by Ilio Masprone – Publisher – Knight of the Principality of Monaco for Cultural Merit
MONACO. From profit to the desire to face new challenges, people should take into consideration some important aspects before deciding whether to embark on a new professional adventure. In a work market that shows some signs of dynamism compared to the height of the crisis that hit the world a decade ago, changing jobs can be a not too complicated undertaking. Before taking this step, however, it is better to ask oneself some questions to evaluate if it’s really the right time to do it. The first thing to do is to understand how much more one wants to earn. According to a search of Hunting Heads Worldwide, Executive Search Group, moving from one company to another can generate, on average, a 10% increase in salaries, with peaks of 20%. Before deciding to leave, however, it is worth to reflect on one’s current job position and understand if there are margins to ask for a possible salary increase. Otherwise, it is right to look around and propose yourself for new work activities. The economic factor, however, should not be the only motivation for change: the pursuit of more inviting conditions can inflate expectations and create a kind of systematic frustration on “what one deserves” and is late in appearing in one’s payroll. From the economic point of view an important thing for a recent graduate is to find the time to improve education, for example by attending a master’s degree. This choice proves to be a winner according to Mercer, a company that deals with the salary survey within the world. The same thing happens if one can spend a longer or shorter period abroad because it can not only enrich the curriculum but improve the economic position over time. It can also happen that people already ahead in their careers may not feel fully realized to some degree. One can realize that he/she wants to do something else, taking a distance from a situation that is not very gratifying. The tasks performed, the hierarchical placement, the seniority and the level of responsibility, in fact, are dimensions that influence self-perception and self-esteem. People experiencing a situation that is not very gratifying could evaluate that the right time has come to look for a new job, regardless of the remuneration context. Finally, Mercer’s research points out that the desire for new professional stimuli, especially among those under 40, can lead to the search for job opportunities different from those already formalized. But people must be careful to evaluate this aspect well. While on the one hand the drive for change strengthens creativity, on the other hand the continuous transition from one company to another can disperse energy and give a bad impression at the curriculum level. A healthy drive towards self-realization, therefore, must be pursued without excesses, in order not to destroy one’s credibility.