Quick job moves never look good on a CV and will always be questioned by an employer, but staying in a job too long can indicate you lack the ambition to take on new challenges and new environments.
Debbie Goodman, MD of Jack Hammer Executive Headhunters, says: “If a CV exhibits quick moves as a pattern, it will raise big questions for prospective employers as to one’s staying power and ability to withstand challenges, as well as accept accountability.
“Of course two to three false starts early on in one’s career are excusable in the employer’s mind and are sometimes expected from graduates finding their feet. But, after this, one is expected to settle down.
“However, individuals should also be aware that there can be a downside for one’s career by staying too long in a company. I have seen employers deterred by individuals who have been with an organisation for too long, and by long I mean more than 10 to 15 years. This can suggest one being in a comfort zone where you are happy knowing the challenges and can ‘work the system’ to your easy advantage.
“By remaining in the same organisation, some employees may not necessarily be as ‘sharp’ as they may have been by periodically forcing themselves into new environments.”
Goodman says that after an overly long tenure at one company it can be difficult to adjust to new ways of doing things. Once moulded into one way of operating, it can be very challenging to adapt to the new.
Building new relationships within an organisation is yet another challenge. Starting a new job successfully means differentiating the allies from the political players and identifying willing mentors within the organisation. One must go through the process of proving and establishing one’s worth all over again.
“The above needs to be tempered with the acknowledgement that there are many exceptional leaders in business who have been with one organisation for 20 or more years, and have constantly pushed boundaries, been innovative and constantly reinvented themselves and their role within the organisation.”
Goodman says these individuals typically will have had many diverse roles within the organisation, and are likely to have had lots of external exposure through either studies or associations with other organisations and networking groups.
“Employees should evaluate their reasons for staying in a job for an extended period and establish whether they may be avoiding the inevitable unknown challenges of a new role in a new environment that could, nevertheless, assist their long-term career growth.”