It is unrealistic to think that, in today’s rapidly changing world, we will remain a one job or two-job professional through a 40 year timespan.
I have made my fair share of job changes in my career, but the places where I have made a significant impact are places where I spent an excess of four years and beyond in any organisation. What, in effect, this means is that it takes some time to create an alignment between any individual and the organization.
Any good individual knows that he or she has the right to outgrow their jobs after they have made an impact, and that they have a right to covet more space. A true professional would definitely make sure he or she has thought-through the consequences, seen the big picture, knows how to make the change, and finally not burnt bridges while parting ways.
There is a great deal of similarity between a job and a marriage. We never simply marry someone, we marry into that person’s family. The same holds true for a job. It is not merely the job, but the organization that we are going to join. A great job in an organization which does not align with our values is a losing proposition. Which is why a job change need not necessarily be outside of our current organization if we are already value-aligned with our organization. We may have just outgrown our current job, and need to have some patience to see if the same organization can re-position us. While the organization needs to make a serious attempt to re-position the committed staff, we as employees also need to reflect how open we are to taking on new roles and more serious responsibilities as opposed to just looking for a title change and a higher package while wanting to do more of the same stuff.
If we decide to part ways, it is good even for us as individuals to do a reference check on companies. Reference checks are not the exclusive prerogative of employers. It’s good to reach out to customers, suppliers, look for patterns that prove or disprove what we read on the company’s website. While we do our due diligence, we need to understand clearly the trade-offs. If we are looking for a much higher compensation, then we should not complain or rant about any office politics at the new place of work.
Life is truly a round table. We never know who is going to be sitting next to us at the next meal.
Once we have landed a new job, we need to make sure we set it up for success. Build value before seeking recognition, even when you have walked into the present organization as a new member. Do not start making instant comparisons. As in the case of a new relationship, so too in a job, it can be irritating if one keeps talking about how good the ex was.
It is definitely not an ethical quality to prey on one’s last employer. To build one’s future at the cost of the previous organization is not a professional conduct.
Most importantly, professionals always take the goodwill of everyone when they leave. None of us know when we may need to come back as an employee, a customer, a supplier or simply a mutual reference. At the end of the day, life is truly a round table. We never know who is going to be sitting next to us at the next meal.