Devoting years to one job was once a sign of loyalty and experience, but employers are starting to question how much a professional can grow when repeating the same duties year after year. By changing jobs, you gain new skills and stay in touch with job search trends, making it easier to market yourself to future employers. If you fear the stigma of changing jobs, consider how a stagnant work history could harm your career.
A Lack of Progress and Adaptability
Staying in the same job for years can create false security and make you less likely to monitor your career progress. Because you feel confident performing a job you know well, you may neglect opportunities to learn competitive skills or ask for more responsibilities. Even if you steadily earn promotions, your skill set becomes specific to one company and may not satisfy current expectations of employers in the wider job market.
Although evidence of constant job hopping turns off most employers, they recognize the value of diversifying your skills by testing them in new environments. Changing jobs is a smart way to step outside your comfort zone and renew your motivation to keep improving. While complacency can lead to a professional rut, starting over gives you incentive to prove your worth by developing the best solutions for each employer's needs and problems.
Dull Job Hunting Skills
The comfort of a familiar routine can discourage you from seeking a new job, even if you feel unfulfilled in a long-held position. Without the satisfaction of succeeding at new challenges, you may even take your skills for granted and have trouble crafting resumes that accurately reflect your abilities.
Changing jobs more frequently helps you stay up to date on hiring practices and business or technological trends in your industry. As an active job seeker, you learn to evaluate your work history, skills and personality from a hiring manager's perspective, so you can market yourself with a compelling value proposition. The hiring process gradually becomes less intimidating, and you continually improve your job search skills by interacting with recruiters and competing with sought-after professionals.
A Smaller Professional Network
Working for one company can limit your professional circle, making it harder to network if you unexpectedly find yourself back in the job market. Former colleagues who move on to other companies are often the best source of opportunities as you look for a new job. They may know about open positions that aren't advertised and can strengthen your candidacy with trusted referrals.
Changing jobs also exposes you to a wider range of bosses, colleagues and mentors, all of whom have a part in shaping your experience through their collective wisdom. By working with people in different company cultures, you develop flexibility and learn to collaborate well in any environment.
In today's rapidly changing marketplace, a stationary career is a sign that you don't make enough effort to grow. Changing jobs can be an empowering reminder that you are capable of doing many things, and your current position may be one branch on an exciting, nonlinear career path.
Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!