New Year, New Job?
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For many of you this will be the first day back after Christmas – so if it is, welcome back to work!
With time to reflect over the break – and with many people making New Year’s resolutions last week – the holidays are a time when many people ask themselves why they’re still in the same job. Is it still as fulfilling as it once was? Could you do better elsewhere? If you’re asking yourself these questions, you may be surprised to learn that the most critical issue is not ‘Should I leave?’ but ‘Am I actively using my current career assets?’
You see, before you consider leaving an organisation, the real question to ask yourself is how hard you are working to find great opportunities within your current organisation. Your career assets are reset to 0 when you move organisations – and this may slow down your progression, so make sure you’re 100% certain if you consider it.
What do you lose when you leave an organisation?
If you’re unhappy in your current role, by all means think about moving on. But don’t lose sight of the opportunities and personal equity you’ve built up where you are. Remember that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence – it might be quicker to shift organisations to pick up a new job – but it almost always slows down your career momentum for senior roles.
With time to reflect over the break – and with many people making New Year’s resolutions last week – the holidays are a time when many people ask themselves why they’re still in the same job. Is it still as fulfilling as it once was? Could you do better elsewhere? If you’re asking yourself these questions, you may be surprised to learn that the most critical issue is not ‘Should I leave?’ but ‘Am I actively using my current career assets?’
You see, before you consider leaving an organisation, the real question to ask yourself is how hard you are working to find great opportunities within your current organisation. Your career assets are reset to 0 when you move organisations – and this may slow down your progression, so make sure you’re 100% certain if you consider it.
What do you lose when you leave an organisation?
- You currently have a network of sponsors and allies. Over the time you’ve been a part of your organisation you’ll have picked up a lot of contacts and friends who will want to continue to work with you and support you when you have difficult issues or projects to work on. Our research also suggests that 21% of career opportunities come via your network. Don’t forget that you will lose this valuable network if you move. So a first step is to make sure you’ve spoken to all your friends and supporters about what you’re looking for in your next move. Can you spot a range of upcoming opportunities in the organisation?
- You currently have people willing to take a risk on you. If you go to another organisation people won’t know who you are, and there is little likelihood of them giving you a really challenging job when you join. It takes time to build up the trust and reputation you already have in your current organisation. So think first – before looking outside, can you talk to your HR friends or senior managers about the possibility of growing your role or picking up a completely new challenge?
- Within your organisation you have a track record of delivery. People have seen you working hard, delivering great things and they know the impact you’ve had on the organisation. If you move to another organisation, your current successes won’t be interesting – people will be in ‘wait-and-see’ mode – waiting for you to prove that you can be successful in their organisation before they actively want to work with you. So before you look for a new start, consider whether you can measure your successes, and actively share these, so that your reputation is working for you towards getting the best jobs and work projects.
If you’re unhappy in your current role, by all means think about moving on. But don’t lose sight of the opportunities and personal equity you’ve built up where you are. Remember that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence – it might be quicker to shift organisations to pick up a new job – but it almost always slows down your career momentum for senior roles.