Moving jobs every couple of years?

[girlfriend44]

Do you think moving around jobs every few years because you get bored is normal?
Sil does this?
I suppose it must be right for her. She has had lots of jobs says she gets bored? Do you do it, or do you think it's best to stay in a job for as long as you can?

I think this may really depend on the nature of your work/career, then. I’ve never worked anywhere where sick pay wasn’t available upon employment.

Nor have I but I have worked places where you needed to be in a year to qualify for eg 6 months full sick pay & I have been made redundant but fortunately already had a new job. As I get older, I'm more mindful.

Absolutely.

I spent 10 years with one employer straight out of uni, two promotions, but a total of 50% increase in salary during that time.

Since leaving there I've worked at 4 companies in 6 years, received an internal promotion for small increases in salary at two of them but by far the biggest advancement in both salary and responsibility has been from the company moved. I've now more than tripled my salary in those 6 years and gained heaps of experience. Loyalty doesn't really mean what it used to.

*company moves.

I'm on my third workplace, 4th job role in 3 years. I've had two maternity leaves in that time too.

First one I got made redundant from. Second one I got a promotion early on but there was no flexibility or any decent management so I left quite soon after mat leave.

I'll stay at my new company for a long time, but probably not in my current role.

Life's too short to be stuck in a job you don't enjoy. So if you're the kind of person who likes a change after a few years, go for it, why the heck not?

Depends on industry and role, but for me it’s very normal for people in my industry to move every 1-2 years. If anything it’s seen as a red flag when recruiting for people to have stagnated.

Most move due to wanting more money than boredom though

Its quite common to move for progression/more money. I look like I have been with the same employer for 8 years but in that time I have had 4 promotions and two mat leaves so haven’t done the same job for 8 years.

If I saw the same job title for say 6 different employers on a CV that would ring some alarm bells, perhaps that person isn’t particularly good at their job and moves on when that is found out.

I've moved jobs a lot over the years. Sure beats waiting for tiny little payrises. It hasn't caused me any problems so far.

Totally depends on the industry and also on your age I think.

In your 20s and 30s I think it’s a good thing, it shows ambition and also gives you a variety of experience and perspective which probably makes you more employable.

I think if you’re still moving every couple of years into your 40s and beyond it’s a bit more problematic as it can suggest a lack of staying power.

I certainly don’t think “loyalty” is a reason to stay in a job though. They pay you to do a job and take a lot of your life in return. If the job isn’t working for you or you can earn more money/have more fun elsewhere it would be daft to stay with an employer out of loyalty. It’s a company not a friend.

I certainly don’t think “loyalty” is a reason to stay in a job though. They pay you to do a job and take a lot of your life in return. If the job isn’t working for you or you can earn more money/have more fun elsewhere it would be daft to stay with an employer out of loyalty. It’s a company not a friend.

Agree with this

It's normal in some industries! In my industry 2 years in a job is a long time. And it's a great way to get pay increases!!

I think if you’re still moving every couple of years into your 40s and beyond it’s a bit more problematic as it can suggest a lack of staying power.

Bollocks does it - I'm in my 50s and move around a fair bit. Why should I stay in a role that doesnt stretch me, or interest me beyond the initial set up?

I moved jobs a year ago for what at the time felt like a huge salary but a year later I look at similar jobs being advertised now and they are paying 10-15k more than I'm on, there's such a shortage of people in my specialism. I like the company and the job I'm in but I'd be mad to stay for more than a few years if salaries keep increasing like they are.

(Yes, I shall be mentioning this at my next review 😄)

Totally depend on the individual company and the role. Sometimes you need to move on for better pay and or conditions and sometimes people get lucky and are very happy and content where they are working . Not all companies offer job satisfaction and the chance to progress your career so you need to move.

I think if you’re still moving every couple of years into your 40s and beyond it’s a bit more problematic as it can suggest a lack of staying power.

So people in their 40s+ cease to be ambitious? In my sector, and many others, it's even more prevalent to rotate jobs every couple of years at senior levels, directors, CEOs etc, these people are generally 40s+

It's a very old fashioned view that you have lack of staying power because you change jobs, assuming accomplishments have occurred in a role, successful projects delivered etc, I like to see a varied and dynamic CV, and I certainly wouldn't be ageist and use it against someone 40+, because you know...discrimination.

This is what I did when working and it was for that reason. I just one day found the sameness of the day to day, the same place, people, work, I couldn't take it after a while. Longest I stayed in one organisation was 2 years, and that's including two moves within an organisation so I got moved but still needed to move on.

I moved once for a big payrise to fund a post-grad degree. I moved twice due to moving cities.

I've also lived in 15 addresses in 40 years. I like newness and hate feeling stagnent.

But my career was heavy on admin therefore lots of repetition and drudgery and then there's always the times a single yet massive spreadsheet has triggered a leave as I could no longer stand staring at it for one second longer than necessary.

I imagine it's different in the creative industries. You can always use it to your advantage though by using the transferable skills and playing on the experience of multiple ways of working, being able to fit in quickly etc. etc.

It did me well, but I retired to housewifery six years ago and never got higher than officer grade, no management, so it probably becomes more noticeable the higher up you go?