facebook_tracking
Changing Jobs too Often.
Go back

Changing Jobs too Often.

on 27 November 2020

​Over the many years interviewing candidates I have noticed quite a drastic change in candidates’ CV’s, especially with those aged between 20 and 30 years, today known as the ‘Millennials’.

​You feel burned out at your job, and despite your best efforts to improve the situation or even change yourself, you’re still stressed and unhappy. Lately, you’ve been noticing more and more the job adverts in the Sunday paper and even your family has hinted something about it.

Even though there are various ways to handle work related stress, occasionally it’s time for a drastic solution…sometimes the only way out is to change job or even career. However, a change in job or career is not something that should be taken lightly, especially if you have dependents.

Changing jobs - Where do I start?

Your starting point should be an evaluation to find out why are you unhappy in your current position and whether you need a change in job or a totally brand new career. Try this simple exercise.

Make a List

Make a list of everything which leads to dissatisfaction with your current job. Include anything which makes you unhappy, from a lack of creative challenge to the ugly view from your office window. When the list is complete, review each item and mark as “A” those items which are specific to your particular workplace, such as conflicts with co-workers, a long commute, or an unsympathetic supervisor. Mark as “B” those items which are specific to your area or field of expertise. For example, a nurse would classify co-worker conflicts as “A” and dealing with illness as “B”.

If most of your answers are “A”, then you are likely dissatisfied with your present workplace. Review your list again and try to realistically assess how many of the items could be improved upon by changing your workplace. Think about what motivated you to become interested in your present job or field in the beginning. If this interest is still strong, you would likely benefit more from a change of job rather than from a total career change.

Today we’re talking about changing jobs. We will look at entering new careers at a later date. A change in job is not a decision which should be taken on the spur of the moment.

3 courses of Action

If you have made your final decision about leaving, you can chose either of 3 courses of action :

  • Local newspapers and the internet contain various vacancies all year round;

  • Talk with people in the relevant field. Especially if you have spent a number of years in a job that promotes networking, your contacts could prove to be a valuable source of information to check what’s available in the market and what are the conditions offered by competing companies;

  • If you’re not sure of what to do, if you’re worried about confidentiality or just don’t have the time to do some extensive research, try seeking some professional help. A recruitment Agency can put you on the right track and also act as a liaison with any companies you might be particularly interested. Most agencies also have available a number of vacancies with their portfolio of clients. These services are usually available at no cost to job searchers.

Whichever course of action is best for you, make sure you give it some thought beforehand. As was mentioned earlier, do not take any decisions on the spur of the moment, and getting advise is always a worth while exercise.

Going for Interviews

When a candidate has taken the decision to look for alternative employment once selected for an interview it is very important to ask questions such as what are the prospects of progressing further within the company?  What are the long term goals of the company?  Would they be willing to offer internal or external training?

Such questions will not only help in deciding whether to take it further or not but will also show the interviewer that the candidate is looking long term. Further research such as checking the financial viability of the company should also be conducted.  This information is easily available at the Malta Financial Services Authority and would only cost a couple of euro to download such information.

Employers and wage increases

As I mentioned above part of my responsibility as a recruiter is to advise and assist candidates.  On the other side I also give guidance to companies when they approach us for our services.  The employment situation in Malta today is simple ‘the demand for candidates is much higher than the supply’ and this situation is prevailing in all sectors.  This means that companies need to do more in order to keep their good employees.  They need to be proactive and give their good employees incentives for them not to look elsewhere.  Unfortunately I have come across too many situations where candidates were only offered a wage increase only when they handed in their resignation.  In some cases it may work, however, in other cases it may be too late to keep the employee. Once the employee leaves there are the costs of starting the recruitment process once again and the cost of training of the new employee who unfortunately may not live up to the expectations as his or her predecessor.

I do not have anything against a candidate who at a young age wishes to experience different jobs. 

In actual fact since the opportunity is there, why not?  However, at some point in one’s life we all need to decide what direction we would like to pursue and if the opportunity is there for one to progress further in the chosen profession, then one should take the decision and focus on that particular career path he or she has chosen.

Going through the CV of say, a 35 year old with a CV showing that he or she changed jobs 8 times in a span of around 10 years, does not give a good impression.  It is obviously clear that the candidate still has not found his/her ‘dream job’ at the age of 35 and unless the candidate takes that difficult decision to focus on a desired industry it will be difficult for an employer to consider such a candidate for a possible vacancy.

During my interview process with the candidate I always try to be as honest and open as possible as I feel it is also my duty to give advice to the candidate and guide them whenever possible.  This is not always possible as candidates could also be simply ‘stubborn’ which unfortunately could create an awkward situation.

At times when I ask how come a candidate has applied for a particular job one of the reasons I am given is simply ‘I have had enough of my manager’ or ‘I do not see eye to eye with my boss’.  When I am given such replies it is here where I suggest that they ask for a one to one meeting and express with their boss or manager in a positive yet clear way what they are feeling.  They also need to keep an open mind and not just criticise the way things are being handled within the company but they should also be willing to offer suggestions which could be considered by management. Should nothing change for the better, say within three or four months down the line, then yes, it would be time to consider changing job but only then.   Candidates that have gone through this process have in many cases come back with positive feedback. In some cases they were also commended by their employers for coming out with suggestions and ideas.

Regrettably this is not always the case with most candidates and it is easier to just look for something else.   Unfortunately the youth of today are ‘impatient’ and at times just want ‘instant gratification’. They find it difficult to handle stressful situations and rather than look at it as a challenge they simply look for an alternative.

To conclude we would like to invite you to view a 15 minute interview which could be found on (You Tube) social media called ‘Millennials in the Workplace’ as it could give one more insight into the general situation we are facing today in the workplace.

Jobs in Malta

Looking for job vacancies Malta? VacancyCentre (VC) is a well-established recruitment company in Malta servicing organisations talent resource requirements across a range of technical and specialist disciplines across key service industries within Finance, Compliance & Technology.Do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

Share this article