Even if you feel comfortable in your current job, you might be well past the time to change it, and you may not even realize that anything is wrong at all. It’s important to pay attention to the big picture and be alert about new prospects for your career development. Because you only have so much time to set yourself up for a nice retirement, and it’s a good idea to push as hard as you can during your most productive years. And in today’s market, this often involves changing jobs rapidly.
The Benefit of Jumping Jobs
In many industries, especially those in the tech sector, jumping between jobs every 2-3 years is actually statistically more lucrative than waiting for promotions and raises. In most cases, you can expect your salary to grow by 5%, maybe 10% annually when you stay in the same company. But you can easily negotiate for 25% and more when going to an interview for a new job. It’s all about knowing what you can bring to the table, and knowing how to market yourself properly. And that’s a skill that you’ll have to put a lot of effort into developing too.
Know Your Value
That brings us to our next poi-nt. You need to know your value. You might think you do, but many people actually underestimate their potential and what they have to offer. Take a look through your professional history, and you might see some patterns of accomplishments that you haven’t been paying attention to before. Polish up your CV and make sure that it represents you in the best light possible. This will take some time, but it will be well worth the effort once you start sending out those applications. Companies value people who know how to describe themselves best.
Expanding Your Search
You should also consider looking for opportunities in different areas. Sometimes this might come with extra requirements, like learning a new language. You can compensate to some extent with the help of a service for CV translation via ProTranslate, for example. Keep your eyes on the prize and know what kind of a company you want to work for, and get started with your search early on. Different countries have their own unique requirements in their job markets, and it’s important to understand how they work if you want to have a good chance of landing a job in those places. Sometimes, it will take a while to properly adapt.
This is something you should try to think about on a regular basis. Never get too complacent with where you are in your job, and always try to strive for more. There are many ways to get paid better and put yourself in a more comfortable situation, but it won’t happen without much effort. It will all be worth it once it’s all said and done though, and you’ll find yourself in a much better place in your life before you even know it – and that change will be permanent.
