Are You Afraid to Make a Job Change?

A recent survey by the Conference Board showed that more Americans are unhappy with their jobs than ever before. Baby boomers are the least content professionally. Their job satisfaction declined the most in the past five years to less than 47% or better stated only 53% of them are unhappy.

It’s now estimated that American workers will change jobs an average of 3 to 5 times within a working lifetime. These job changes will be extreme; for example, a psychologist may take a job as a specialty boutique owner, and once that has been mastered may become a lawyer, followed by ski instructor and finally an ordained minister—all in one lifetime! This seemingly hodge-podge of diverse professions is not as far fetched as it would seem, and is quite common in this new millennium.

Job change does not have to be fraught with fear. Just consider these factors:

• Be clear on where you want to be. Visualize where you’d like to be in one, three and five years. This includes the type of job you’d like, where it’s located, whom you want to work for and with, and your pay expectations. This way, you’ll have a goal in mind and make better choices.

• Uncover any obstacles and roadblocks. Many obstacles and barriers may be preventing you from pursuing a different kind of occupation or changing the way you work. They might include age, money, time, education or lack of experience. Learn how to get around them.

• Determine your success motivators. Seek to identify the things that energize, stimulate and give you a sense of personal fulfillment.

• Work at being successful. Any dramatic success takes preparation and hard work. It’s not enough to be ambitious. The world is filled with ambition. And the path to success is littered with discarded dreams and disillusioned people who never achieved the recognition or success they felt they deserved. It would be great to skip having to make investments of time, energy, and money in skill- and credential-building and go straight to the rewards. But there’s a learning curve. The lessons and skills you learn on the path to accomplishment can be as rewarding as the goal itself.

• Consider the little wins as well as the giant successes. Little wins add up to big wins and are more easily achievable. They include the satisfaction of gaining a new skill, writing a good resume and cover letter, improving on an existing ability, and learning to handle constructive criticism. These little victories are the building blocks of a good reputation, the name you acquire for yourself through your work.

• Take calculated risks. When changing jobs, you must be willing to take risks to reap the rewards you seek. This requires knowing how to differentiate real danger from fantasy. Not every stranger is dangerous, nor is every job change a high-wire act. A key to successful risk-taking is knowing your risk tolerance. To do that, you must be able to evaluate the potential consequences of your decisions and be prepared to live with worst-case scenarios.

• Learn how to perform under pressure. In today’s fast-paced business world, many companies operate on tight budgets and lean staff levels. Employees across the board are managing larger workloads and longer hours. Now more than ever, success can depend on your ability to show grace under pressure.

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