One way of avoiding a job search is to stay and evolve with your current employer.
This is a guest post by Karen Cayamanda. If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines.
It’s been more than seven years since I started working at an outsourcing company.
In this time and age when everybody seems to be on a constant lookout for diversity in almost anything, the fact that I managed to stay at the same company for several years never fails to surprise other people.
I don’t mind. In fact, I sometimes wonder how I did it, and why.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. A month after college graduation, I got a nice job offer – a start-up company was in need of a content writer for its network of websites. I got the job, and started writing about a wide range of topics. That was 2004.
Fast forward to 2011, I am still working at the same company, but it’s now a medium-sized enterprise, with more than 1000 employees and offices in various locations.
As time progressed, my tasks have become more and more challenging. I’ve seen my colleagues-turned-friends come and go. Workplace issues pushed me to turn to beer and drink until I’m numb. I’ve learned to be indifferent to things that are not worth paying attention to. A lot of people are asking me why I can’t leave the company. I’ve also asked myself the same question.
3 reasons I've stayed so long
- Being part of a company’s milestones and history is something that I just cannot let go. It started with only three writers and its growth is much faster than anyone could have expected. I’ve seen it all. There’s that sense of history and a constant reminder of how amazing it is to play a role in something great. It goes without saying that I owe my entire corporate life to the company owner who still believes that I can get the job done.
- I learn something new every day. It’s one of the perks of being a writer. I’m desk-bound eight hours a day, five days a week, but that does not hinder me from discovering new things. Maybe it’s just me, but a lot of reading and writing can take you places.
- It’s way more than the job itself. The working environment plays a huge role in my reason to stay at the company. While I am not what you can consider “popular” at the workplace, I am surrounded by awesome colleagues who are always there to help, whether it’s about work or when I need someone to have coffee with because stress is clouding my better judgment. I must say that inevitably, there are bad days. I just learned to fully enjoy the good days as they come.
People may say that I am simply afraid of change. They may be right, but while there are times when I want to give up and move on to something new, the joys of working at the company far outweigh the reasons to look for another job. Being happy in what I do is enough reason for me to stay.
For job seekers, do not only consider salary and benefits. In the long run, finding a job that enables you to do what you want and what you’re really good at will do wonders to your life in general.
About the Author
Karen Cayamanda is currently working as the Online Marketing Lead at MicroSourcing, an outsourcing and offshoring solutions provider based in the Philippines. Visit MicroSourcing.com for more information or Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/MicroSourcing.
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Held a job as a Graphic Designer for almost 10 years… I think it’s because I enjoy being one. And yeah, that guaranteed monthly paycheck is an added plus.
I definitely agree with Ms. Cayamanda’s views. Being a writer myself, and a graphic designer, too, I’ve always found myself shifting among companies. When outsourcing boomed in the Philippines, I started in the industry as a graphic designer, but company mismanagement only pushed my career one tier up. I’ve turned back to writing again, and I can say, doing what you love as a job mitigates the stress that comes with work. Great article, Karen!
so true. i once asked my dad why he kept the same job until he retires when other companies would like to have him with bigger pay and benefits, he just said “because i am happy and contented with my work”. Higher pay doesn’t really matter if you’re not happy with your job. One should consider personal fulfillment and happiness in his work.
Those 3 items highlighted by KC simply equates to happiness in her work and clearly demonstrates her passion, which I truly agree. It’s not all about money but rather finding the perfect fit and a sense of belongingness and usefulness. In the truest sense of things having a purpose is far more greater than just doing something or anything for money. I am struck by number 1. It clearly defines integrity with the job that we choose.
Very well said! Happiness and personal fulfillment in your job is far more important. A great boss and a high monthly paycheck is an added bonus!
She listed valid points for remaining in the same job. However, I have no clue what made her turn to beer and drink until she was numb. It contradicts all of her reasons for staying, and seems to be a valid reason to leave the job.
Interesting article Karen. I agree with you for the most part, although I believe that 7 years in one company is long at the beginning of your career. Having a look in another kitchen might help you to find someone even though you didnt even know that you were looking for it.
Sandy, I think it was an attempt at office humour.
I’ve been at the same large internation software company for ten years. In general, it is interesting and this compensates for the occasional bad periods of either defects, long hours, frustrations, etc like in most work places. But staying at the same place for a long time usually means some inherent loyalty and an expectation that the company ‘owes’ you something for this. It is not rare for ‘old’ companies, where many people have worked long term, to close, merge, or get acquired and some branch operations shutdown. Usually the media or family pries some emotion that they are disappointed for being let down after all the years they gave, etc… It’s a marriage of convenience, not of obligation.
Nice article! I very much agree on your three reasons why you stayed in your company that long. The working environment is a big plus to your life as a career person, especially if your colleagues and supervisors boost you to the fullest.
Your article sounds very convincing and sounds like a compliment for both the author of the article and the company that she works for. I myself live in the Netherlands and in our country it is considered very normal when people work for the same company their entire life. The same holds good for most European countries and for a country like Japan. If a person really likes the company he or she works for and the company appreciates him or her as a person and an employee there is nothing against staying together for 10, 20 or 30 years or until the day of retirement.