Long-term development in a company or more job hopping, how to choose more conducive to career development?

Tutor of this issue: Xiao Muyu

51job Workplace Mentor/National Career Planner

13+ years of experience in Kuaishou/JD.com and other Internet manufacturers

He has been working in the field of C-end job search consulting for 5 years

1000 people + job search coaching experience

2000 hours+ of career development empowerment time

Master the career planning model and the interpretation of Gallup's strengths

Career development has always been a complex topic, which will involve many factors, such as personal career planning, market environment, corporate culture, industry characteristics, etc.

In these fast-changing times, we are often faced with an important career decision: should we choose to grow in one company for the long term, or do we increase our market value by changing jobs multiple times?

Today, we will analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each of these two options and make the right decision for future career development.

01

Advantages and disadvantages of long-term development in a company

First of all, a long-term career in a company is an ideal career choice for many job seekers and professionals, but it is not without risk.

Through specific cases, we explore the advantages and disadvantages of working in a company for a long time.

⏩ Li Ming (pseudonym) is a senior engineer who has worked in multinational companies for more than 15 years. His long experience with the company has given him in-depth industry knowledge and an intimate understanding of the company's products and processes. Over the course of the company's development, he has seen the company grow from a medium-sized company to an industry giant, and from an ordinary engineer to the head of the technical department. With a deep understanding of the company's business and culture, he is able to effectively lead the team through projects and bring products to market. His long-term stable work has also enabled him to gain a good professional reputation and high status within the company.

⏩ Wang Hua (pseudonym) is a middle-level manager who has worked in a local small and medium-sized enterprise for 20 years. Although Wang Hua is a "veteran" in the company, due to the small scale of the company and the limited development space, Wang Hua has encountered a bottleneck in career development. Over time, he found that his skills and knowledge were falling behind in the changing workplace market, and his lack of exposure to new technologies and ideas made him less competitive in other companies. When the company was hit by market changes and faced restructuring or even closure, Wang Hua found that his career prospects suddenly became bleak.

From the above two examples, we can see that the advantages of long-term development in a company include an in-depth understanding of the company's operating model, business processes and company culture, and the ability to gradually climb the job ladder within the company over time, and at the same time, long-term loyalty may also give you and a better benefits package.

Disadvantages include the possibility that skills and knowledge are not updated in a timely manner, and that your career prospects are constrained by the company's growth, and that you may fall into your comfort zone if the company stagnates, or that your career prospects will suffer if the company is in poor shape.

02

Pros and cons of frequent job hopping

Next, let's explore the benefits and drawbacks of frequent job hopping. Frequent job hopping has become a norm in the contemporary workplace, and it also has its obvious advantages and potential risks.

The following examples can help us better understand the pros and cons of frequent job hopping.

⏩ Zhang Wei (not her real name) is a marketing professional who has changed jobs five times in the past 10 years. Every time she changes jobs, she chooses companies in different industries, thus accumulating rich market experience and comprehensive capabilities. Frequent job hopping has given Zhang Wei the opportunity to get in touch with new marketing strategies and marketing tools to continuously improve her competitiveness. Moreover, each job change has brought her at least a 20% salary increase. Through continuous job promotions and salary increases, Zhang Wei quickly became a recognized senior talent in the industry.

Of course, frequent job hopping is not without its drawbacks.

⏩ Li Dong (not his real name) has also adopted a strategy of frequent job hopping in the workplace, and in less than eight years, he has changed six jobs, all in search of better salaries and positions. While he did achieve these goals in the short term, multiple job hops also left an unstable impression on his resume. This led to him later hitting a career bottleneck and finding it difficult to find companies willing to offer him senior positions. He found that the lack of a long-term history of stable development made it difficult for him to find employment, and to build deep colleague relationships and networks in his new work environment.

Through these two cases, we have seen that the main advantages of frequent job hopping are that you can be exposed to the working methods and corporate culture of different companies, which can speed up your career growth, and that frequent job changes will also bring new work experiences and challenges, forcing you to adapt and learn, and in addition, job hopping can often lead to a higher position and an increase in salary, which is obviously helpful for rapid development.

However, the disadvantages are that too much work experience can be a negative impact on future employers and personal stability, it can be difficult to gain long-term and in-depth work experience that may be encountered later in the career, and frequent changes of work environment mean that you need to constantly adapt to new teams and ways of working, which can be a challenge for some.

03

Considerations for both options

Whether you choose to develop in one company for a long time or choose to change jobs multiple times, there are unique advantages and potential risks. Most importantly, you need to be clear about your career plan and goals, and make the most suitable decision based on your abilities, market conditions, and personal preferences.

On the one hand, if you choose to develop in a company for a long time, firstly, secondly, you need to ensure that your personal ability and knowledge keep pace with the times to prevent becoming a victim of the company's development, and thirdly, you need to pay attention to your work, even if you work in a company for a long time.

On the other hand, if you choose to change jobs frequently as a career development strategy, you need to pay attention to the following points.

First, carefully choose the timing and target company to ensure that each job change can bring substantial career growth and learning opportunities;

Second, maintain the interpersonal relationships you build in each job, so that even if you leave the company, you can get recommendations and help when you need it;

Third, consciously overcome the stability bias that comes with job hopping, and show prospective employers or partners the value and experience accumulated from your diverse work experience to increase your attractiveness.

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Before making a decision, we need to gather as much information as possible, assess your own situation and consult with experienced seniors in the workplace, so that you can have more confidence and choice when facing the challenges of career development.

Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all answer, only the one that works best for your current situation. I hope today's analysis and discussion can provide some inspiration and help for your career development, and I hope you will have smooth sailing in your career.