How to know when to change jobs

missbiggles1

Arthien wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the advice, it's been food for thought.

I had some minor good news today, work have raised my salary by £500 and are giving me a £750 bonus as the company made a small profit last financial year.

It's nowhere near enough to make me stay, and you're right I'm the sort of person who needs a challenge and something to get my teeth into and really aim for, but it's nice to have a little bit extra coming in while I consider my options

I'm not convinced that this interview will lead to a job I really want, but then again I didn't think I'd like/be able to do the job I currently do before I took it on, so I need to think positive! I'm probably just going to go to the interview, do my best and base my decision on what happens after that. I'm usually quite risk-averse, so I'm trying to stop myself from closing off potential options for small reasons before I've even looked into them properly.

I'm also going to send my CV off this week speculatively to a couple of bigger companies in my area, as I agree that a bigger company would be more likely to be able to give me the opportunities I'm looking for. I'm very fortunate in that DH could support us both if the worst happened, but I would never want to rely on him out of choice as I want to be doing my bit to achieve our joint future dreams.

The thing about having kids in a few years has just struck me recently, but it didn't help that everyone kept saying 'so when are the babies going to happen then?' when we got married last year! I sometimes over-think things like this, but I am just trying to be sensible and plan ahead while I've got the opportunity.

I think I could consider a total career change, I just really wish there was somewhere I could go for proper advice, rather than a job centre or agency, where they just want you off their books and making them money. Who knows, that in itself might be a business model I could look into

There is.

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/Pages/Home.aspx

Annisele

Arthien wrote: »

Given that most people have been here decades and are in their 50s/60s, I think it's unlikely to happen any time soon.

People in their 50s and 60s sometimes retire!

I don't think I'd leave for the job you're talking about; it doesn't sound much better than the job you have. I probably would be looking to leave though, but only for something that was much more demonstrably a step up.

Newyorkdreams

Hi Arthien - I hope you don't mind my honest view!


You are 24. You are young and a (fairly) recent graduate. You are, essentially, in your prime for getting on the career ladder - do not lose this opportunity - if you really want it. Not all jobs are equal - even if some pay less. You have too look at all the opportunities, not just the pay. In my opinion, you sound too comfortable in your current job and if you really want to progress, you'll need to get out of there. You have many years of your career ahead of you to be in a job where the evenings are your own, you can dress casually, you are not stretched, you work a 34 hour week. The next 2-3 years are crucial. You are not only competing with the graduates of your own year group but also the last 3 years.


From my own experience, after graduating when I was 21, I moved away from my home town at 23 to get a better job which paid £10, 000 more a year but meant I had to live somewhere where I didn't know anyone and had to manage on my own. I've worked my !!! off, done 50-60 hr weeks, taken extra work on for no extra cash, networked, mentored and coached others and got results. 10 years later I'm married, a Senior Manager and earning way above the average for my age with over 150 staff. I've just found out I'm pregnant too (after delaying kids to focus on my career)!


The reason I'm telling you this is because it can absolutely be done, so if you really want it, go for it and take the risk - don't waste any more time. Of course, if you decide that family is your priority right now, then stay put - it's easier than starting in a new job. You can always focus on moving job etc at a later date.


NYD x

makeitstop

Snakey wrote: »

Move, to a job with some sort of training or professional qualifications if you can get one.

Being a graduate is good, being a graduate who managed to find and retain employment through the tail-end of a recession is even better, but it's not enough yet to stop and call it the best you can do. You need to get something under your belt that isn't "entry-level" before you put your career on the back burner to have your kiddies, otherwise when you come back you'll be unable to move as you'll be up against people five or ten years younger with nothing to differentiate yourself (other than that you'll be looking for more money than they will).

Presumably you have a clear three years in a potential new role before you even consider trying to conceive, and it will then be a year or two before the day arrives when you actually head off on mat leave - that's loads of time in the context of a 35-year career. You could, for example, train and qualify as a Chartered Accountant in that time and get a couple of years' post-qualified experience. That makes you marketable, even after a career break.

If this isn't the sort of thing you're looking at, then your move should be to a job with prospects within the company, so that you can go back post-baby and stay with the same employer without having to stagnate. A large company might give you that, and they usually have good benefits and policies too.

Think strategic, because what you do with your career path in the next five years may well set the scene for what you end up doing throughout your thirties and forties. Things like whether one job is ten minutes' further away than another or has a slightly longer working day should not be affecting your decisions unless you really do have so many great options that this is the only thing that differentiates them.

Good luck, it's an exciting time. Don't be scared of taking a drop in order to get a future rise, you have a second income to fall back on as a temporary measure and people are pretty resiliant in their twenties anyway. You never know what you can achieve if you don't go for it.

Good luck!

I agree with every word of this. Snakey gives some really sound advice here.

As an example to your own situation.....

My eldest daughter left a position to move to another with slightly less pay, but better working flexibility and greater development prospects. As it turned out, that role just did not live up to what they had sold to her, and so reluctantly, she moved on after only a year, gaining a position which paid her a £10K increase in salary. Since then, she has moved back to the organisation she left, but in a far more senior role, and, is now imminently looking at further promotion. She has also had the opportuntiy to do a masters degree in her field, which although tough while working in a demanding role, will pay dividends on providing her with greater options and power of choice on moves in the future.

Like you, she wants children in her late twenties, and has geared her decisions in a way to give herself the best chance of being able to do that, while remaining relevant in her specific field of work so she can return to it later if she chooses.

Nothing worthwhile is likely to come easy. An individual who looks to challenge themselves and shift out of their comfort zone is always more attractive to prospective employers than one who sits still. Getting yourself into a position where the company / organisation you work for are keen "not" to lose you is where you want to be. That gives YOU the power to make choices and negotiate on salary.

Good luck with whatever you do.

Arthien

Thanks again for the advice, it really helps to consider this from different angles! I was looking for honest opinions as it's difficult to get an unbiased answer from my husband or my parents as they essentially just say 'it's up to you, do what you think is best', which doesn't really help me to decide!

Just a small thing: when I say 'I want to work closer to my home town', I actually mean the town to which my husband and I have moved to be closer to his work (he graduated the year before I did). Apart from 2 friends from university who also happen to live here (it's actually one of their home towns) we don't really know anyone, which I think is part of the problem. I get the impression that people who know people do better than those who don't. I have tried to make an effort to get out there by joining a choir but my health problems make me tired in the evenings so it's difficult to stick to, and people don't seem to be that chatty anyway unfortunately.

Hubby asked at work yesterday if his boss (who is pretty well connected) could think of anywhere that might be suitable for me, i.e. a growing company which could offer good prospects etc. and his boss said he'd think about it and get back to him, so hopefully that will at least give me another option for an application.

I am definitely comfortable in this job, there's no two ways about that, so I will be going to the interview next week, as it's good practice if nothing else, and then keep my options open. Thanks for the link missbiggles1, I'll take a look. We do want children in a few years, but I'm certain that I want to establish myself in a career, rather than a job, before we decide that the time is right. I also have a nephew going through the terrible twos at the moment, which is enough to put even the broodiest of people off :rotfl:

GoldenShadow

As a fellow graduate I am very wary of sales roles, just like recruitment ones. I know so many people who've gone into them and basically spend their time cold calling potential clients. Before jumping ship just make really sure you think you will like it and not have to keep career hopping only to come back to where you were.

pollyanna24

Arthien wrote: »

Tiddlywinks: thanks, I thought the Employment board was more for people looking for 'official' advice rather than general wonderings like this, I'll take a look.

neon_dannii: It's nice to know I'm not alone! One of my friends is in a similar situation too, except she seems to actually hate her job, whereas I'm just bored out of my brain. It's just hard to know what is 'to be expected' in terms of enjoying my job, and to what degree 'it's just a job' and at least I should be grateful for finishing at 5 and having the evenings to myself. I'm actually tempted to start trying to learn programming, as that what DH does, or something else totally different, as I can't seem to find anything other than low-paid admin/sales roles with my current skill-set.

lika_86: No, I've actually spoken to my boss previously and said that I'd like to do more and he said 'oh of course, I totally understand that you wouldn't want to sit there doing that job forever' but didn't actually offer me any alternative I also know that he has no intention of taking on any more staff in the next 5 years, so he clearly doesn't plan on me moving upwards as he's not planning to get anyone in to do my current role.

It's also quite a small company and relatively flat structure-wise so someone would have to leave the management team for me to have a chance of progression. Given that most people have been here decades and are in their 50s/60s, I think it's unlikely to happen any time soon.

Ruthy1604: This is what I keep flicking back and forth over. I don't want to make life difficult for myself when I've got it so easy now, but I feel like if I don't do something then I'll just be here forever. I would be moving for the 'potential' of future progression, rather than immediate progression, I suppose.

Re the bit in bold, if they are that old, then surely there is a case for them retiring and you maybe taking a higher role?

Arthien

GoldenShadow wrote: »

As a fellow graduate I am very wary of sales roles, just like recruitment ones. I know so many people who've gone into them and basically spend their time cold calling potential clients. Before jumping ship just make really sure you think you will like it and not have to keep career hopping only to come back to where you were.

Exactly this. I don't think I'm cut out for sales, the idea of cold-calling horrifies me, but it's not easy trying to find a job which uses my degree skills and is also a step upwards, or has the potential to become one, so I'm at least trying to consider it and not just reject it out of hand. The only advantage is that the basic salary is a much larger percentage of what I could realistically hope to earn, according to the job spec, so I wouldn't be entirely relying on commission like some of the 'basic £13k, OTE £50k+' type jobs I've seen advertised!

pollyanna24 wrote: »

Re the bit in bold, if they are that old, then surely there is a case for them retiring and you maybe taking a higher role?

Unfortunately I just can't see it. It's so easy here that no-one ever leaves, and the few who have left have actually returned within a couple of years! In terms of retirement, my MD is 62 and is the only one I can realistically see retiring any time soon, but even if that did happen, and one of the managers became MD, for example, I think there are other people who would feel/be more entitled to the management role, purely by dint of being here longer if nothing else! The company is just too small really, and people are far too set in their ways.

As I mentioned previously, I said to my MD that I wanted to do more, and mentioned moving into management (I don't have a direct manager so they could create this role and then hire someone else to do my job, it's the only way I could see me progressing within the company), but he just isn't interested in changing the status quo. I get the impression he's just happy to cruise his way through the next couple of years til he can leave!