The perfect length of employment at one firm is an issue that frequently comes up in today’s dynamic labour market. Is it ever okay to leave too soon or stay too long? Let’s investigate the subtleties of job tenure and go into this topic with some thoughts from Microsoft’s former Vice President of Human Resources.
Chris Williams claims to have seen a significant change in the length of time employees stay at a position throughout his more than 40 years in the corporate world, including his time as Vice President of Human Resources at Microsoft.
He claims that when he began his career in the 1980s, all of his career advisors and parents advised him to stay in one place for at least three years, but ideally five years. If you did anything less, people would consider you to be a job-hopper.
He continued: “Hiring managers were trained to look for gaps in candidates’ resumes and to ask questions about the length of time they had worked at each previous job.” A sequence of brief assignments in a row was definitely not what they wanted to see—at least 3-5 years at each employment.
Job hopping was interpreted as a sign of immaturity, restlessness, and a failure to persevere through difficult circumstances. Even worse, the firm perceived you as being disloyal.
The changing perceptions in today’s market
The pendulum is also swinging the other way; younger recruiters question what the issue was when they see an employee who has worked for a company for 10 years or more. Longer tenures are now considered a red flag in and of themselves; you run the risk of being perceived as a dinosaur if you stick to the minimal tenure requirements.
In other words, how long is too long and how short is too short? The answer is “it depends”, as it is for most difficult problems.
Achievements hold greater significance than tenure
It is independent of the time. It doesn’t really matter how long you’ve been employed; what counts is how much. What you did matters, not when you did it.
A competent hiring manager will look for evidence of your ability to lead and complete tasks as well as your impact on the company:
- Have you overseen or taken part in a significant initiative that changed the course of the company?
- Has anything changed that moved the metric, such as revenue, profitability, or customer satisfaction?
Regardless of how long it takes, they want to see these kinds of accomplishments during your term.
In just a year, it’s fantastic if you can start a job, make an impact, and leave. It would be amazing if someone could work in a position for over ten years and consistently demonstrate this level of influence.
The importance of having precise, measurable metrics, numbers, and impact in each job entry is thus emphasised by a large number of resume writers. Regardless of how much time you spend in each role, they want you to demonstrate that it was worthwhile.
A candidate that jumps around jobs and makes little impact on the company is not someone hiring managers want to work with. You appear restless and incapable of dedicating much effort to solving issues.
In addition, they don’t want to watch someone who accomplished a fantastic achievement rest in obscurity for years. It will appear that you lack the drive to further the company’s goals.
When is the right time to consider changing jobs?
It’s no secret that switching jobs is currently the quickest path to higher compensation; it’s much simpler to start as a new hire somewhere else than to advance within.
This is a result of businesses giving new hiring precedence over current staff members. In a competitive employment market, they must find more talent, and in most businesses, the budget for hiring exceeds the budget for promotions and raises.
Hiring managers today also have considerably more appreciation for special circumstances. They are not alarmed by a brief absence from work to take care of children or families or to further their education. They also comprehend a brief stay in a job that was an awful fit.
They also comprehend if you end up in a difficult position, an unfavourable scenario, a failing business, or a difficult-to-get-around management.
As a result, tenures that were formerly associated with job-hopping have become the norm. Even with the smallest explanation, three jobs in five years—once the reddest of red flags—make sense.
Therefore, the market now suggests that moving is advantageous if you’re stuck in a bad situation or are unable to acquire competitive compensation.
When is the right time to consider making a long-term career move?
Moving might not be the best option, though, if you are getting paid decently and the work is still engaging.
Changing jobs still carries a significant financial cost, despite the fact that it’s considerably simpler now than it was in the past.
All of the internal ties you have painstakingly developed are lost. Your task is frequently made easier and more pleasurable by that network. You have to rebuild that from scratch in a new role.
You also forfeit all of the reputation you have earned. With every new opportunity, your reputation precedes you if you’re a respected employee. You approach every new circumstance with optimism and good intentions already in place. Taking a new job, you have none of that.
Then there are the easier, more mundane obstacles associated with starting a new job, such as adjusting to process variations, identifying appropriate routes for communication, and being aware of the tools available for routine problem-solving. A new setting can be exhilarating at times, but it can also be painful at times.
Having a good reputation and a strong network makes taking on more responsibilities in your existing position easier. A long career can be incredibly rewarding if you make sure you’re always looking for new ways to make an effect on the organisation.
Whenever and whenever you are, make a difference
Therefore, pay more attention to the work you’ve done while at your employment than to how long you’ve been there. Make an effort to be different in every role.
Demonstrate that your term, in whatever length it was, was ideal.
(Tashia Bernardus)