The primary season is over. The conventions were held and the
bombast we've heard is nothing compared to what is to come; the promises of bright days or threats of dark days
ahead. It will be head-numbing by
November. (Let’s take a moment to feel
sorry for our postal carriers who will be delivering literally tons of fliers
to our trash cans via our mail boxes.)
And so I ask. Thinking about a job change? Do you know someone who is? And if so, is 2016, the year of an embattled
political election, the right time to make a job change in the financial
industries – or any industry for that matter?
Boy, I sure don’t know. My crystal ball on that is as murky as
anyone else’. At any given time there
will always be a level of uncertainty in moving from one bank to another; or
crossing over from banking to asset based lending or equipment leasing and
financing. The way I see it, the economy
notwithstanding, there is no reason not to make a change in any particular
political climate as long as you are motivated by the right reasons. “Right reasons” is a subjective phrase and
its definition can only be defined by you.
Here are just a few of your rationalizations
for being open to explore new opportunities – in no order of importance.
- Your learning curve has arced. You’ve reached a point where you are just not learning enough in your present position to advance your career to the next level.
- You’re just not earning enough, or don’t have the potential to earn enough. Don’t let anyone kid you. It’s always about the money. Maybe not your first consideration, but unless you want to do something totally different from what you were doing yesterday, believe me, it’s about the money.
- You are not being challenged. Many interviewers have heard this before and are pretty ho-hum about it. You need to explain that not being challenged is demoralizing and while you may still be willing to give your usual 110 percent, it’s tough when you have more time on your hands than you need to do your job. You’re there to make a contribution, not take breaks. Not being challenged is counter to your employer’s goals – and yours.
- You are actually being over-challenged. Yes, though many of employees don’t want to admit it, they’re in over their heads. Their jobs focuses on their deficiencies. Maybe they were promoted from marketing loans to hedge funds and weren’t trained to know that hedges aren’t just something that borders their neighbors’ yards. That’s also counter to yours’ and your employer’s goals. You simply cannot be productive in that environment.
- You just inherited the boss from hell. Sure we can all be at odds with our bosses from time-to-time. But time-to-time should not be all-the-time. Nine times out of ten when there’s friction between and employee and his or her boss, the boss wins. This is NOT a win-win situation.
- You cannot abide the employment culture. It’s too political; your coworkers treat you as an outsider. You were transferred into a group that’s too lax, too stiff, too anything you are not. A word of caution, here, however. You can be viewed as someone who cannot adapt or who doesn’t get along with others. Or both.
- Your company is failing. Get the hell out of there. This isn’t about you being the loyal employee and shutting the lights at the end. It’s a sinking ship and you have a family to feed. Don’t worry about being the first rat that leaves the ship. The rule here is CYA.
- You’ve had a new development in your life. That could be a marriage or a divorce, a baby or one on the way, an ailing parent or a need to move back home. Whatever it is, you cannot balance it to the demands of your employer.
- · You were made a better offer. A recruiter reached out to you and seduced you with a job offering more responsibility, greater challenge, less of a commute, where your kids can stay in their schools, and in exactly the company culture you find ideal, and oh yes, more money. Well of course that would be a good reason to make a change. But it still begs the question: Is this the right time to make a change? Even for the offer from heaven.
Like I said, I don’t really
know. That’s up to you. But for my dime, I’d say if you are motivated
by a solid justification to move, it doesn’t have to be all of the above but
just a need to fulfill something that’s lacking today, I would say if it makes
sense, take the leap. You’d do it if it
weren’t an election year, wouldn’t you?
I am still being called on to fill
positions of growth. Despite the recent
consolidation in commercial banks, the industry continues to thrive. Markets go up and down, but companies still
need to replace or acquire new equipment to operate efficiently. And so although sales rise and fall from year
to year, equipment leasing is still robust.
Businesses’ revenues flow with seasons or economies and their cash flow
is often inadequate to acquire new inventory so asset based lenders are
plentiful in funding those kinds of needs.
Sales and support positions in these areas open every day.
So I say, so what if it is an election year? Will the election results do more than cause a hiccup on the stock market? It is my opinion that no elected official will impact your life more than you can yourself. Making a job change, WHENEVER you make it, is still among the most important decisions professionals make. To borrow the question asked every year in Jewish households worldwide, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” Any time is the right time to make your life better. And borrowing a line from the politicos - believe me!
