Marketing yourself in the job market

In the good old days, most professionals in Sri Lanka were quite happy to join an organization and work until retirement. Changing work places was perceived to be a bad thing. Today, the environment is completely different and the frequency and percentage of employees changing jobs has dramatically changed; the factors are many.

Expansion of the job market, the variety of work disciplines available, easy accessibility to professional education, rate of increase in job value for skilled and competent employees and the sense of competition in the minds of new employees, top the long list of reasons.

New employees, gaining work experience, have to often work in a job they don't like. Even if the job is exactly what you are looking for, the company may not be or vice versa. There may be negative developments in a job you have had for a long time causing you to contemplate quitting.

These situations are hard to get away from, but you must take bold steps if you are unhappy in your current job. After all, in this competitive job market, your demand is not indefinite. The move to make the best when you have demand is fully justified.

Audit

There are positive and negative effects when changing jobs. The key is making sure a career change is the best option at the time and it offers clear incremental benefits. The best way to determine this is by an audit on the current job and establishing the need to explore a new opportunity and creating a list of all positives and negatives associated with taking up the new job.

The first question to ask is; am I happy with the job I have?

If the company pays you well, have satisfying work to do, the opportunity to learn, leaders are fair and career development opportunities are bright and the future of the company is good, then, there is no rational reason to change jobs.

If these primary aspects are not in place, look for another job. Even if all those aspects are currently good, examine the long term viability of the company you are working for. If you suspect the company hasn't got the right strategy and leadership and ability to grow or sustain performance then look for a new job.

Find the job you like

An advantage of changing jobs is finding the one you like. Many people have to settle for jobs that are not exactly what they want. Young graduates and school-leavers often have to take the first job available, so as not to be a burden on their parents. They may then find new jobs in their preferred fields as opportunities emerge.

You are more likely to enjoy your job if it's something that interests you. You may also perform more effectively. Another positive effect of a job change is advancement. You may be stuck in a job with few opportunities for advancement. Your boss may have been in his position for 20 years. There may be no other opportunities in your company but lateral moves. Whatever the case, you could take the next step up in your career by taking a job with another company. These advancements should essentially be promotions.

People who change jobs too often may be viewed as job hoppers and may be seen as a major negative by potential employers. No company would like to recruit and train people and see them leaving after a couple of years. Such people are perceived to be employees with a low level of loyalty and accountability.

While there are many advantages of changing jobs, you may lose certain benefits by switching jobs too. Companies prefer to promote within, whenever they find suitable internal candidates considering the relevant experience, minimum interruption to business operation, cost benefits and motivation of the larger team. For a budding leader to make an impression and convince the leaders, it takes years. Leaving the organization after doing all that when you are on the threshold of a promotion can be too costly. So making the right choice, is hard, yet it can be beneficial.