Published on Wednesday, Feb 14, 2007
JACK WELCH SPENT HIS ENTIRE CAREER AT GE!!
If the above caption leaps out at you in capital letters and the very prospect makes you baulk in horror, welcome to the portals of the incumbent `glad-to-job-hop' generation.
In its endless quest for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, GenX has no second thoughts shedding jobs. Generation-Xers are constantly and rapidly changing jobs.
Loyalty has flown out of the window and job-hopping de rigueur. Three jobs in less than a year, no longer spawns raised eyebrows and gaping mouths. Job hopping is in fact, the new mantra for success.
Yet, the new-age employee finds himself caught between the proverbial devil and the deep sea. Faced with a tempting job offer, he is in a fix - to stay on or leave. The catch-22 situation is that though cooling your heels in one job can make you deadwood, going on a bender will not win you any brownie points either. Here's a take on the quandary of changing too many jobs vis-a-vis staying put in a job for too long:
Been there, done that
Sticking to an organisation till retirement is passe and those who linger in the same job are taken for granted and branded apathetic or not competent enough to move. Ironically, not staying in a job for too long has become the greatest job security. Changing attitudes, modern beliefs and the restructured need for flexibility makes job shifts a logical and increasingly acceptable approach to recharging one's career. Impelled by the dissatisfaction with the job, lack of challenging work, stagnation or less pay, people take to job hopping to explore new frontiers.
Job hopping also emerges as a shortcut to success. Savvy employees push their way to phenomenal levels as each job change brings with it a hike in pay and position. Job changes can even enrich one's career as they polish the rough edges of the job profile with a gamut of experiences.
Employers too are tolerant and accepting exploration and experimentation as part of the `finding one's feet' process.
Rolling stone gathers no moss
Job hopping maybe the ticket to success, but you cannot jump around as and when it strikes your fancy. Moreover, though mention of two or more jobs on a resume is no longer an employment risk, six jobs in twice the number of months is pushing your luck too far. After all, one shift too many can brand you as a chronic job hopper and short shrift your career forever.
A series of rapid, random and pointless moves will show up as red flags on the resume sealing your fate irrevocably.
Employers view restless ramblers as dysfunctional - lacking in resilience, loyalty, trust and self-motivation refusing to touch them with a barge pole.
As a top recruiter cautions, "If a CV exhibits quick moves as a pattern it will raise big questions for prospective employers as to one's staying power and ability to withstand challenges, as well as accept accountability". It does not even leave substantial time to acquire sufficient experience and hands-on skills or understand the job demands.
What's more, after umpteen job hops, you may wake up one fine day to find yourself at the same (or even worse) level where you first started.
Method in the madness
Don Nolan, president of an executive recruitment firm in Toronto says, "Job hopping today is considered an important part of career development".
But, the perplexing dilemma is where to draw the line, i.e. how long is too long or conversely how short is too short? Also, how long can the hop, skip and jump spree last?
Though there are no right or wrong answers, career experts opine that staying around for 2-4 years is ideal. Also, you can always try to work your way up in the same organisation or look for lateral moves to break the rut.
Besides, drifting is appropriate in the initial stages, but drop anchor and settle down in the final stretch when you scale a leading position.
Likewise, every job move warrants careful consideration and planning. It should be a mature decision carefully charted out after duly weighing varied factors like current job satisfaction, challenges, career development, skill sets and interest areas as against the new job profile, company image, benefits and growth prospects.
What is important is to consider the whole package and not be blinded by the short-term gains and fatter pay cheque. As Mr.Gopalakrishnan, Chairman of Tata Sons Ltd., advices, "After a long stint, there always comes a time for moving from one job to another. But it is important to move for the right reasons, rather than superficial ones, like money, designation or an overseas trip".
So, you should have an eye on the big picture and steadily climb the corporate ladder with opportune job shifts. And, the best test for changing jobs is, "Hop jobs when even your boss congratulates you on the move".
If the above caption leaps out at you in capital letters and the very prospect makes you baulk in horror, welcome to the portals of the incumbent `glad-to-job-hop' generation.
In its endless quest for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, GenX has no second thoughts shedding jobs. Generation-Xers are constantly and rapidly changing jobs.
Loyalty has flown out of the window and job-hopping de rigueur. Three jobs in less than a year, no longer spawns raised eyebrows and gaping mouths. Job hopping is in fact, the new mantra for success.
Yet, the new-age employee finds himself caught between the proverbial devil and the deep sea. Faced with a tempting job offer, he is in a fix - to stay on or leave. The catch-22 situation is that though cooling your heels in one job can make you deadwood, going on a bender will not win you any brownie points either. Here's a take on the quandary of changing too many jobs vis-a-vis staying put in a job for too long:
Been there, done that
Sticking to an organisation till retirement is passe and those who linger in the same job are taken for granted and branded apathetic or not competent enough to move. Ironically, not staying in a job for too long has become the greatest job security. Changing attitudes, modern beliefs and the restructured need for flexibility makes job shifts a logical and increasingly acceptable approach to recharging one's career. Impelled by the dissatisfaction with the job, lack of challenging work, stagnation or less pay, people take to job hopping to explore new frontiers.
Job hopping also emerges as a shortcut to success. Savvy employees push their way to phenomenal levels as each job change brings with it a hike in pay and position. Job changes can even enrich one's career as they polish the rough edges of the job profile with a gamut of experiences.
Employers too are tolerant and accepting exploration and experimentation as part of the `finding one's feet' process.
Rolling stone gathers no moss
Job hopping maybe the ticket to success, but you cannot jump around as and when it strikes your fancy. Moreover, though mention of two or more jobs on a resume is no longer an employment risk, six jobs in twice the number of months is pushing your luck too far. After all, one shift too many can brand you as a chronic job hopper and short shrift your career forever.
A series of rapid, random and pointless moves will show up as red flags on the resume sealing your fate irrevocably.
Employers view restless ramblers as dysfunctional - lacking in resilience, loyalty, trust and self-motivation refusing to touch them with a barge pole.
As a top recruiter cautions, "If a CV exhibits quick moves as a pattern it will raise big questions for prospective employers as to one's staying power and ability to withstand challenges, as well as accept accountability". It does not even leave substantial time to acquire sufficient experience and hands-on skills or understand the job demands.
What's more, after umpteen job hops, you may wake up one fine day to find yourself at the same (or even worse) level where you first started.
Method in the madness
Don Nolan, president of an executive recruitment firm in Toronto says, "Job hopping today is considered an important part of career development".
But, the perplexing dilemma is where to draw the line, i.e. how long is too long or conversely how short is too short? Also, how long can the hop, skip and jump spree last?
Though there are no right or wrong answers, career experts opine that staying around for 2-4 years is ideal. Also, you can always try to work your way up in the same organisation or look for lateral moves to break the rut.
Besides, drifting is appropriate in the initial stages, but drop anchor and settle down in the final stretch when you scale a leading position.
Likewise, every job move warrants careful consideration and planning. It should be a mature decision carefully charted out after duly weighing varied factors like current job satisfaction, challenges, career development, skill sets and interest areas as against the new job profile, company image, benefits and growth prospects.
What is important is to consider the whole package and not be blinded by the short-term gains and fatter pay cheque. As Mr.Gopalakrishnan, Chairman of Tata Sons Ltd., advices, "After a long stint, there always comes a time for moving from one job to another. But it is important to move for the right reasons, rather than superficial ones, like money, designation or an overseas trip".
So, you should have an eye on the big picture and steadily climb the corporate ladder with opportune job shifts. And, the best test for changing jobs is, "Hop jobs when even your boss congratulates you on the move".
PAYAL CHANANIA
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