Let’s Chat… How Long Should you stay in Your Job?

Welcome back, everyone! As we all hear and participate in the whispers about an oncoming recession, and begin to envision how that may impact our careers, we found it particularly relevant to discuss this topic today: how long should you be staying in one job? While this might mean a certain role, job, industry, company, etc., it’s important to know how recruiters will evaluate this component of your experience and resume.

How Long Should you stay in One Job?

Employee Loyalty

Ultimately, we know what you’re likely thinking, and we agree! Job hopping across companies and roles can make you look like an employee who is unwilling to stick to a certain commitment for a long period of time. While it’s reasonable to understand that candidates may shift in career focus or interest, doing so in a way that makes sense to your future employer is crucial to your hiring experience. So, have you swapped companies on a yearly basis to check if the grass really is greener? Or have you shifted into complementary roles with similar focus areas (i.e.: entry-level into management within the same ‘role’ type like Marketing)? A repetitive, short-term track record could impede a future employer’s interest in investing in you… but don’t stop here! There are pros to job rotations too, and keep reading to find out why.

Adherence to Growth

On the flip side, sticking to one role or job for too long may hinder the way that you appear as a candidate interested in career growth. Ask yourself this, have you focused on only 1-2 skills over the last year? 5 years? 10 years? Are you confident that you have a diverse talent skill set to market to future employers? As you could probably guess, your future interviewers will place focus on your evolved skills, your broad range of knowledge across business areas, and your interest in growth. Whether this means you’ve stuck to a role but acquired a set of certificates (like LinkedIn Learning), hopped around departments to understand a full business model, or accelerated into a management position in one team, all of these exemplify different types of growth.

  • Extra Tip: Especially for those of you that have been promoted through a company, your future employer will absolutely recognize your adherence not only to growth, but also to challenging yourself and pushing the envelope out of your own comfort zone and into new skills.

Career Focus

Finally, as a candidate, recruiters and employers know that the ultimate goal is for you to adhere to a career that provides you fulfillment and contentment. So, if you’re not feeling fulfilled in a certain job, role, or at a company, it’s time to make a plan and initiate a change. Ask yourself some of the below questions in order to evaluate if you might be suited for a job or career shift:

  1. Is your current role helping you further skills that you are interested in and that will help your career?
  2. Do you feel stagnant in networking? Are you inspired by your peers and leadership?
  3. Could you be making a higher salary elsewhere? Does your compensation outweigh your value in benefits? What does your benefits package look like?
  4. Are you staying in a role for the sake of comfort? Do you feel challenged?
  5. Are you aligned with your company’s mission and vision?

Some Stats for You!

According to The Balance Money, “the average number of jobs in a lifetime is 12, according to a 2019 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) survey of baby boomers. Many workers spend five years or less in every job, so they devote more time and energy transitioning from one job to another. In its 2018 Employee Tenure Summary, the BLS reported, the median employee tenure was 4.3 years for men and 4.0 years for women.”

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