In the Harvard Business Review there was an excellent article by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams titled Five Ways to Bungle a Job Change. The authors warn about these five common mistakes.
- Not doing enough research. Failing to understand the job-market realities of their industry or function, the potential employers financial stability and market position, the cultural fit, and the degree to which the job title and description accurately reflect the role make the success of any move a role of the dice.
- Leaving for money. Often the lure of higher compensation results in overlooking information that might reveal the potential for success and satisfaction in the new position.
- Going “from” rather than “to.” Making a move to escape an unhappy situation rarely results in a good career decision. It is important to be genuinely excited about the well researched opportunity you are moving to.
- Overestimating yourself. I have referred to this before. Concerning this tendency, Groysberg and Abrahams report, “Their excessively optimistic view of themselves leads them to underestimate how long a job search will take and what the switching costs will be. Such job seekers also overestimate the salary they can command and their capacity to deal with the challenges of new position.”
- Thinking short term. The spirit of the age is to seek immediate gratification. Failing to, as Stephen Covey taught us, “begin with the end in mind” can have significant and often lifelong consequences.
You can find the HBR article here.
