5 Factors To Consider While Looking Out For Job-Change
Job-change is a part & parcel of one’s career. You may change a job either by applying in other organizations or through IJP (Internal Job Posting) in the current organization which allows you to change the job profile. In this course, sometimes a few factors are overlooked and as a consequence, it affects your career growth in the long run. Knowing those important factors in advance enables you to act and decide in a way that is more beneficial for your career, allowing you to have better control over your career development.
Here are the few things, I would like to share for those who are looking for a job change. Those who are already working can use these pointers to review certain aspects while switching the job. And if you are a fresher, you may use this knowledge to make a smart move in the future.
1. Updating profile: This is a primary thing one should be doing. Update your resume and profile details on the job portals, social and professional networking sites. Do not forget to check & update contact details along with your professional experience. In case you work in odd shifts, do provide a note with the right time to reach out to you.
Be cautious about when you update these details. If your increment or promotion is due shortly, maybe in a month or two, then avoid updating details specifically on the job portals. Some companies vouch for such activities, and as a result, it may cause hurdles in your way to get the appraisal.
2. What Motivates you matters: Undoubtedly we all work to earn money. However, that should not be the only reason for a job switch every time. Try to seek something better in terms of role, job profile, growth, exposure, etc. for two major reasons. One is that you grow as a performer in various aspects, and two is that it justifies your job change decision and builds trust between you and a hiring team. Hence figure out what motivates you, and plan accordingly. This will help you answer the commonly asked question ‘why are you looking out for job change?’ with conviction.
Know that many employers are hesitant to hire the one who is motivated by monetary aspect alone, as he or she may decide to switch again in future in a short period. And this would be a cost to an organization in many ways.
3. Frequent Job Change: Try to stick around every employer for about two years or more, except when it is a contractual job or unavoidable circumstances. Job changes after every few months or every year without a genuine reason would hamper your profile causing it to look like the candidate has stability issues in terms of holding on to one company. As a result, your profile may go unattended allowing the hiring team to prefer more stable profiles over yours.
In case you have had quick job changes or career gaps, adding a one-liner reason for the change may help the hiring team to consider the profile for the next level of the screening process.
4. Healthy Professional Relationship (PR) with Employers: Try and maintain good relations with your employer. It is important to be a good employee not only when you are a part of the organization but even after that. Having bad professional relationships may cause you problems during your exit. You may or may not get a clear exit with proper documentation. A negative professional record can also affect the background verification status in the future in case of both new hire and rehire. You may have excellent skills & credentials to crack the interviews but if your background verification is negative, then you may have to lose the opportunity. Therefore make sure to maintain a healthy professional relationship.
5. Clear Exit: There are cases where candidates have worked but they don’t have documented proof of the employment. This typically happens during the beginning of their career. Mostly because the organization is small and does not have a proper system in place. As a consequence one may have to skip that experience in their resume. This leads to an on-paper career gap and you may have to settle at lower CTC and designation in the next company. To avoid such instances, try and get all the documents of your employment. If not a hard copy, then request for an official email from the relevant authority with necessary employment details (your name, designation, joining date, last working date, etc.) in response to your resignation email.
Other times when a candidate decides to abscond for XYZ reason without complying with exit policies of the organization, he or she gets black-listed in that company for a lifetime. This would also show an employment gap without proper justification. So it is good to get relieved officially with proper exit formalities. In certain exceptional situations where one cannot avoid it, being transparent with employers can be helpful, so that they are aware of the facts and take necessary actions as per the policies. This way one can reduce the possibilities of a negative result of background verification by future employers.
Changing Job Profile:
If you are changing a job through IJP, it is usually for a different profile within the same organization (e.g. from Recruiter to BPHR role). A better and easier way to switch to the job profile of your choice. In this case, you are already a part of the organization and leaders have access to the records of your performance, skills & abilities. All you need to do is to gain the knowledge required for the job profile you are applying for internally and crack the interview.
However, if you wish to change job profile by applying in other organizations, you need to plan it right from the beginning so that you don’t get confined in a specific role for a prolonged time which would make it difficult for you to get into a new role. It is good to set a long term career goal and make a step by step move to realise it.
Conclusion
Having a successful career is not a “luck by chance” story but a result of good career planning. Changing jobs strategically will not only sharpen your career graph but will also increase your market value.
