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How Often Should You Change Jobs? A Guide for Executives

how often should you change jobs

Stuck at a dead end executive job?

Sure, you may be getting a great salary, but are you using your value, creating new connections and staying relevant?

The average American will change jobs 10-15 times over the course of their career.

There are many reasons why it’s important to get a change of pace and make the switch to a new company, especially if you’re a high-paid executive.

Read on to learn more about how often you should change jobs and why.

How Often Should You Change Jobs?

To put it simply, you should plan to change jobs about every 3 years or so. When it comes to making the change, there’s a fine line between what’s too short of a period of time at an existing job and waiting too long.

According to experts, 3 years seems to be the sweet spot.

Consistently changing jobs less than every 3 years will flag your resume and make future employers question your loyalty and commitment to their company.

When interviewing or recruiting, most CEO’s want to know their new executives will be in it for the long haul or at least the foreseeable future.

Once you begin to enter the 5-year mark at a company, you may become intertwined in the future planning of that business. Meaning, they’re making plans about growth or expansion with the assumption that you’ll be part of it.

Once that happens, you can feel trapped at the company and have a harder time motivating yourself to move on.

You may be asking yourself why it’s so important to change jobs throughout your career. Keep reading for answers!

Stay Relevant

A huge problem with staying at the same place for too is losing touch with what’s going on outside company walls. You can become easily consumed with office politics, salary and your current ranking within the business.

Overly concerning yourself with these micro-issues will cause you to disconnect from what other companies are doing or updates and innovations in your industry altogether.

When you become complacent in a position, you don’t offer the same value to another company when it comes time to switch because your awareness and knowledge on various topics in your field may be outdated.

Build a Reputation

When you work for more companies in the same field, you become known by other industry professionals.

It’s easier to cast a wider net when it comes to networking and building a roster of peers in your industry. People will know you because you’ll be able to make a mark on more than one company.

People in similar fields talk and exchange information. If you’re making a positive impact on more than one company in a few years’ time, you’re more likely to become a sought after employee when you make your next move.

When it does come time to make a change, you want your resume to shine. Check out the top 10 resume writing services for executives 2019 to make sure yours makes an impression.

Now You Know

With the information above, you now have a better idea of how often you should change jobs.

Keep in mind, if a company doesn’t want to hire you because you’ve made several changes over the course of your career, that’s not the right company for you! They should encourage employees to challenge themselves and continue to grow.

Check out the rest of our site for more business tips!

Melissa Thompson writes about a wide range of topics, revealing interesting things we didn’t know before. She is a freelance USA Today producer, and a Technorati contributor.

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