Changing Jobs 

  This is a question which must have crossed the minds of many of you. It could have been triggered off by a particular situation that you faced or it could be something that has been on your mind for a while due to certain aspects of your current job.

For first-time job changers it would be a tougher decision as they would have no prior experience in what it takes to change a job. Whatever the situation, whoever the person, changing jobs is something that needs a lot of planning and thinking through. It is definitely not a decision to be taken in haste.

Be clear about the reason why you want to change jobs

Work-related

•  a bad boss (who is a hurdle to your progress)
•  a boring and uninteresting job (not a challenge for you)
•  unsuitable organisation culture (you have problems relating to colleagues)
•  need for more responsibilities (to match your capabilities)
•  achieved the limit in what you can learn (you have a higher career goal)
•  high stress levels (more than you can handle)

Benefits-related

•  higher pay /more benefits (your work/skills are valued more than what you get)
•  more convenient location (you work too far away from home)

 Identify your long-term career goals

Once you have arrived at the reason for why you need a job change, how can you go about it? When is the right time to change jobs? The most important step here is to identify your long-term career goals. That is you should able to chart out a realistic career path for yourself. You could ask yourself the following

• When do you want to be at different positions/designations in an organisation ?
• What is your job description at each of these levels?
• What responsibilities do you need to handle to get there?
• What skills do you need to be able to work efficiently at each level?
• Do you have all the skills? How will you acquire additional skills with increasing responsibilities?
• If you are changing fields, do you have the functional skills that work in any industry?
• How long will it take you to achieve this goal in your existing organisation?

With this clarity on your future plans, you will be in a better position to decide the right time to change your job. This will also help you aggressively go out looking for jobs that fit in with your career plans, or suitably evaluate offers that come your way.

In the meanwhile, update your knowledge and skills regularly. Stay well informed.