The advantages and disadvantages of changing jobs – The balance between stability and career growth

 

The days when we had only one employer during our career seems a thing of the past. Increasingly, workers are occupying multiple jobs in different companies.

Is this a good strategy or should you stay and try to climb the internal ladder? This is an important evaluation for your career path.

Ask yourself the right questions

Job change can bring interesting benefits to your career, especially when choosing a type of company, industry, projects, or organization that interests you as well as improving your financial situation.

In your previous jobs you could perceive some aspects of your work that would interest you more than others. Looking for a new position is therefore an opportunity to investigate these points to target the type of employment that would suit your needs. It goes without saying that some aspects will be unknown to you as a result it is a great opportunity to try something different. However, you should know that you do not “SHOP” for a job lightly. You must ask yourself questions and know what you are really looking for in order not to accept a position by pure chance. Here are some examples:

• What values are most important to you at work?
• What did you like most (and least) about your previous jobs?
• What skills would you like to develop in the next few years?
• What type of tasks or projects are you most excited about?
• Why do you like (or would you like) to work in this company rather than another?
• On what elements do you think you are basing yourself to make the best decision? What might influence your choice?

Stability in your CV

Some employers may perceive negatively frequent job changes, which may indicate a lack of stability or an easy exit to certain problems.

The important thing is balance, being able to grow in your career by choosing interesting challenges and employers while keeping some stability. If stability is not something that interest you, there is always the path of consultation as a self-employed worker (watch our article on incorporation!).

Career growth

Climbing the internal ladder is also an interesting avenue. It’s always possible to accomplish one’s professional goals with a single employer. The important thing is to know how to listen to and understand your needs as a worker. Keeping only one employer brings a good stability and an in-depth knowledge of an organization allowing you to master work thoroughly.

On the financial side, the salary increases may be less advantageous by staying in the same company. It is necessary at this moment to bet on the promotions and the internal movements to make interesting gains over a short period.

Work balance and satisfaction

As in everything, the important thing is to find a certain balance between stability, meeting interesting challenges, the possibilities of promotions and the salary increases sought. This balance is unique to all and corresponds to your personality. Some will be satisfied with a job that will last a lifetime and others will seek a change and a break from routine while getting interesting salaries increases.

However, changing permanent jobs each year throughout a career can have a negative impact. In this case it will always be interesting to consider the consultation avenue.

It’s now up to you to find the balance in your career in IT!

 

 

Need more advice? Do not hesitate to contact the DELAN team who will be able to support you through each step of your job search and job change process.