A few decades ago the idea of working for the same company for a long period of time—sometimes your entire professional life—was commonly seen as good. The idea was that companies were responsible for people’s professional careers.
This has changed. We now know that when it comes to our career we should manage it in a way that we maximize the results as we move forward.
So far no problem, right? Well, sort of. I think this “responsibility” of taking care of one’s career without anyone’s “support” has caused so much anxiety in some professionals that we’re now seeing a generation of “job-hoppers” with chopped resumes and periods of 1 to 2 years on average with each company. And this is not good either.
So what would the ideal length of time?
As far as I’m concerned, discussing only how long a person stays in the same job is as absurd as saying that a movie is good or bad based on its length. When someone recommends you an awesome movie do you ask how long it is? There are great movies that are longer than 4 hours and amazing short 16-minute films. What really matters? What drives you to recommend the movie? Obviously it’s what the movie adds to your life, the message it conveys and how it impacts viewers.
I guess we can borrow the same analogy for careers. There are 10-year careers with the same company that includes several very well managed 1-to-2-year projects while there are other professionals who work for the same company for 18 years with great success.
The important thing is to look at the complete career cycle in each job one has had. A complete career cycle means one has gathered major lessons from each stage. Simply put, I’d say that a complete cycle goes through 3 stages:
1) Initial success, or "Beginner’s Luck ";
2) Cycle of ordeals, or "Pitiful Cycle ";
3) Evidence of success (when you finally find your way around and show what you’re capable of)
Then you’ve completed the entire cycle!!
You don’t have to exit a company after each complete cycle, but leaving in the middle of it is not a nice thing.
And how do we know in which stage of the cycle we’re at? It’s not very easy, I’ll admit, but here’s a tip. When considering a new professional opportunity, think about what’s actually making you stay or not in your current job.
If the reason is the seemingly endless difficulties, remember that you might be going through the "Pitiful Cycle". If you think the execution of your plan seems impossible you might be going through the last stage of the cycle, which is about showing what you’re really capable of achieving.
Such reflection is worth going through because it takes away the immediacy and emotion out of your decision process. By thinking it through you’ll discover your drivers and the “answers” that you’re searching for your career. And of course, there’s always an ideal job for EVERY kind of profile in the market.
The ideal length of time for someone to remain with the same company is the one in which you’ll experience continuous development, achieve your goals, and more importantly, be happy at work. If it happens in 1 or 16 years it’ll depend on each one’s career cycle.
Good luck!
Showing posts with label HR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HR. Show all posts
10/1/10
The Headhunter’s Radar
This is the English version of the Headhunter’s Radar blog, which is hosted in the website of Brazilian magazine “Você S.A."
This first post attempts explain two things. One of them is the reason for “another” blog and what you’re going to find in here in terms of information. The second is the rationale behind the translation of the original Brazilian Portuguese blog into English.
Let’s tackle the first one. Some time ago I was curious about searching for the number of interviews, HR events, luncheons and breakfasts with executives, and visits to clients I had participated in the Michael Page system.
My idea was to measure the amount of information I had had access to in this type of interaction with executives in the market. The number was very interesting, but that was not the most important thing. What really mattered was to be able—somehow—to gather all this type content and “give back” to the market a “synthesis” of everything I hear, discuss, and learn in my daily interactions with the business world.
So that’s how the blog idea started. In addition to that, someone’s career is an asset that very few people know how to handle properly. Everybody wants to take care of their health and invest small fortunes in gyms and balanced meals, which is very important. Likewise, taking care of your career deserves the same attention.
Our professional careers are the instrument that will provide us with not only financial peace of mind but also well being since we spend most of our time working. You’ll find in here everything that might be under the Headhunter’s Radar: discussions about career trends, HR practices, business recruiting changes, what makes people change their jobs, and other issues that will come up, including those arising from your participation and comments.
The second reason—regarding the blog’s English translation. It’s simple: discourse and practice. I always tell executives I talk to that we need to be constantly connected not only to the local market but also the global one (even I only had my blog in Portuguese!!). As of now this is different!
The most important thing is that this blog will show that apart from everything one might think CEOs, vice presidents, directors, managers, and other top-leadership professions are also “children just like you*” and this blog may help you find out “what you’re going to be when you grow up.**”
*Translator’s Note: The original Portuguese phrase is quoted from a Brazilian song by Legião Urbana titled “Pais e Filhos”. Among other things, the song cautions against blaming your parents for everything, and says that one has to remember that they are “crianças como você,” “children just like you.”
**Translator’s note: ibid.
This first post attempts explain two things. One of them is the reason for “another” blog and what you’re going to find in here in terms of information. The second is the rationale behind the translation of the original Brazilian Portuguese blog into English.
Let’s tackle the first one. Some time ago I was curious about searching for the number of interviews, HR events, luncheons and breakfasts with executives, and visits to clients I had participated in the Michael Page system.
My idea was to measure the amount of information I had had access to in this type of interaction with executives in the market. The number was very interesting, but that was not the most important thing. What really mattered was to be able—somehow—to gather all this type content and “give back” to the market a “synthesis” of everything I hear, discuss, and learn in my daily interactions with the business world.
So that’s how the blog idea started. In addition to that, someone’s career is an asset that very few people know how to handle properly. Everybody wants to take care of their health and invest small fortunes in gyms and balanced meals, which is very important. Likewise, taking care of your career deserves the same attention.
Our professional careers are the instrument that will provide us with not only financial peace of mind but also well being since we spend most of our time working. You’ll find in here everything that might be under the Headhunter’s Radar: discussions about career trends, HR practices, business recruiting changes, what makes people change their jobs, and other issues that will come up, including those arising from your participation and comments.
The second reason—regarding the blog’s English translation. It’s simple: discourse and practice. I always tell executives I talk to that we need to be constantly connected not only to the local market but also the global one (even I only had my blog in Portuguese!!). As of now this is different!
The most important thing is that this blog will show that apart from everything one might think CEOs, vice presidents, directors, managers, and other top-leadership professions are also “children just like you*” and this blog may help you find out “what you’re going to be when you grow up.**”
*Translator’s Note: The original Portuguese phrase is quoted from a Brazilian song by Legião Urbana titled “Pais e Filhos”. Among other things, the song cautions against blaming your parents for everything, and says that one has to remember that they are “crianças como você,” “children just like you.”
**Translator’s note: ibid.
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