When Is The Best Time To Switch Your Job?

Until a generation ago, the story was that of loyalty. People would ideally take up a job by the time they were in their mid-20s and till the day they retire, they would work hard and try to do justice to it. The definition of a person's professional growth was the growth that would happen within the organisation. That was the era of government jobs in India. However, now that the thing in question is that of the corporate era, switching jobs is considered to be the norm. In such a situation, most people want to make a switch at some point in their careers.

Now, knowing that you want to make a switch and knowing when to make the switch are two completely different things. This article talks about when you should make a career switch and the times when you should back away from the idea of the same. Read on to know more.

· You Are A Fresher With Less Than A Year Of Experience

It is not really advisable for someone to shift a job without completing a year in that place. This gives your future employer an idea that you are not dependable, and you may quit the job soon. This will make them think twice before hiring you. Thus, it is advisable that you prove your loyalty to the company and your sense of personal integrity by staying with the firm for at least 12 to 18 months.

· You Have Completed Two Years In The Organisation

Remember that it is easier to move within a few years than after you have grown roots. Once you have grown roots, you feel a certain amount of inclination towards the place and that may make you hesitate over whether you should leave the company. Things like that will restrict your professional growth.

After having completed a couple of years in a particular organisation you should start looking for opportunities elsewhere.

· You Have Completed Five Years

If you feel that five years have lapsed since you started working in the organisation, it is high time you start looking for jobs elsewhere. By now you would have learnt all that you needed to in the given job role and have the required experience.

Clinging on to the organisation for any longer may cause you to have a slow growth. Thus, if you really want to grow in your professional life, this is the ideal point for you to restart all your job hunting ventures.

· You Have More Than 10 Years' Experience

In today's context, experience should equate to growth. If you do not see that happening in your case, it is time to consider making a switch. If you are someone who has 10 years of experience in a company and you see that during your tenure you have not held at least 4 different positions, then it is definitely time for you to move out of the company.

In order to keep a person's skills nimble, a change in the work environment is necessary for any person and you are no different.

· You Feel That The Office Environment Is Not Conducive For Growth

This involves a lot of things. If you feel that the work environment in your office is discriminatory in nature (irrespective of whether that is based on age, sex, ethnicity or anything else), you should immediately consider switching the job. It does not really matter at which stage of your career you are in.

If this is the case, then you must not hesitate in moving ahead and switching to a new career. Another case wherein you should immediately quit your job and look for something new is when you realise that you do not get along with any of your colleagues.

Instead of forcing yourself to be in a place that you do not like, you will improve your productivity if you switch companies and move to a workplace that has an environment that is completely alien to you.

· You Are Very Bad At Your Job

Often when this condition strikes, people take it for granted that they are good for nothing and they slog at their job. However, one of the reasons why you are not faring well in your current job is because you never really had the skill set for it or the environment did not really suit you. Chances are, if you shift to some other place, you will fare exceptionally well there.

· You Are Too Good At Your Job

This is a very favourable condition. If this is to be the case, chances are that you are amongst the most liked and respected people in your workplace. However, this should be one of the main reasons why you should leave the job. Understand that there are only two possible conditions under which you will be too good at your job.

Either you are overqualified for your job or you have stayed in your current profile for way too long and have mastered it. In either case, you should start looking for some other job immediately.

· You Have Just Completed A Huge Project Successfully

The rule here is pretty simple. Leave while you are still respected. If you have recently completed a successful project, chances will be that you are on good terms with a number of supervisors and associates. This will enable you to get good recommendations from them.

A recent successful project in your resume will also give you something to talk about in your job interview and that makes the process of job switching much easier for you.