yatin.info
Move from one job to another, but only for the right reasons
It's yet another day at office. As I
logged on to the marketing and advertising sites for the latest updates,
as usual, I found the headlines dominated by 'who's moving from one
company to another after a short stint', and I wondered, why are so many
people leaving one job for another? Is it past now to work with just one
company for a sufficiently long period?
Whenever I ask this question to people who leave a company, the answers
I get are: "Oh, I am getting a 200% hike in salary"; "Well, I am jumping
three levels in my designation"; "Well, they are going to send me abroad
in six months".
Then, I look around at all the people who are considered successful
today and who have reached the top - be it a media agency, an
advertising agency or a company. I find that most of these people are
the ones who have stuck to the company, ground their heels and worked
their way to the top.
And, as I look around for people who changed their jobs constantly, I
find they have stagnated at some level, in obscurity!
In this absolutely ruthless, dynamic and competitive environment, there
are still no short cuts to success or to making money. The only thing
that continues to pay, as earlier, is loyalty and hard work. Yes, it
pays! Sometimes, immediately, sometimes after a lot of time. But, it
does pay.
Does this mean that one should stick to an organization and wait for
that golden moment? Of course not. After a long stint, there always
comes a time for moving in most organizations, but it is important to
move for the
right reasons, rather than superficial ones, like money, designation or
an overseas trip. Remember, no company recruits for charity.
More often than not, when you are offered an unseemly hike in salary or
designation that is disproportionate to what that company offers it
current employees, there is always unseen bait attached.
The result? You will, in the long-term, have reached exactly the same
levels or maybe lower levels than what you would have in your current
company.
A lot of people leave an organization because they are "unhappy". What
is this so-called-unhappiness? I have been working for donkey's years
and there has never been a day when I am not unhappy about something in
my work environment-boss, rude colleague, fussy clients etc.
Unhappiness in a workplace, to a large extent, is transient. If you look
hard enough, there is always something to be unhappy about. But, more
importantly, do I come to work to be "happy" in the truest sense? If I
think hard, the answer is "No". Happiness is something you find with
family, friends, may be a close circle of colleagues who have become
friends.
What you come to work for is to earn, build a reputation, satisfy your
ambitions, be appreciated for your work ethics, face challenges and get
the job done.
So, the next time you are tempted to move, ask yourself why are you
moving and what are you moving into?
Some questions are:
Am I ready and capable of handling the new responsibility? If yes, what
could be the possible reasons my current company has not offered me the
same responsibility?
Who are the people who currently handle this responsibility in the
current and new company? Am I as good as the best among them?
As the new job offer has a different profile, why have I not given the
current company the option to offer me this profile?
Why is the new company offering me the job? Do they want me for my
skills, or is there an ulterior motive?
An honest answer to these will eventually decide where you go in your
career- to the top of the pile in the long term(at the cost of
short-term blips) or to become another average employee who gets lost
with time in the
wilderness?