OT: The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.

[Jim Bob]

I've been at my current company, either as a contract or a direct, for over two decades.

I'm thinking about applying for a job with an outside company.

I think it is freaking my wife out a bit because of the instability at my current place of employment.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

I've been at my current company, either as a contract or a direct, for over two decades.

I'm thinking about applying for a job with an outside company.

I think it is freaking my wife out a bit because of the instability at my current place of employment.

Never hurts to interview. If you've been there that long, it would at least be good to refresh your resume and interview skills.

 

[Chainshot]

I've been at my current company, either as a contract or a direct, for over two decades.

I'm thinking about applying for a job with an outside company.

I think it is freaking my wife out a bit because of the instability at my current place of employment.

Do it. If the current place is causing you both stress, why not? Nothing bad can come of applying somewhere else.

 

[Mike McDermott]

Well telling my district manager went better than expected. And so far my staff that knows is understanding. They are sad to see me leave but understanding that it is what is best for me and for my family.

 

[ZZamboni]

Well telling my district manager went better than expected. And so far my staff that knows is understanding. They are sad to see me leave but understanding that it is what is best for me and for my family.

Oh no. You are leaving 5 huh? I thought that was a huge upgrade from M’s. And you were happy.
Where to next?
If you don’t want to say here, PM me or whatever the new method is now

 

[Jim Bob]

Do it. If the current place is causing you both stress, why not? Nothing bad can come of applying somewhere else.

It's not that I have stress, it's more like there is a bit of uncertainty (which has been status quo here for a decade+) and I am getting to the point where I feel like trying something different.

The challenge will be finding a new place that can pay me and give me the schedule flexibility that I have today.

 

[Jim Bob]

Never hurts to interview. If you've been there that long, it would at least be good to refresh your resume and interview skills.

Definitely.

And this job is in a completely different industry and that is intriguing, too.

 

[Mike McDermott]

Oh no. You are leaving 5 huh? I thought that was a huge upgrade from M’s. And you were happy.
Where to next?
If you don’t want to say here, PM me or whatever the new method is now

Turn the M upside down for where I used to work before 5.

And I am/was happy for the most part. The in store aspect is easy, I like who I work with, and the job itself is enjoyable. But I had some issues with the franchise owners so I start making my resume available just to see what was out there, and got offered 20% more, better insurance, 401K with employer match up to 4%, less hours to work each week and paid life insurance for me.

Happy or not, can't turn that down.

And I will send a PM, just as soon as I figure out how.

 

[ZZamboni]

Turn the M upside down for where I used to work before 5.

And I am/was happy for the most part. The in store aspect is easy, I like who I work with, and the job itself is enjoyable. But I had some issues with the franchise owners so I start making my resume available just to see what was out there, and got offered 20% more, better insurance, 401K with employer match up to 4%, less hours to work each week and paid life insurance for me.

Happy or not, can't turn that down.

And I will send a PM, just as soon as I figure out how.

Oh… I didn’t know you worked for the girl… I thought you used to work for the clown.

Anyway… You’re right. Can’t turn down that kind of jump.

I’m glad I’m not the only one that can’t figure out how to PMs somebody. How the heck does someone do that? Anybody know?

 

[TehDoak]

I've been at my current company, either as a contract or a direct, for over two decades.

I'm thinking about applying for a job with an outside company.

I think it is freaking my wife out a bit because of the instability at my current place of employment.

Never hurts to interview. If you've been there that long, it would at least be good to refresh your resume and interview skills.

Do it. If the current place is causing you both stress, why not? Nothing bad can come of applying somewhere else.

Always, always, always be looking. The limitations of you looking should be your situation. I'm not actively pursuing anything simply because I know I have to move again in a year and will likely look for a job local to wherever I end up. Unless you are under some sort of contract....always be looking for the next job.

 

[1972]

Always, always, always be looking. The limitations of you looking should be your situation. I'm not actively pursuing anything simply because I know I have to move again in a year and will likely look for a job local to wherever I end up. Unless you are under some sort of contract....always be looking for the next job.

My problem is that I am WAY to loyal, but I also work for a family company. Do you think you should switch jobs every few years?

 

[Myllz]

I started my career in 2001 and have worked at 7 different companies in that time, and I'm currently working on finding company #8. Part of that is me relocating a few times just to try new things, but unless you're at a job you REALLY love, you should always be looking for the next step. In honesty I probably make more than I should simply because I've moved around so much and have continuously looked for upgrades. Even when I've been at companies I've enjoyed working for I still keep my eyes open, you never know when something awesome will pop up you wouldn't want to miss.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

My problem is that I am WAY to loyal, but I also work for a family company. Do you think you should switch jobs every few years?

I’ve been there a few times, but after getting screwed by three different companies, I realized I just can’t be like that. I don’t work for them, I work for my family.

 

[Mike McDermott]

I hear what you guys are saying about always looking. And I agree with it to and an extent. But I also know a lot of hiring personnel in my industry that look at constant job changes as a big minus. Especially at the General Manager level because you put a lot of time into training someone, you don't want to lose them a year down the road.

Both people I interviewed with for my new job commented on how much they liked that I have had longevity at my past jobs.

So while looking isn't bad, and taking a quality improvement if it gets offered is amazing, be careful, because constant job changes can be a double edged sword and taint you to future companies.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

I hear what you guys are saying about always looking. And I agree with it to and an extent. But I also know a lot of hiring personnel in my industry that look at constant job changes as a big minus. Especially at the General Manager level because you put a lot of time into training someone, you don't want to lose them a year down the road.

Both people I interviewed with for my new job commented on how much they liked that I have had longevity at my past jobs.

So while looking isn't bad, and taking a quality improvement if it gets offered is amazing, be careful, because constant job changes can be a double edged sword and taint you to future companies.

It also 100% depends on your field. I’ve heard from multiple people that IT is expected to change jobs about every 2 years.

 

[Goathead]

Anybody watching the UFC fights tonight?

Such a great event and I can’t get over the refs beard such a beaut

View media item 2711

 

[Jim Bob]

I hear what you guys are saying about always looking. And I agree with it to and an extent. But I also know a lot of hiring personnel in my industry that look at constant job changes as a big minus. Especially at the General Manager level because you put a lot of time into training someone, you don't want to lose them a year down the road.

Both people I interviewed with for my new job commented on how much they liked that I have had longevity at my past jobs.

So while looking isn't bad, and taking a quality improvement if it gets offered is amazing, be careful, because constant job changes can be a double edged sword and taint you to future companies.

I could never always be looking for the next thing.

That mindset wouldn't allow me to focus on what I am doing at the time.

Even within my time at my current employer, I only looked to change groups and applied for an internal posting once. I also had the one time where I was a contract and another group offered me a direct position.

I look at internal postings every once in a while. But, I generally just let things come to me.

That probably isn't great for career building. But, I've never been all about that in my career. Having time flexibility to do other things like spend time with my kids, coach hockey & soccer, and do volunteer stuff is important to me, too.

 

[1972]

I don’t think a guy who changes jobs every 2-3 years in the Construction industry is going to be looked upon as highly as a guy who stays with the same place for 5-10 years. It’s very field dependant, maybe I’m wrong though.

 

[Myllz]

It also 100% depends on your field. I’ve heard from multiple people that IT is expected to change jobs about every 2 years.

Yep. Recruiters will tell you that 3 years is the point where they expect someone to start looking for something else.

 

[1972]

Yep. Recruiters will tell you that 3 years is the point where they expect someone to start looking for something else.

Why do you think that is? People just get bored in the same role?

 

[Jim Bob]

Well, in 19 years with my current employer, I have had roughly 7 different roles.

That fits in with that three year average thing if you look at it that way...

I updated my resume, wrote a cover letter, and applied for the job today. It will be interesting to see what happens.

It's been so long since I interviewed for a job, that it is going to be weird. It's like dating again after being in a long term relationship for a decade or more.

 

[Jim Bob]

Well, in 19 years with my current employer, I have had roughly 7 different roles.

That fits in with that three year average thing if you look at it that way...

I updated my resume, wrote a cover letter, and applied for the job today. It will be interesting to see what happens.

It's been so long since I interviewed for a job, that it is going to be weird. It's like dating again after being in a long term relationship for a decade or more.

 

[Myllz]

Why do you think that is? People just get bored in the same role?

Really depends on which area of IT the person is in. There's a ton of contract and project work for one, so short-term commitments are pretty common. Person gets hired to build or work on something, then when it's finished they go elsewhere. You can also typically stay ahead of raises by keeping yourself up to date on current technology. If you're hired somewhere with 2 certifications and at the end of 3 years you're at 5 certifications, it's highly unlikely the company you're working for will increase your pay to give you what those 5 certifications are worth, so it's pretty easy to go somewhere else who will hire you as someone coming in with all those certs already completed.

It's also entirely possible to work yourself out of a position if you're good at what you do. I've been in charge of the IT department at two different companies. When I was hired at both, they had no internal IT and were outsourcing everything. Within 2-5 years at these companies, I had replaced every single piece of IT, phone and security gear they owned. Once that was done there was little else for me to do except support and maintenance. While neither company would've fired me for that, I'm not going to sit there for 9 hours a day waiting for something to break, so I left both companies.

And yes, it's fairly easy to get bored as well. If you're hired for support or programming or systems administration or anything along those lines, it gets boring working on the same gear every day for years. You might go to another company that hires you in a similar capacity, but they'll have different gear to work on or different projects to get involved with.

People in IT also tend to get poached very regularly. You hire someone as a contractor or on a project basis, find out they're really good at what they do and decide to offer them something full-time.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

 

[TehDoak]

I could never always be looking for the next thing.

That mindset wouldn't allow me to focus on what I am doing at the time.

Even within my time at my current employer, I only looked to change groups and applied for an internal posting once. I also had the one time where I was a contract and another group offered me a direct position.

I look at internal postings every once in a while. But, I generally just let things come to me.

That probably isn't great for career building. But, I've never been all about that in my career. Having time flexibility to do other things like spend time with my kids, coach hockey & soccer, and do volunteer stuff is important to me, too.

While in general, I think the best thing is "always be looking", your situation is going to dictate what you should do. For myself right now, I know that my wife and I will be moving in a year. So, for me to switch jobs right now it'd have to be a clear better situation.

I don’t think a guy who changes jobs every 2-3 years in the Construction industry is going to be looked upon as highly as a guy who stays with the same place for 5-10 years. It’s very field dependant, maybe I’m wrong though.

Yep. Recruiters will tell you that 3 years is the point where they expect someone to start looking for something else.

3-4 years seems about right. I just hit my 3 year anniversary at my current company, but I switched roles/departments at the 2.5 year mark.

Well, in 19 years with my current employer, I have had roughly 7 different roles.

That fits in with that three year average thing if you look at it that way...

I updated my resume, wrote a cover letter, and applied for the job today. It will be interesting to see what happens.

It's been so long since I interviewed for a job, that it is going to be weird. It's like dating again after being in a long term relationship for a decade or more.

Interviewing isn't difficult. I'd say the biggest thing is be positive and be honest. Don't trash your current company. A quick google search will show you the most common interview questions.