Four Keys to a Successful Career - continuation 1st part
May 27, 2009 – 11:53 amIf you're new here, you may want to learn what this site is about. Please subscribe to my RSS feed to get latest updates on this blog. Thanks for visiting!
2. Don’t thumb your nose at lateral moves. “Up” would seem the only logical career climber’s destination. As corporations continue to strip away management layers, however, you can count on more job openings to be sideways moves. In fact, over the next decade roughly half of all job moves are expected to be lateral ones, not vertical.
Such career zigzags can carry you farther than you might think. By testing out new opportunities in other departments and divisions at your current employer, you may gain valuable experience, not to mention great networking contacts and a better view of how the overall firm functions. Although your pay and prestige probably won’t spike right away, such experiences can help stem job boredom, broaden your career prospects, and eventually help you to move vertically. So if you’re in a rut and don’t see much chance for a step up at work, ask your boss for a lateral transfer.
3. Job-hop judiciously. Recent college grads can afford to surf from post to post for the first two to four years out of school. It’s a great way to find your way in the working world. In mid career, though, you should carefully orchestrate your voluntary job switches.
Good reasons to switch jobs include scaling perceived hurdles in your current post (such as low pay or failing to get credit for your work) or simply forging ahead in a field like fashion or entertainment that lends itself to movement. Otherwise, however, playing job hopscotch might only trip you up. Too many entries on a resume may cause a prospective employer to wonder if you’re focused enough on your own career goals or may raise doubts about your ability to get along with other workers. Don’t make a switch before asking yourself the following three questions:
- Would the new post move you in a career direction that’s in keeping with your overall goals?
- Are you thinking about accepting the new job not because you think it’s a worthy one, but merely because your current job is a bummer?
- If the new position is from an employer trying to lure you, would you be so eager to move if you weren’t being hotly pursued?
If your answers to these questions reveal that you’re thinking of making a job hop just for convenience or because you’re flattered to get an offer, stop! You’re making a mistake.
If you like this post, please subscribe to my RSS feed to get latest updates on this blog. Thanks for visiting!
One Response to “Four Keys to a Successful Career - continuation 1st part”
I see your point about moving from job to job but in today’s times it’s very natural to see someone with 3 different jobs in 5 years, for whatever the reasons. Job security isn’t the same, and interests differ and people want to move around more and do different things.
By craig on May 27, 2009