Career Strategist and Performance Coach
Matching Talents to Opportunities

Leaving a Great Company After 10+ Years Is Like Getting a Divorce and Expecting to Find a Fabulous New Partner in a Few Months

Today in my networking group, Career Connect Coffee Club, several new members were in transition because their companies closed. A few were from Oppenheimer Funds which was purchased by Invesco and several were from Jackson National Life Distributors which recently closed Colorado operations. Most had been with their company for several years. One had the good fortune to progress through various roles over the course of more than 25 years.

These lucky people had over four weeks of vacation, vested 40l(k)s and knew how to navigate office politics. They were loyal, had great performance appraisals and most likely added new titles and skills to their resumes. They can easily show job progression and demonstrate how they’ve developed and enhanced their careers.

Each hit the job market with high hopes of leveraging their track record and landing a wonderful new career in a few months.

NO, NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

The reality is the longer you’ve been at one company, the longer it will take to find your next job. I’ve observed this after coaching clients for 20 years. Not sure if there are any studies on this, but as Bill Maher says “I don’t know it for a fact…I just know it’s true.” Here’s why:

  1. Prospective companies see you as someone who knows only one culture. For example, if you were at IBM, you’re limited by knowing only their proprietary software.
  2. You’re viewed as someone who doesn’t take risks or seek new opportunities to learn and grow your career.
  3. If you’ve been with a legacy company like HP or IBM, potential employers typecast you as someone who hasn’t kept up with the latest trends in your industry, software or ways of doing business.
  4. All of this is exacerbated if you want to pivot to a new career or industry. For strategies to
    “rebrand” yourself and shatter these stereotypes, check out my blog other articles on this site.

Comments are closed.