Are you stuck in a job that you have clearly outgrown? We’ve all been there. Changing your job or moving on isn’t easy for anyone. For starters, most of us need a new job in hand to make the move. To that end, you need to update your resume, write a cover letter and search for the right opening. Then there are interviews, and sometimes even entrance tests. Once you have an offer in hand, you have to discuss your salary and benefits with the new management.
Is that where the task ends? No. You have to resign from your current organization, complete HR formalities and assist in the handover process.
Many employees stumble while weighing the decision to actively hunt for another job. The thought of leaving familiar surroundings and colleagues to enter the rough and tumble of the job market can be daunting for even the most seasoned professional.
Monster poll reveals the ‘Hardest Part of Changing Jobs’
So what are they key factors that are holding employees back from switching workplaces? Monster recently conducted a poll across South East Asia to find out. Cutting across country borders and workplace cultures, three factors stood out as top reasons for why employees are reluctant to move. Interviewing, leaving a familiar workplace and updating resume and cover letters. Handing in notice was cited as the least important reason for resisting a job change.
Here’s what job seekers in Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore feel:
Interviewing tops the list of job switch deterrents
The completely unpredictable nature of the job interview can make it an intimidating process. So much so that it tops the list of reasons to not change jobs for employees in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. In the latter, almost half the respondents polled said the interview was the biggest obstacle to initiating a job change.
Updating resumes, writing cover letters can be cumbersome
Writing a resume is a challenging task, given it is the first impression you create with a potential employer. If that wasn’t hard enough, updating it with new details about promotions or commendations, project work, education or training can be a real test. It’s no wonder, then, that employees in Malaysia in particular voted reluctance to update their resumes and write cover letters as one of the main reason for not seeking new employment.
Don’t force me out of my comfort zone
Leaving a familiar workplace is possibly one of the most difficult but least talked about issues arising from a change in employment. Many years of working in the same office leads to a comfort level with the systems and processes of an organization, apart from a certain degree of cultural familiarity and closeness with colleagues. A related aspect is the challenge of fitting into the new organization. Employees in Hong Kong ranked this as the top reason for staying in an existing job, while those in Singapore, the Gulf and Philippines said it was the second most important.
Change in your commute
Unless you live round the corner from your workplace, everybody hates the morning commute. But if you do it regularly, you’ll know the best time to be on the road, routes to beat traffic, etc. Any change in that routine will have a ripple effect on your life, so it isn’t surprising employees are reluctant to shake it up at work. Those living in Hong Kong notched up a relatively high percentage here (25%) presumably because public transport in the city is very sophisticated and also the preferred means of transport for many residents.
