One of the most common queries we get as recruitment specialists is about the length of time it’s considered appropriate to stay in a job before you look to move again.
I always say to candidates, to ask yourself why you are wanting to move. I would say around 60% of candidates that I have spoken to feel they are underpaid, and other reasons are relocation, not happy, promotion, and change of role.
Let’s look at the reasons:
If you feel your pay is not what you are worth, I would always advise that you speak to your current employer first. Don’t just go in and say im not paid enough. Write down the reasons why you feel you deserve more money, what do you do extra, what can you offer that no one else can or does do. Always remembering if it’s not just the money, a pay rise will not change anything.
Many candidates that come to us feel they have come to the end of their way within a firm they are at; they have been promoted a few times, but really want to put the spark back into work.
Sometimes as people we need to move out of our comfort zone and feel nervous of the unknown, and a change of firm is a great option.
Relocation is one of those reasons where we don’t really have any options apart from to find the right new firm for you. I would always recommend doing your homework.
Look into local firms, look at reviews, and ask people what they think about them, why they like them, why they don’t like them. Visit the site; you will then be able to get a feel for how they work.
How it looks to firms:
Recently I had a Legal secretary ask me to find her a new role. When I looked at her CV I knew it would be a hard task as when she relocated she took a temp role to tied her over, and 12 months later she was still temping but on her 20th placement.
There is nothing wrong with a CV for a temp showing various roles, as temps are there to fit in when needed and play a massive part in firms.
If you don’t consider yourself a temp, or are trying to get yourself a permanent role it doesn’t look great to have a number of temp roles on your CV.
The reasons behind this are due to firms feeling like you are not a team player; you are likely to move quickly again, lack of commitment, wasting their time with training, interviewing etc.
Always show the reasons why you took a temporary role, and why someone should give you the chance to do a permanent role, try to use this as a positive, explaining the different experiences and achievements.
At Eventus we always ensure that we have a full conversation with our candidates to ensure they are doing what is in their best interest.
Of course we would be delighted to speak to any candidates who have decided they may start looking for a new role, or just want advice on what they should do.