How beneficial is it to continue in a job for long?

Those peaceful days when you could continue to stay in a single job throught your working years are history. Today, switching jobs is believed, accepted and encouraged; in fact, they are an unspoken trend. It has been largely because of the IT revolution and rapid proliferation of the internet that this change has been brought about. And another pertinent thing that has surfaced prominently is that all working environments call for increased individual operations and quickness in them.

If the above is comprehended, there is apparently nothing inappropriate or unethical in people switching jobs after serving in an appointment for a few years. You could also be amongst such a category of people. The four major prompting factors for this exemplary swing are:

·   Acquisition of new skills: Everybody is inclined to be at ease and contented when they attain some sort of stability in their regular timetable. If you are able to discharge your duties proficiently and acknowledged for your efficiency on a regular basis, chances are that you may not enjoy adequate driving force to acquire additional qualifications. Now, if this is a fact, you are one in a crowd. However, a peep into the overall employment scene to discern the manner in which organisations are coming up with newer business strategies and recruitment procedures will be of help. You will perhaps realise that a skill in demand today can be rendered redundant tomorrow; and also something considered outmoded today can be in demand tomorrow. So what do you do? If you have already been into a job for three years or so, it will be prudent to peruse job postings for similar job openings. A closer look at the qualitative requirements will throw light on your plusses and minuses; and also what recruiters seek in candidates.

·   Keeping abreast with technical development: The growth of all businesses and production facilities is contingent on technical development taking place. If you have to be a technical person, you should keep  yourself abreast with what is happening in your field; whether or not your present company is inclined to embrace new technologies is another matter. In case, you do not, you will always remain unfamiliar and out of sync with the environment. Resultantly, taking your second foot forward in your career journey will be very difficult. You will become extinct in your area of work if you continue in it for an excessive period of time.

·   Doubts in minds of prospective employers: No employer takes in a person without proper evaluation of his or her abilities and suitability. Suppose if you have been serving with a company for the last ten years and decide to switch jobs. The new employer will definitely be in some sort of a quandary trying to assess your resume. Some issues that will invariably raise doubts will be the reason for leaving the current company, flexibility to find feet in a new working environment, veracity of asserted expertise and ability to undergo pre-induction training. Needless to state, if the list of qualms is long, the potential employer is likely to be flustered and shelve your application.

·   Career Progression: You can very well remain one company, but if you hold an appointment for a duration of three to years or more, things can be difficult. If you plan to progress in your company, it is necessary that you start planning to do so as early as after one year of joining. You will definitely seek other alternatives and opportunities if things get delayed beyond three years. To illustrate the point further, if there are no prospects of growth in your current appointment that is otherwise satisfying, you can always have a lateral transfer and then grow vertically. You can also utilize provisions for study leaves and acquire additional qualifications. The point to be remembered is that you should always be forward looking and forward moving. Changing jobs too frequently also leads to adverse inferences being drawn. A big question mark could be attached to your trustworthiness and loyalty. Afterall, a rolling stone gathers no moss. It is also likely that you may be taken in one grade lower and with your seniority fixed accordingly, the new job could well turn out to be a rearward move.

In the light of the above, any decision related to your career should be arrived at after careful consideration of all factors involved. It is not that you should play safe and not leave a job for better pastures. On the contrary, you should always be on the lookout for new opportunities. That is what being enterprising is all about and which, helps you to remain in high spirits at work.