Myth Busting 5 Common Pieces of Advice About Switching Jobs | The Harvard Business Review Guide

0:00When you need to build up your team to handle the growing chaos at work, use Indeed Sponsored Jobs. It gives your job post the boost it needs to be seen and helps reach people with the right skills, certifications and more. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Listeners of this show will get a$75 sponsored job credit at Indeed.com slash podcast. That's Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need a hiring hero? This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. This episode is brought to you by Palmolive. Family time isn't just the big moments.

0:35It's weeknight dinners, sitting around the table, everyone talking all at once. So when the plates are empty and the sink is full, use Palmolive Ultra. Palmolive's most powerful formula removes up to 99.9 % of grease, leaving your dishes sparkling clean. And the new convenient pump makes cleaning even easier, so you can spend less time tackling dishes and more time together. Shop now at palmolive.com.

1:00Amy Gallo:Have you heard any of these before? Always be looking for another job, but stay in your job for at least two years. It's not worth it to stay in a job if you're unhappy, but don't leave your job unless you got another one lined up. There is a lot of advice on switching jobs out there, and a lot of it is conflicting. On top of that, the pandemic has changed a lot about the way we work, and that advice may be outdated. So in today's world, what should you do when it comes to switching jobs? I'm here to unpack some of that advice and separate myth from facts.

1:37Fact or myth? You should always be looking for your next job. Let's start by cracking into this old chestnut.

1:43Amy Gallo:We've all seen the flurry of headlines around the great resignation or the great reshuffling. And at this moment, job seekers seem to have the upper hand over employers. But that's likely to change as the economy does. Should you perpetually be this close to switching jobs, always on the hunt for something better? The answer differs depending on the industry or the region or what's going on with the economy. But research suggests it's okay to be a little less antsy. One poll found that one in five workers who had quit their job wished they had stayed in their old position. And only a quarter of job switchers said they were satisfied enough to stay in their new positions.

2:23Amy Gallo:Another study found that three-quarters of people reported that they found the position or the company was very different from what they were led to believe, with half wanting to get their old jobs back. So there's no guarantee that your next job will be better than your current one. Also you want to be happy, right? Not constantly restless. So if you're not on the job hunt because maybe you like your current position, perhaps in spite of a few imperfections which all jobs have, that's actually a great situation to be in. It's important you keep learning new skills, get outside your comfort zone, and improve your job in whatever ways you can.

3:02Amy Gallo:But if you can do all of those things within your current role or within your current company, then don't worry about always being on the hunt for something new. As the research shows, new isn't always better. But let's say you truly are unhappy in your role and you do want to switch jobs. That brings us to another common piece of advice. Fact or myth, you should stay at your job for at least two years. Because moving around a lot looks bad on a resume. So, you want to switch jobs, but you're worried because you've only been at your current one for a short time. If you don't stay for two years, are you just...

3:39Wrecking your resume? The short answer? No. Short stints don't always hurt a resume, especially these days. According to author and HR expert John Sullivan, employers have accepted the fact that brief periods of employment are just part of modern life. In fact, people are most likely to leave their jobs after their first, second, or third work anniversaries.

4:03Amy Gallo:Millennials are especially prone to short stays, with 70 % of them quitting within two years. And hiring managers and recruiters realize there are a lot of good reasons people might leave their jobs after just a short time, especially with what's going on in the job market the past few years. That being said, you should avoid jumping around if you can. Not because it'll ruin any future job prospects, but because of the emotional drain on you. It can be hard to keep starting again, finding your way in a new place and new location, making new work friends, reproving yourself to a new boss. It's exhausting.

4:38But just to reiterate, if you are ready to jump, a short stint probably won't hurt your resume.

4:45Amy Gallo:Fact or myth, you should never leave your job until you have the next one lined up. This is a tricky one. Part of the logic is that potential employers hate seeing unexplained gaps on your resume. Apparently, you're supposed to work nonstop. When you need to build up your team to handle the growing chaos at work, use Indeed Sponsored Jobs. It gives your job post the boost it needs to be seen and helps reach people with the right skills, certifications, and more. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Listeners of this show will get a$75 sponsored job credit at Indeed.com slash podcast.

5:22That's Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need a hiring hero? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. This episode is brought to you by Palmolive. Family time isn't just the big moments. It's weeknight dinners. Sitting around the table, everyone talking all at once. So when the plates are empty and the sink is full, use Palmolive Ultra. Palmolive's most powerful formula removes up to 99.9 % of grease, leaving your dishes sparkling clean. And the new convenient pump makes cleaning even easier, so you can spend less time tackling dishes and more time together. Shop now at palmolive.com.

6:00Amy Gallo:Without a break for your entire life. Yikes. Is this good advice? Not really. It's just not always realistic. For example, you may need to relocate because of your partner's job or quit to take care of a family member. Or you may just need a break because you're burnt out. According to career coach Priscilla Clayman, there are two scenarios in which you should leave, even if you don't have another job lined up. When you believe something illegal or unethical is going on at work or when your job is negatively affecting your physical or mental health. Of course, financial considerations come into play here, too.

6:39Amy Gallo:You may not be able to leave your job without first nailing down another source of income. The good news here is that gaps in job history just aren't the sticking points they once were. This was the case before the pandemic, but it's even more true now, partly because it's so common. A lot of people have resume gaps now, whether it's because of pandemic-related job losses or other life circumstances. So if you can swing a period of unemployment and you believe leaving your current job is the best move, go for it. Factor myth. You should never make a lateral move. I'm sure you've heard this one before.

7:15Amy Gallo:A job switch just isn't worth it if it doesn't come with a shinier title, more responsibility, and a huge raise, right? Think again. This may have been the model for career growth in the 1980s, but given how flat most organizations are these days with fewer levels in the hierarchy, there's often nowhere for you to go in your current company or a new one. Instead, focus on finding interesting work, even if it's only a lateral move. Research proves that above a certain base amount, more money and a better title don't make people happier. So instead of more money, more prestige, more responsibility, try swapping in more important values like more autonomy, more mastery, more purpose, more balance.

8:03Amy Gallo:A job that gives you these things may be worth switching for. Factor myth. You shouldn't quit your job until your current employer gives you a counteroffer. If you're a valuable employee, smart managers will try to convince you to stay. Counteroffers from your current company often come with flattery and promises of even better conditions. But be careful, this can backfire for you and the company. Author and talent expert Claudio Fernandez-Arroyes says, Remember, there was a reason you started to look for a job in the first place. And that reason is unlikely to change, even with an attractive counteroffer.

8:41He says that recruiters have observed, at least pre-pandemic, that half of those who accept counteroffers reinitiate their job search within 90 days

8:50Amy Gallo:and 80 % leave anyway or are terminated within 6 to 12 months. That should tell you something. Of course, be willing to hear out your employer if they want to make a counteroffer. But keep in mind the reasons you wanted to leave in the first place. You want to make a sound decision and analyze both alternatives. Which one, staying or leaving, will give you what you want in the future? Okay, let's review. Here are pieces of advice about job switching. Are they helpful or are they myths? As we've seen, it's a little bit of both. First, always be looking for your next job. Actually, if you're happy in your job with room to grow, that's a good situation.

9:34There's no guarantee that the next job would be better. Second, stay at your job for at least two years. The truth is, a short stint won't hurt your resume. But do consider the emotional drain of job hopping too much. Third, never leave your job until you have the next one lined up. These days, gaps aren't the big deal they once were. In fact, there are several situations where you should leave your job, whether or not you have another lined up. Fourth, never make a lateral move. A more nuanced piece of advice would be to focus on jobs that give you more autonomy, mastery, purpose, or balance, rather than simply better title and pay.

10:15And fifth, don't quit your job before your current employer makes a counteroffer. Not a bad idea, but it can backfire if you do end up sticking around and the problem that made you look for a new job in the first place hasn't gone away. Thanks for watching. All of these strategies I've talked about today are based on HBR articles, and they're linked in the description. Do you have a great piece of advice about switching jobs? Or is there a topic you want to see us cover in the future? Comment below. Bye for now. Close your eyes, exhale, feel your body relax, and let go of whatever you're carrying today.

10:56Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-CONTACTS. Oh my gosh, they're so fast. And breathe. Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800-CONTACTS.com today to save on your first order. 1-800-CONTACTS. Experience a membership that backs what you're building with American Express Business Platinum. unlock over four thousand dollars in business and travel value annually with statement credits on select purchases from brands like dell chat gpt business hilton and adobe and other benefits american express business platinum there's nothing like it based on total potential value of statement credits on select purchases and other benefits enrollments required monthly and other limits and terms apply learn more at americanexpress.com slash business dash platinum For a limited time, you can get a Big Mac meal for just$8.

11:53That's a burger, fries, and a drink. They don't call it an extra value meal for nothing. Get a Big Mac meal only at McDonald's. Price and participation may vary. Promotion pricing may be lower than meal pricing.