JOB HUNTING IN ERA THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
We find ourselves in the era commonly referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The way we conduct our lives has become faster, increasingly automated and digitized. The world we live in has evolved into an instantly smart environment, and in this generation, there is an “app” or a “bot” for anything and everything. Technology innovation is soaring, and communication is instant and permanent. Within this digitized environment, looking for a new job can be one of the most challenging projects to take on, whether you are a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed graduate looking for your first rodeo in the corporate sector or a tenured professional with many years of experience on your career belt.
Research has shown that changing employment or pursuing your first job, is the third most life-changing/stressful event one can experience, after losing a life partner or relocating. This can be a difficult and emotional time for you, where you may have doubts creeping in about your competencies, skills, and value-adding benefits.
- Do you stare longingly at the buildings with shiny corporate names, while stuck in traffic every morning?
- Is the monthly braai with friends a torture session where your happy peers discuss their exciting, challenging careers?
- Do you have a little voice in your head reiterating the high level of employment in South Africa?
- Does your parents’ advice on “the grass is not always greener on the other side,” resonate through your mind as soon as you start contemplating changing jobs?
When one is pushed beyond a comfort zone, it is always easier to stay with what is known, as opposed to what is best. On the flip side of this coin, are you a 100% convinced that the position you are in now, is not in fact where you should remain?
WHY AM I LOOKING?
Prior to uttering the statement: “I am in the market” to yourself and others, dusting off that resume or frantically scrutinizing the job boards and social media platforms, perhaps first take a step back. Ensure that you clear about your motivations for moving to a different company, or as a graduate, firstly assess your internal requirements, pertaining to the most suitable first job of your career.
There are six main types of motivations to consider, and the trick is to evaluate your own personal reasons for moving in comparison to these categories before commencing search for new career opportunities. We refer to this as the SACRED Model of Job Moving Motivations which include the following categories: Stimulation, Assurance, Crowd, Remuneration, Elevation, and Domain.
1) Stimulation refers to the level of challenge pertinent in your current role, or learning curve required for your first position.
Employees leave their jobs out of boredom and mundane activities or because of overwhelming expectations they are unable to attain, due to increasing workload demands. Certain lifestyle events may contribute to a need for more stimulation like with someone who just completed an MBA, whereas a newly divorced mom who acts as the primary caregiver may want to opt for a less challenging role, to be available for her children during certain hours of the day.
- How important is the level of job stimulation to you?
2) Assurance describes the perceived stability that a company may offer to employees.
A young graduate may feel comfortable to take a risk with a start-up organization, whereas the breadwinner of a family would rather work for a large company, which is well known for longevity in terms of brand and product offering. People are inherently fearful of change, and issues like publicised retrenchments or broadcasts of pending takeovers may influence them in a decision to seek alternative opportunities. How secure someone feels at their company and in their position day in and day out, can be a contributing factor when considering a change.
- How important is company stability for you at this stage?
3) Crowd motivating factors refers to the people dynamics of the organization, company culture, and employee satisfaction levels.
A toxic working environment is one of the leading contributing catalysts of resignations in companies. This can manifest in a constrained relationship with the direct manager, the overall direction of the organization which does not reflect sustainability or even conflict with a peer level co-worker.
- How do you feel about the current working environment you find yourself in presently?
People also differ regarding the type of working environment they prefer. Not everyone is comfortable in a cut-throat corporate realm, and for others, the family orientated approach may seem quite appalling instead of appealing.
- Are you from the champagne and caviar league or the beer and biltong brigade?
4) Remuneration issues. Often salary seems like a legitimate reason for moving, but be reminded that an increase in salary will not guarantee job satisfaction or career progress. One needs to cautiously tread around the perception of what a market-related salary entails. Furthermore, unless you are earning a salary below market average, you should not make a significant increase your only priority during the job hunting process. The average increase is usually between 10% – 12%, and if you are expecting more than this, you have probably been misinformed or being unrealistic with your assumptions.
- Are you satisfied with your current salary package?
- Is a salary immediately salary increase more important to you than long-term career growth?
5) Elevation required for self-actualization. During this process of thought, your aspirations for promotion, career growth, and increased responsibility should be articulated. Candidates usually pursue alternative opportunities when they are unable to reach a higher job level within their current organization, due to opportunities not becoming vacant or where the timeframe to reach the next step in a company seems to be too lengthy. Most employees highlight this issue as the instigating factor to start looking for other positions. However, their expectations regarding timelines for advancement are often completely unrealistic. Thus, they tend to apply to positions way beyond their level of expertise and experience without any success.
- Do you know what your growth prospects are within your current company?
- How realistic are your expectations regarding elevation and promotion?
6) Domain and physical environment is the final factor to ponder on and refers to location or area of the workplace. Individuals may consider changing positions, because of extensive commuting to and from work, without the means or willingness to relocate closer to their office. Other influencing matters may include the physical location of their place of work, perhaps in a dangerous area or even just the nature of their job requiring too much travel. If Domain is one of your primary motivators for moving, you should investigate whether similar opportunities are in fact available in the locations of your preference. Agreed that 2 hours of the day in traffic is surely not the ideal, but depending on your area of specialisation, is there an investment bank, mining head office or manufacturing plant 10 minutes from your house?
- Is location more important than career opportunities at this stage?
GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT
Remember there is no right or wrong answer. The reason for this exercise is to identify the motivating factors most vital to you, before commencing with any job hunting activities. Once your specific reasons for changing jobs has been determined, the next step is to prioritize them in order of importance from 1 to 6, where one is most vital, and six is least crucial. Your top three motivating factors should form the hard boundaries of your search criteria and also impact your decisions on whether to apply for an opportunity or not.
YOUR JOB SEEKING JOURNEY IS ABOUT TO START…HAPPY HUNTING!!!
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