Are You Thinking About Your Next Career Move?

By Michelle Hendelman, Editor-in-Chief

Last year the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the median employee tenure for wage and salary workers in the United States was 4.6 years, up slightly from the 4.4 year median tenure reported in 2010. Yet recent research shows indicates that “job hopping” is becoming more common among younger managers and high potential talent. Is this really an effective career advancement strategy?

It depends. On one hand, job hopping might not look so good on paper when potential employers are deciding whether or not to hire you. However, staying in a job that is not fulfilling your ambition and your talent will most likely not allow you to grow and advance in your career. So, how much time and effort should you put into thinking about your next career move?

Rating Your Career Happiness Level

According to a survey of 1,200 employees conducted by the Harvard Business Review, the young and the talented are also proving to be quite restless. Monika Hamori, Jie Cao, and Burak Koyuncu report that almost 95 percent of young employees (average age of 30 years old) actively maintained their resumes and stayed current on information regarding potential new employers. Furthermore, this same group of workers was likely to leave their companies after only 28 months, on average.

The HBR study found that one of the primary factors contributing to the early exit of young top talent is their dissatisfaction with the employee training and development programs available at their firm. More specifically, they asked young managers to rank the importance of mentoring, coaching, support from direct managers and support from senior management on a scale of 1 to 5. The managers surveyed gave each one of these categories a 4 out of 5 rating, but also expressed dissatisfaction in how much mentoring and coaching is provided by their employer.

If you have a similar dissatisfaction for the amount of career development options available to you, then perhaps it is time to start considering your next career move.

Determine What Motivates You Professionally

Usually a career move is accompanied by better advancement opportunities and a higher salary. The question to ask yourself is what are you motivated by in your career? Is it growth, development, and recognition based on your performance? Or are you driven more by the monetary reward, power. and recognition of moving up the corporate ladder?

Either way, a career move might be the answer for you if you feel like you have exhausted the opportunities for advancement at your company or you feel like you could negotiate a higher salary elsewhere. However, before making a move it is important to assess how proactive you have been in advancing your career at your current company. Have you sought out a mentor or sponsor to provide guidance, advice, and advocacy on your behalf? Have you approached your manager requesting more responsibility or perhaps a raise to justify increased responsibilities you have already taken on? If you have made your skills, talents, and desires known without good results, then thinking about your next career move is not out of the question.

Is the Grass Always Greener on the Other Side?

One of the most important factors in considering your next career move is being able to identify why your current position or company is not the right fit and apply this knowledge in your search for a new job. Otherwise, you run the risk of making the same mistakes when choosing a new company. Finding a company culture that aligns with your professional values is extremely important, especially if you are not interested in using job hopping as a career advancement tool.

Ultimately, there is no harm in always being prepared for your next career opportunity. Whether or not that opportunity is offered to you at your current company or if you have to search for it elsewhere will be the most difficult part of figuring out your career move strategy. The bottom line is that it is always smart to keep yourself marketable. This means keeping your resume up to date with your current set of knowledge and skills and networking with professionals who can introduce you to opportunities so that when the time is right, you are ready for your next career move.