Could Your Employment History Be Holding You Back?
Why It's Time to Get Serious About Your Employment History:
After three years, Jim had developed a reputation as a job-hopper, never satisfied with his current situation, and this made him look unreliable on his resume. That caused potential employers to continually pass his resume over, so his earning potential never improved.
After three years, Bob had developed a reputation as a hard worker, always looking to learn and improve, always willing to go the extra mile, and a leader among his peers and his earning potential continued to increase as he patiently worked his way toward his goal.
Jim did not have a plan or path laid out for his career: he wanted "anything he could get", and that's precisely what he got; not surprisingly, he was often unhappy with "anything he could get" because he was not realistic about the kind of jobs/situations where he could excel. Bob had a plan and worked toward that plan, and even though his pay was not where he wanted it in the beginning, after three years he had established himself as a valuable, dependable employee. Even though his resume only had one job on it, his job history showed his continuous record of advancement within that company, which made him appear to be a valuable addition to any company to which he chose to apply.
What Lessons did Jim and Bob Teach Us?
- Having a plan or a goal in mind can mean the difference between developing a career and having a string of unpleasant jobs.
- Understand your limitations, both physically and mentally. A challenge that will further your career is a worthwhile reason to push yourself, but a constant, unwelcome physical or mental challenge made only for money will only increase the likelihood that you will wind up leaving the position in the future, which ruins your job stability.
- Employees who make the extra effort to learn and improve, especially on their own time, increase their earning potential over time.
- Understand the difference between a dead-end job and a wise career move: if you find a company or industry about which you are passionate, then starting on the ground floor and initially doing something you don't intend to do for the rest of your career can be a smart decision. If from there, you don't apply yourself, learn, improve, and always look for extra ways to help, you may wind up in a dead-end job, but this is often a direct correlation between the amount of effort you put into the job.
Barracuda Staffing, Inc. cares about your success: check back next week for more tips on increasing your satisfaction in the workplace, and remember that one of the best things to have on your resume is job stability; however, if you are looking for a new place to spread your wings and grow into a leader in your department, we invite you to browse our current openings in Tulsa and surrounding areas, call to talk to a Recruiter, or simply submit your resume online today!