How many of you reading this have worked for the same company for more than say 5 years? 10 years? Oh, so you’ve been there longer! Well, I do wonder if you can stay in a job for too long. There is obviously a fine line between showing you don’t have a lot of movement in your CV as prospective employers may feel you’re not motivated or driven to succeed, they may feel that you’re someone who might have difficulty adapting to a new role, or even corporate culture. Equally if you’ve jumped from job to job a lot over the last 5 years, they may feel you’re not stable enough and that they will be recruiting for your role within 2 years of you starting with them, which can get expensive!
If you feel the above, then please read on...
Most of us want the best of both worlds, we want to be settled in a job, get to know the company we are working for, it’s ethics, policies etc., but we would also like career progression. It can be quite difficult making the decision on when it’s the right time to move on.
If you’re in that place where you are comfortable, then there’s no shame in that but if you’ve made the decision, you know that you want to find something new, how do you do that? A good place to start from when you’re considering a job change is to think about why you want to leave your current role. Is it career progression, finding a better work/life balance, wanting more flexibility in your working day? At Park we have seen a few candidates who are looking for a better work / life balance and are looking for hybrid working. Following the work from home order we all adhered to over the last year, a lot of our candidates are realising that they’re missing out on the best bits of having a family or have a hobby that they really enjoy but don’t’ seem to have time for these days. That can be quite eye – opening, and quite a scary place to start. Make a pros and cons list of your current role, challenge your pros, could they be different, better? Look at the cons, why are they there, what can you do to change them to pros?
It might be that you want to try something new. You’ve spent the last however many years in a role that doesn’t challenge you anymore, or perhaps you’re seeking to step back from the rat race and do something else. If you read my blog last month or listened to our recent podcast, you’ll know that I’ve completely changed the sector I’ve been working in for the last 15 years. When I initially joined the charity world (third sector) I’d had a career break of 3 years to start my family, so it didn’t seem quite as enormous, but this time round it was daunting. After I was made redundant, one of the most important things in my mind was job security. I wanted to work for a well established organisation who have been around for a long time. We are very lucky over here as there are lots of them out there thankfully. I also wanted to work for a company who ethically, was a good fit for me so it was a no-brainer that I opted to work for Park. Our whole mission is to help people find their Happy, what can be more rewarding than that?
Just remember, changing career paths doesn’t have to be stressful. Speak to someone who can advise you and will help you play to your strengths, whilst also being mindful of your skills and experience. Whatever you decide, I hope that the team here at Park can support you every step of the way. Good luck!