Only In It For The Money

One of the prime motivators for switching jobs has always been money.  Right or wrong, financial growth has been identified as a primary reason many workers have pursued certain careers.  True enough, there are certain careers where high salaries and monetary gains are the attraction, but rarely are those fat paychecks achieved without lots of hard work, training, experience and patience.
Some college students get recruited upon graduation by prestigious companies with promises of high salaries and advancement opportunities.  But those opportunities are few and far between.  And while a select group of promising college athletes get drafted by professional sports teams, few get offered the big pro bucks.  Too few college graduates are invited to big corporations with promises of high starting salaries and bonuses from employers.  Sure, it happens occasionally, but it’s the exception, not the norm.  The majority first have to find a job, establish themselves, put in the time and work hard before the advancement of position and salary!
When jobs are plentiful and businesses are expanding, it’s much easier to leave one job for another strictly for higher salary, better benefits and more perks. At the turn of the 21st century (before the dot com bubble burst) this was quite common.  Strangely enough in the current economy, many people still believe this is a logical approach to career advancement.  But this is not a sound career strategy!
Let’s say you start looking for another job at another company and get hired.
Congratulations!
Fast forward six months. Is the work you’re doing as challenging, as rewarding, as fulfilling as what you had been doing? Is the work harder?  Are your supervisors less motivating or understanding? More importantly, do you actually have the skills, talent and experience to live up to the employer’s expectations for their higher salary?
These and other harsh realities are faced when career decisions are made for the wrong reasons.  Those who can not rise to the occasion and can not deliver the employer’s expectations frequently find themselves looking for yet another job, a lot sooner than they expected, and not by their own choice!
All this moving around creates another problem.  When you have worked several jobs in a short period of time, regardless of the reasons, a prospective employer will perceive you as “job hopper,” hurting your credibility and any belief the employer has that you plan to stick around for a while.  Now, as much as any time in the past, employers want to see a return on their investment in the costs and time of recruiting and training their employees, and hope their hires will demonstrate some loyalty.
Now, I’m not suggesting that an employee should stay at a job where they are unhappy!  But in many cases it is possible that with a little patience the circumstances that make that employee unhappy will work themselves out.  And if an employee doesn’t speak to the individuals, their human resources department or supervisor about the issues impacting them, little will change, and their comfort level – and performance – will not improve.
If you really have the makings of a top-notch employee, your patience and desire to work out any issues with your employer could net better rewards than leaving for another job.  After all, as a committed worker who has been through the ups and downs at a company, demonstrated your loyalty and hard work, don’t you have your own investment of time and energy?  Will that commitment be recognized?  You can’t be recognized if you don’t stick around long enough for something to happen!
It takes a lot of ego – and a lot of chutzpah – to think that you can walk out of one job and into another strictly for monetary gain, no matter your skills or experience.  Only a very small percentage of job seekers can pull this off effectively, and those who delude themselves into thinking they are among that 1% better have the goods to back it up.  If you’re only in it for the money, maybe you should stay home and let someone who is really interested in working hard and building their career get hired instead.
And for more tips and ideas about job search, getting hired, and staying hired, please search this blog and visit:  hanklondon.com