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Q: I'm a dedicated, loyal employee, and I would do anything for my employer. Why, then, do I lose my job every few years and have a hard time landing a new one?
Nick's reply:
Your question is impossible to answer without more details, but it raises a bigger one that's relevant to everyone. Why do people take a job, only to find themselves job hunting again so soon?
The economy obviously affects jobs, but you can't control the economy. So let's consider something you do have some control over. I believe that most people go job hunting because they took the wrong job to begin with. This is a subtle phenomenon worth thinking about.
Some people take a job because it's offered, not because it's right. Others take jobs because employers flatter them. Lost in the joy of being judged worthy, they forget to judge the job and the company. Relieved to be "off the street," they will rationalize a poor choice and accept work that does not satisfy them. Gradually, their morale drops and their performance suffers. The effect is cumulative, and eventually the mismatch becomes glaring. They get fired, laid off or they quit, and the cycle starts again. (Faced with layoffs, employers favor productive workers with good attitudes. How has your choice of job affected your worthiness when cuts are made?)
Now I don't blame anyone for taking a job – any job – to pay the rent. The question is, will you choose your next job, or will it choose you? Success depends on making good choices. When you choose a job that stimulates and keeps you engaged, it shows. Being on the right job spurs creativity, which in turn can help your company out of a jam – and keep you employed. Will you choose a job that inspires you to be a creative and profitable worker, or one that's likely to leave you job hunting again?
I've met far more people who take the wrong jobs than the right ones. Look ahead: Find the right job, and you might not have to search again so soon.
He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.
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