Are you ready for it yet?

“Mumma, I want that stick”, Medhansh pointed towards a piece of dry stick while we were strolling in the garden. I picked it up and gave it him.

“Can I have that big one please?” He dropped the earlier one and even before I could nod a yes he had the bigger one in his hand.

As we moved couple of steps more, his desire for a next one grew and there he had another big one. This time one in each hand. So in some 20 mins he picked up 6 to 7 sticks each bigger than the other one. I kept mute and just kept watching the gleam in his eyes every time he found a new BIG stick and it hardly took him time to let go the one he just picked a minute back till such time I saw him aiming for small branch of a tree. Reading his thoughts I simply said  ,”NO, that’s too big for you”. And as expected he started his tantrums because a NO wasn’t expected. I didn’t rub it much and let him do what he wanted and within couple of minutes he realized why I was saying NO. Frustrated by his inability to handle a branch, two times his own size, he started crying. Well….

 

We all have little Medhansh in us, who keeps demanding more, whose desire is to touch and have all for himself and that too in the shortest span. Only difference is Medhansh is just three year old but the same tendency in a 30 year old…imagine how you would set it straight.

As a Human Resource manager I see people changing jobs for more salary, without even consuming the past job they move to next one. The change here is referred as better prospects by many. It’s not usual to find people with a set frequency in terms to job changes. Such people start looking out as soon as they near the threshold point in a company. But what happens in reality is that by the time you make four such changes you lose the hold on the subject because your vision was always short term, because quitting was your first option, because you thought the grass is greener on the other side .

Job change is not bad and I honestly believe that change adds value and variety but you should make sure you have gathered enough knowledge in your current profile before you move to next. Cracking interview is just step one and mostly we do lot more than our Job Description suggests. Going too quickly for a larger pie might excite you but its more about sustaining the expectations which it brings with the size. Also many times the carrot is a fancy designation with hardly any real work and you can trust me for meeting many such people who regretted such hasty decisions

Think about it when you feel edgy about changing your job. Is it a right time for you to move? Have you done enough here? Have you grown enough to aim for a jump? Would waiting for a while fetch you more strength to face the challenges of new profile.

Medhansh with time will learn  as to when is the right time to handle the big stick but until then he should value and enjoy what he has and try to focus on his current possessions so tomorrow he doesn’t regret but enjoy the BIG stick!!

Evaluate your #job change in five

Are you ready for a job change?

Surprised!!  Why did I not ask the question which frequently bothers as every year passes by in your current organization?

 

Job change is a career transition and should be handled with great care. Many people ignore this very important aspect of how every job change can give a different turn to ones career road map. Mostly I get call from friends who need advise on job hunt and then I ask them my favorite question, which mostly helps them explore the unrealized.

Trust me I will be the last person against a job change, after all I owe my job to this. But what’s important are you convinced for one. Many times encountered people who start a hunt and then back out in mid way leaving many questions unanswered. Taking some decisions in haste can let go great opportunities in future.

Feeling of job being mundane is nothing unusual and they might be haunting you every now and then. However what one need to decide whether the next opportunity guarantees you a relief for next five year. Could be possible that it’s a right time to expand your arms to some new responsibilities internally.

So do you think about a job change after every appraisal as your expectations were not met monetarily?  Well a new opportunity might give you hike but who know if you are back to square one again during next appraisal cycle. Better focus on the feedback and see if you hit the best paid band without changing a job.

Make sure to clarify the real meaning behind ‘better prospects’. It’s such a vague term to use however if this means about a level escalation have you really given your best shot for an internal promotion. If not then why not? A job change might give you a designation boost up but will take you more time to settle rather it would have done internally.

You boss is not less that ‘HARI SADU’ but who knows the next one might not be a ‘Dream Manager’ too. Talk out for an internal project transfer first before your decide to move out.

Honestly many of these reasons knock the HR department only during exit interviews and some lucky ones have it during retention talks. We might blame the HR department for not being proactive but if it’s about you then should you not take that extra effort for evaluating your decision before concluding for a job hunt route.

Think before you leap the next time!!