Changing job?

I quit my job a few days ago after working in the firm for about 17 years. All these years, I enabled thousands of people find their next job and in many cases, their first job. During the last couple of weeks, I have suddenly come across a good number of people who are quitting or planning to quit. So, conversations around quitting a job have become a larger part of my day recently. That set me thinking… what the do’s and don’ts could be!

The labour market or job market has been changing quite a bit during the last few years. The methods of finding a job, the tools used to search, the speed and the drivers behind a job change have all changed. So, there is a paradigm shift taking place. One need to be cognizant of these changes : permanent jobs are not permanent any more, salary hikes at the time of job change do not follow any specific pattern, stability in a job is not necessarily a virtue, breaks in the career are no more a problem, conversations with boss about resignation aren’t stressful and many more.

As the speed of doing business has been on the rise, it’s important that one challenges oneself continuously about the value one is delivering to the employer and oneself. If this is either stagnant or on the decline, one needs to plan the next move. It’s easier said than done to be finding the value one is delivering. Firstly, it calls for tremendous amount of courage to introspect and consult with mentors; secondly, the value creation has to be evaluated dispassionately. Once the impressions are clear, one has to act!

Secondly, it’s about the environment in which we work. Someone said, “I ask for a pair of hands, but a brain comes free along with them.” Humans are a bunch of emotions too! The head and the heart make a heady combination. Either it accelerates or retards the actions; it doesn’t stay neutral! All of us want to ride a well-oiled machine that keeps going. If it slows down, switches off every now and then, our head and heart work in unison to produce distress. Nobody likes it! So, we should change if we can.

Last but not the least, it’s the risk of obsolescence. Every living system is subject to inertia and hence, boiled frog syndrome. The world around us is changing and hence, it’s important that one renews oneself periodically, learns to adapt and grow. If one continues to work the same way with the same level of proficiency and efficiency over a fairly period of time, then it’s time to call it a day and start the renewal process. It shouldn’t be too long before we are obsolete and irreparable.

Changing job is undoubtedly a stressful experience. One can prepare better by taking a rational approach to find out if we are adding enough value, if we are riding a well-oiled machine and if we are renewing ourselves often enough!