Change Yourself Before Changing Jobs.

Many people’s careers and lives are often held back by one small thing.

You might also be holding yourself back in your career, but if you can fix this one small thing, your career and life will change for the better. If you are not able to make this minor yet substantial adjustment, then everything will just continue in the same way as before, and you may never achieve all that you are capable of achieving.

I have always believed that it is best to focus mainly on our strengths, not our weaknesses. When you work on your strengths, you are much more likely to improve. Certain people are good at certain things and bad at others. You will improve more in something you are good at than in something that is a weakness. Many of us have giant weaknesses, and just making a small gain in our weaknesses, or a shift in our perceptions, can make a major difference in the quality of our lives and careers.

One of the biggest weaknesses that people have is job-hopping, which comes about due to a weakness they have neglected to address.

Some reasons people give for hopping from one job to another are:
* They do not think that their employer fits them.
* They are bored.
* They do not feel they are receiving enough feedback.
* There are not enough advancement opportunities.
* There is too much criticism in the workplace.
* They find their employer unethical.
* They do not get along with coworkers.
* They dislike their boss.
* They do not think that they are paid enough money.
* They feel unrecognized for their contribution.
* They feel devalued.
* They do not believe their employer is prestigious enough.
* They do not trust the company.
* They do not feel challenged.

Most job hoppers go between jobs for the same primary reason over and over again. When this reason keeps repeating itself, I believe that this is often a signal that something is wrong with the person’s perceptions and attitudes, not necessarily with their employers.

What would happen to people who addressed this one reason for wanting to leave–while still at their existing job? What would happen if the people who are constantly leaving one job after another decide to fix themselves, instead of constantly blaming the employer?

I have heard various statistics about employment rates lately, one of which states that as many as 55% of employed people are always looking for a new job. This is a very high statistic. This tells me that a large proportion of people out there are already “out the door” of their current employer on a psychological level. Holding on to and advancing in a job are often greater challenges than looking for and taking on a new job. Therefore, many people prefer to simply take a new job, rather than to try making their current job work. I think this is a mistake.

Generally, the best opportunities are those that are before you right now. Your best prospect for advancement is more often than not at your current job, not at another job. Your current relationships are often your very best asset. Your current experience with an employer is often more valuable than taking a risk with a new employer. You should always try to make the most of your existing relationships and jobs before starting over with someone or someplace new. If you stop and think about it, it is likely that you already know what would be required of you to advance in your current job, whereas you could spend years learning the requirements of some new employer.

I cannot tell you how many people I have encountered who constantly hop between jobs for seemingly no reason at all. There are, of course, good reasons to change jobs. However, this is a very important decision to make, and it is not something a person should do often. For better or for worse, taking a new job means entering into an unknown set of circumstances; it means taking huge chances with your future. You should never take a new job if you do not have to, and you should never switch jobs unless you fully understand whether or not the problem with your current job is something that you can fix.

There are people who are always complaining about their job–whatever it may be–and jumping from one place of employment to another. Such persons will generally be happy with a new job for a short while, but after some time, for one reason or another, they will decide that the job is not everything it seemed to be in the beginning. At that point, the persons will become highly critical of the job and will begin fantasizing about and eventually looking for a new job. Such types of people tend to be always looking outside of themselves, blaming others for their condition. This is extremely common; you probably have known people who are like this.

Is there one thing that is holding you back in your own career? If something is holding you back, driving you to look for a job when you should not, and creating other issues for you–then fix it. Fix this one thing and your career and life will change for the better. When you are having difficulties in the workplace, it is almost always about you, not others.

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