Have you noticed how decisions made in haste sometimes backfire? For choices such as buying a sweater on sale, the risks are low. But when it comes to career decisions, the stakes are higher — especially if you leave one job for another without fully examining the situation.
If the job you’re leaving is toxic, changing employers might be a can’t-lose scenario. Likewise, if you’re unemployed, you might feel it’s best not to over-think a new job offer. These circumstances often generate very pragmatic decisions, even when the options aren’t particularly attractive.
But what about job changes people make just because the opportunity presented itself, or because the current job is tiresome? Or changes made for higher income? Any of these can be a compelling reason to switch jobs, but none is likely to sustain you in a new position: Before long you’ll feel the same itch again.
On the other hand, maybe your challenge isn’t restraint, but rather resistance when it comes to accepting new opportunities. If you’ve been imagining a job change, but doing nothing to make it happen, you might be wearing a “someday” rut into the action center of your brain.
Although the analogy doesn’t completely fit, these two types of job seekers sometimes make me think of the tortoise and the hare from Aesop’s fable. That’s the story where the badly mismatched creatures set off on a foot race, with the hare favored to win. But the quick little bunny blows the lead and dallies while the tortoise trundles along steadily to cross the finish line.
While the fable can serve as a warning against over-confidence, it’s also the tale of a slow but intentional approach to problem solving. Only, of course, this tortoise knows the goal and is focused on reaching it, while my tortoise job seeker is still poking around the starting block, trying to decide about joining the race.
Never mind about imperfect analogies. Whether you’re the tortoise or the hare when it comes to job search, having steps to follow on a scheduled basis will help you reach your goal. As an alternative to hasty decisions — or procrastination — I’m proposing a 12-month schedule to change jobs.
Of course, that’s a long time compared to our usual thinking, but if you’re working now or don’t have a critical need for new work, you might find that a slower process is just the ticket for ensuring a good outcome.
Following is a basic 12-month job change calendar; if you get stuck at any stage, remember to reach out for help so that you can keep heading toward your goal.
Month 1: Review your decision: Why do you want a new job? Rank the criteria that’s important to you in the next role.
Month 2: Explore options in your current workplace. Use your criteria list to see what can be achieved without making a change — just in case.
Month 3: Name the job you want next. Without a title or at least the general concept of work you’re seeking, you’ll be locked out of networking and other effective job search processes.
Month 4: Research job requirements. Network for this information, to learn the minimum that employers will accept. Otherwise, you’ll believe the ads, which all seem to double the actual requirements for the job.
Month 5: Upgrade your training. Even if you can’t meet the desired qualification of a particular degree, you’ll find that workshops and certificates are often enough to get in the door.
Month 6: Update your résumé. Focus on highlighting your strengths as related to the general hiring criteria you’ve been learning about.
Month 7: Update your LinkedIn. As a shortcut, just transfer the contents of your updated résumé to a LinkedIn profile. The goal is to be findable while you’re networking.
Month 8: Join a professional association. If you haven’t been attending a monthly meeting of people working in your desired field, now’s the time to start.
Month 9: Tell your network you’re ready to change jobs. To generate the best leads from others, strive to be somewhat specific about what you’re seeking, but not overly so.
Month 10: Start applying to posted positions. This is best done late in the process, as postings are generally meant to be filled within a month or two.
Month 11: Interview for your new job. Whether your conversations are generated from postings or from networking, you’ll be in good position by now for knowing the market as well as your own criteria.
Month 12: Accept or negotiate your new position, give notice at your current job, and send the news to everyone you’ve met during the year. And congratulate yourself — you did it!
Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com.
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January 05, 2020 at 04:40AM
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Working Strategies: A 12-month job plan for both tortoise and hare - St. Paul Pioneer Press
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