Should You Change Jobs or Stay Where You Are?
This article is part of the Your Next-Move Profile guide.
The decision to stay or move is one of the most consequential in a working life. Made well, it accelerates your career, improves your quality of life, and increases your earning power. Made poorly, it creates disruption without improvement — or keeps you stuck when moving would have been transformative.
When staying is the right decision
Staying makes sense when:
- Your employer is investing in your development and the investment is real, not promised
- You have a clear and credible progression pathway ahead of you
- Your current role is building skills and experience that will be valuable in future
- The issues you have are temporary or addressable through a conversation
- You are within 12 months of a significant milestone (qualification, promotion, project completion) that will increase your options
When moving is the right decision
Moving makes sense when:
- You have been in the same role, at the same level, for more than two or three years with no credible change in sight
- Your salary has fallen behind market rates and your employer is unwilling to address it
- The working conditions are affecting your health, your relationships or your performance
- You have already had the conversation with your employer and nothing has changed
- A specific opportunity exists that clearly delivers on your most important priorities
The honest question
The most useful question is not "should I stay or go?" but "if I stay, what specifically will be different in 12 months?" If you cannot answer that clearly, the answer to the first question is probably move.