How Long Should You Stay at a Job?
27 Oct
How long should you stay at your job for? I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately. I’ve heard it all from, “Life’s too short to stay at a job if you’re not happy” to “Stay at least three to five years.” I know it looks bad if you change positions too often. If I was hiring someone for a position, and saw a resume filled with 6 month job positions, I’d be worried they’d do the same to me. But, if you took a position you aren’t happy with, should you be forced to stay to improve your resume?
After doing a lot of thinking on this, I realized the solution: Take longer to choose a job, and you won’t find yourself in this situation. True, there really is no way of knowing exactly what a position will be like until you take it. However, instead of rushing into a job once it’s offered, take awhile to really think about the job description, read the employee manual, ask people who have worked there, and think about how it will help fulfill your life goals. Looking back at the positions I had for less than 6 months, I don’t blame myself for leaving too soon, I blame myself for jumping into the positions too soon. In fact, I think I stayed at most of them a lot longer than I should have.
Before you sign on the line, make sure your vision of what your job responsibilities will be, is in line with what the person hiring you envisions. Be specific, and if two months down the line you find yourself doing things that are not even close to what you were promised, let your boss know. Nicely bring up the fact that you, when choosing the position, were told you’d be doing something different. They may have forgotten that you were promised these responsibilities and appreciate you being honest with them. If they deny what they originally agreed upon, and make it clear these will never be your job responsibilities, it’s probably time to move on.
Ask yourself, “Is this a Job I can see myself doing for awhile and being happy with?” If not, then, “Is the job at least giving me the necessary experience and knowledge for the position I’d like to eventually have?” If it isn’t, then grab your monogrammed mug, bamboo desk plant and find another job that will make you happy. I don’t believe in quitting, but I think quitting can also mean staying at a job you aren’t satisfied with, because you don’t think you deserve better.
Tags: career, Job, job description, life, quitting job, recent graduate, resume
I used to quit after a 12-18 months, I’ve been in the same job for 3 years now.
Yearning to leave? Definitely! Able to leave? I’m afraid not.
I’m getting older…
Nice post! It is important that we follow the correct steps to quit a job. I believe that these steps could shift a person’s energy and open up to new opportunities. Shifting the focus from negative to positive energy will help us understand what will make us truly happy.
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Note how China has significantly closed the gap with these countries over time. ,
American studies confirm this. ,