Changing jobs

The Bronze

The Bronze

Rogue Demon Hunter
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Jul 11, 2013
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Age
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Black Thorn
Just wondering what experiences everyone on here has had with changing jobs. I have been at the same place for 8 years now and haven't been looking for a move. Now out of the blue someone has got in contact about a new opportunity. The new job has some familiar elements but a lot of it looks like things I've never dealt with before. The main difference is the new role will involve traveling to different sites 3 days a week, whereas I have always been office based. I like the idea of mixing things up a bit but I'm terrified that if I switch I won't be able to do all the new elements. I can't afford to take it, mess it up and end up out of work a few months down the line.

How have you found changing? How much of the job do you feel you need to be able to do before you consider taking it? Any thoughts welcome 🙂
 
I am in a similar position, in that I've gained enough experience to move on after being in the same job for 8 years. What's stopping me is the fact that I live in a small town now instead of the city, meaning less opportunities for jobs, and the fear of being out of work for any length of time in the current political climate. At the moment I'm just thankful I have a relatively well paid full time job. I prefer to think of myself as a realist rather than just incredibly cynical. 😛
 
I'm glad it's not just me then! I wasn't looking to change jobs. I get a bit stressed with the quantity of work at times but other than that I can do the job and I'm comfortable here. I get paid fairly and have always been treated well where I am. It would be a lot to give up on the hope I could get my head around a new role.
 
The Bronze,
who exactly told you about the job? You said the you were told out of the blue, could it be that a little bird told you? If it was a bird who told you out of the blue could it be that the bird was in fact blue, a Bluebird?
 
Same boat here. Well similar boat, my contract is coming up so I am forced to look for new work. It's a scary, scary thing. I'm the type of person that doesn't really like change either, at least not at first, so I'm a bit nervous. Not much of an advice here 😛
 
Sometimes these things fall in our laps for a reason. You may get the job and hate it, but nevertheless, it found its way to you for a reason. Call it luck, fate, whatever your way of translating it. I honestly believe that if you like the idea, you should go for it. I've been working for the same company for nine years, I love the job and the people, but I have a fairly long commute. If I heard of a local job similar to mine, I'd definitely go for it. Sometimes you have to be brave and venture onward and upward. Sometimes the grass isn't greener, but you'll never know unless you try.

Also, they won't just drop you in at the deep end, you'll be trained on the stuff you've never done. So don't worry about that. If the job is something you want to do and will help further your career, then go for it.

Mark Twain knew what he was on about.... "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." 🙂
 
Until i started my current job at Royal Mail (8 years in october) id change jobs at the drop of a hat. I would get itchy feet really quickly, id think a lot more about it now because i like my job, but if i was just going through the motions, and something came up, id leave. As someone said they wont drop you right in it on day surely youll get trained, id bloody hope so anyway lol! Good luck either way
 
@The Bronze

You have some due diligence to do before you make any changes. First of all, is the job real? Are they just testing the waters or do they want someone right now? What do you know about the company? Does it do a lot of business? Does its balance sheet look prosperous? Does it treat its people well or is it a sweatshop / revolving door? Are you jumping out of the frying pan into the fire? Are you happy with the prospect of travel? Is it local or longer range or international? Did Brexit throw them for a loop?

I wouldn't get too spooked by not knowing everything about how to do the job - I was an engineer who became a project manager, two very different skill sets. One thing I learned about project management was that if I got 99% on a test in university, that was good. Having 99% of the parts needed to complete a project is not only bad, it is the worst case since you have spent all but 1% of the money and have nothing you can deliver in order to get paid. And you have to keep up with the progress in the shop - if the customer asks "Where are we", you can't just say "I'll get back to you on that" - you should be able to tell the customer exactly what he wants to know.

I would look seriously at the travel requirements. Local travel should not be a problem. If it is something else, then you have to decide whether it is too much of a pain in the butt to bother with. But if it is an overall improvement, then I would pull the ripcord on your present employer and make the jump.
 
Thanks for all the excellent advice everyone! Unfortunately this seems to have disappeared just as quickly it showed up. I'm guessing the company wasn't as impressed as the recruiter. Never mind, at least my CV is no longer 8 years out of date.
 
Their loss m'dear. And like you say, at least your CV is up to date, just in case the job of your dreams appears randomly. 😉
 
The Bronze
The Bronze
Thank you :-)
Just out of curiosity, do you use a CV (curriculum vitae) or resume where you are? The CV seems to carry a lot more extraneous data about school, hobbies and general life experience, but does a recruiter really need that? The resume is standard on this side of the pond - just employment experience and one line about level of education.
 
It's always a CV that is asked for over here. It's been a while since I've been active in the job market but as best I can tell there are an awful lot of people going for the same jobs. From there a lot of these people will be similarly qualified so I think employers like to have a bit of extra information about their background and interests.
 
To give a little idea of what it's like over here at the moment have a quick read up about a TV show that has recently started:

The Job Interview: TV that will expose our most nerve-racking moments

This line in particular seems to sum it up: "Both Dickson and Charker-Phillips said the desperation of the interviewees and their investment in the jobs also spoke to the difficult economic climate and tough nature of the UK job market. Low Cost Vans, for starters, received 90 applicants for one customer services role."
 
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