% hike in salary"; "Well, I am jumpingthree levels in my designation"; "You know, my job profile is verydifferent there"; "Well, they are going to send me abroad in six months".
Then, I look around at all the people who are considered successful todayand who have reached the top - be it a media agency, an advertising agencyor a company. I find that most of these people are the ones who have stuckto the company, ground their heels and worked their way to the top. And,as I look around for people who changed their jobs constantly, I find theyhave stagnated at some level , in obscurity!
In this absolutely ruthless, dynamic and competitive environment, thereare still no short-cuts to success or to making money. The only thing thatcontinues to pay, as earlier, is loyalty and hard work. Yes, it pays!Sometimes, immediately, sometimes after a lot of time. But, it does pay.
Does this mean that one should stick to an organisation and wait for thatgolden moment? Of course not. After a long stint, there always comes atime for moving in most organisations, but it is important to move for theright reasons, rather than superficial ones, like money, designation or anoverseas trip. Remember, no company recruits for charity. More often thannot, when you are offered an unseemly hike in salary or designation thatis disproportionate to what that company offers it current employees,there is always an unseen bait attached. The result? You will, in thelong-term, have reached exactly the same levels or maybe lower levels thanwhat you would have in your current company.
A lot of people leave an organisation because they are "unhappy". What isthis so-called-unhappiness? I have been working for donkey's years andthere has never been a day when I am not unhappy about something in mywork environment-boss, rude colleague, fussy clients etc.
Unhappiness in a workplace, to a large extent, is transient. If you lookhard enough, there is always something to be unhappy about. But, moreimportantly, do I come to work to be "happy" in the truest sense? If Ithink hard, the answer is "No". Happiness is something you find withfamily, friends, maybe a close circle of colleagues who have becomefriends. What you come to work for is to earn, build a reputation, satisfyyour ambitions, be appreciated for your work ethics, face challenges andget the job done. So, the next time you are tempted to move, ask yourself why are you moving and what are you moving into? Some questions are:
* Am I ready and capable of handling the new responsibility? If yes, whatcould be the possible reasons my current company has not offered me thesame responsibility?
* Who are the people who currently handle this responsibility in thecurrent and new company? Am I as good as the best among them?
* As the new job offer has a different profile, why have I not given thecurrent company the option to offer me this profile?
* Why is the new company offering me the job? Do they want me for myskills, or is there an ulterior motive?
An honest answer to these will eventually decide where you go in yourcareer- to the top of the pile in the long term (at the cost of short-termblips) or to become another average employee who gets lost with time inthe wilderness?So decide before changing your job!!!!!!!!!
Labels: Job Hopping
