Look Before You Leap

There are several steps to changing a job.  In my opinion, the most often overlooked and undervalued step is a thorough analysis of one's current situation.  Now, when I say the current situation, I am not referring to the state of the economy but rather one’s personal situation or that of one's present company.

As someone who just recently changed jobs myself, I realized that there is a common thought process among most young professionals in the workforce.  That thought is whether the grass is really greener on the other side of the fence, or as they say here in Japan, tonari no shibafu wa aoi.  A lot of times it will seem greener but that doesn't mean it is always wise to jump when given the opportunity or when things turn sour at your present employer.

Most of the hundreds of job candidates that I have interviewed had not given a lot of thought to what they could offer their current firm.  More likely, they had some problem with the firm rather than their actual work there.  Some common complaints were, "The firm is not as competitive as other firms" or "There is not a lot of upward mobility in my current position."  Both are legitimate reasons but neither one is related to the individual, specifically.  The blame for leaving a company is usually placed squarely on the company's shoulders.

 When you are considering leaving your current firm you should first sit down and work out exactly why you want to leave.  You should decide whether it is in order to focus more on marketing than sales, for example, or if it is because you dislike your boss, or even if you just want to make more money. 

One example that comes to mind is a friend who explained to me that he would soon be out of work due to a slowdown in business in his department.  I asked him what his responsibilities were and he said business development.  I asked him why business was slowing down and he said that nobody in the department was focusing on that particular area anymore.  When I suggested to him that he had nothing to lose in trying to actually develop some new business by himself, he agreed to the idea and is currently in the process of preparing a business plan to jump-start his lagging department.  If he is successful, he will be in a position of higher responsibility and in a growing segment of his own making. 

Now, it will not always work out as it did for my friend, but the point is to take the time to consider the possibilities.  Ask one of your friends to play devil's advocate for you and discuss your reasons for leaving your current firm.  You might be surprised at how excited your current boss would be to let you start something new in the office and build the business in a different direction.