How your professional growth can bene<t from

changing jobs every four years

Wondering how long you should stay in a job? If you want to get ahead in your
career, the answer is sooner rather than later.
Daniel Bortz, Monster contributor

Switching jobs can keep your career moving forward.

You <nd a job you love—awesome! You go to work, learn how to do your job, and get really
good at doing your job—awesome again! But then what? What about your professional
growth? If you’re wondering how long to stay in a job (https://www.monster.com/career-
advice/article/how-long-to-stay-at-your-job), know this: Long gone are the days when
people spent their entire careers at a single company. Today, workers change jobs on
average every 4.2 years (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm), according to a
recent report on employee tenure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

You may be wondering, “But what about job hopping (https://www.monster.com/career-

advice/article/acceptable-to-job-hop)?” What about it? The median tenure of workers ages
25 to 34 years old is 2.8 years, compared to 10.1 years for workers ages 55 to 64.
Switching jobs sooner rather than later is not necessarily a bad thing, career experts say. In
fact, it’s a really good thing.

“Change is fast in today’s workplace,” says Thea Kelley, a job search and interview coach in
San Francisco. “Skills change, companies change, jobs disappear.” When it’s obvious that
you’ve graduated from your current position, look ahead to what’s next. Often, there are a
handful of bene<ts to reap from making a change.

These are the top reasons why changing jobs (https://www.monster.com/career-

advice/article/<nd-the-<re-scott-mautz-1217) (at least) once every four years can keep your
career moving forward.

The grass is often greener at a new company

When there’s no more room for advancement (https://www.monster.com/career-
advice/article/career-stagnation) at your company, you may hit a ceiling. When that
happens, it pays to look elsewhere rather than risk hurting your professional growth.

“Oftentimes, career advancement opportunities are easier found outside your existing
company just based on timing and opportunity,” says Teri DePuy, a Colorado-based career
coach at ICC, Inc.

Changing jobs is good for growing your career skills

Moving to a new company helps keep your skills fresh, says career and job search coach
Joanne Meehl. “You’ll be working for a new manager (https://www.monster.com/career-
advice/article/when-the-new-boss-dibcult-bad) who will present you with new challenges
about how to work with them,” she says.

Another reason to change jobs at least once every four years? “Since typically you learn the
most in your <rst few years on a job, changing jobs can develop a broader knowledge base
that makes you more marketable,” Kelley says. “You’re facing new challenges, which
develops problem-solving skills (https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/soft-
skills-you-need).”

Technology evolves quickly

To remain a top performer in your <eld, you have to keep your <nger on the pulse of new
technologies. If you’ve been with your company for several years as a Windows systems
administrator, for example, entire lines of software and hardware may be completely
foreign to you.

“I’ve had clients who stayed with a company that was using outdated technology, thinking it
didn’t matter because they were going to retire from that company. It turned out they were
wrong, and they had a tough job search when they <nally lost the job,” Kelley warns. “Riding
a dinosaur can turn you into a caveman. It’s a mistake to let your skills and marketability be
frozen in the past.”

Taking on new challenges makes you look better on

paper
Changing jobs at least once every four years can make your resume more attractive
(https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/what-should-resume-look-like) to
employers for several reasons. For one, “It says, ‘I’m willing to try new things and not get
too comfortable,’” says Meehl.

Staying at the same job for a while can also make your resume look stagnant and give
employers the impression that you lack drive and don’t enjoy learning new things, Kelley
says.

Meehl agrees. “Candidates who have not changed jobs in a decade or more run the risk of
being considered stuck and afraid of change, and perhaps even ‘wedded to the company,’”
she says.
Job hunting is a great learning experience in itself
You can gain valuable lessons just from searching for jobs. “The process of job hunting can
encourage better career management by making you pay attention to your online presence,
your overall visibility, and networking,” Kelley says. “This keeps you agile and ready to move
on.” It’s smart overall because you never know when an awesome opportunity may present
itself (https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/<ve-steps-for-updating-your-
resume-hot-jobs)
Looking for the rightand
fit? you× may want to (or have to) change jobs.

New jobs keep you engaged

No one wants a boring job (https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/bored-at-work-
0217), but boredom often sets in over time, regardless of what it is you do.

“Usually it’s at the three-year mark that people realize they have done everything the job
requires and then some, and done it well,” Meehl says. “​I tell clients that when they reach
this point, they’ll know it because now everything seems so easy.” At that juncture,
changing jobs can reignite your passion and make you feel more committed to your work.

Now see what’s out there—free of charge

If it’s been a while since you’ve considered checking out other jobs, there’s nothing to lose
by looking. In need of a professional growth spurt? Join Monster for free today
(https://member.monster.com/). As a member, you can get job alerts emailed right to your
inbox, which cuts down on the amount of time you’d spend combing through ads.
Additionally, you can upload up to <ve versions of your resume—each tailored to different
types of jobs that interest you. Recruiters search Monster every day looking to <ll top jobs
with quali<ed candidates. And in case you didn't catch this the <rst time around: Your
Monster membership is free. Get started now, otherwise you won’t know what kinds of
terri<c career opportunities are out there waiting for you.

Related Articles
100 companies hiring this week, July 2020 (/career-advice/article/companies-hiring-now)
5 reasons you’re afraid to get a new job (/career-advice/article/nervous-about-new-job-1017)
Ask Vicki: How do I tell my boss I want to quit—without burning bridges? (/career-advice/article/tell-
boss-quit-job-without-burning-bridges-ask-Vicki-quora-0218)
10 signs you need to get a new job (/career-advice/article/signs-time-for-new-job)
Should I resign or wait to be laid off? (/career-advice/article/resign-or-get-laid-off-1117)

Comments