There are times when we reach out to people who we feel would be a perfect fit for a role only to have them tell us that they’re not currently looking for new opportunities. We thank them for their time and ask them to let us know if they ever have a change of heart. But we always feel that they have missed out by not, at the very least, having a look at what’s on offer.
Of course, they may be extremely happy in their current role, but who’s to say that a change wouldn’t see them take the next step in their career?
Perhaps it could have been a gamechanger from both a career and financial perspective?
But the thing is, if they don’t at least take a look at the opportunity, they’ll never know.
This is why we think that it’s always a good idea to have an open mind when it comes to career opportunities. And before you say it, keeping an open mind is not being disloyal to your current employer. That said, it’s probably not a good idea to stick ‘open to new opportunities’ on your LinkedIn profile if you’re not actively seeking work.
If you’re still unconvinced, here are a few reasons that perfectly highlight why an open mind could boost your career prospects.
Long-term employment is a thing of the past … almost
A report by Gallup on the millennial generation found that 21% of millennials had changed jobs in the last twelve months. The same study also found that only 50% showed any signs of willingness to remain in their role. Even in older generations, this figure was only at 60%.
The truth is that people who stay with one company for the majority of their career are now few and far between. And that’s okay. In fact, companies are seeing the positives in a certain percentage of employee turnover. After all, freshening up the team with new faces fosters innovation and helps boost productivity.
Staying where you are doesn’t always pay
There was a time not so long ago that loyalty to your employer meant that you were practically guaranteed to become one the company’s top earners. Not so anymore.
With millennials only staying in a role for an average of 2.4 years, employee turnover has increased by a large margin in the last two decades. As we mentioned earlier, this can be a good thing for the company, but it also means higher salaries for newer employees. For the loyal one-employer professional, they may find themselves struggling to keep up with their new colleagues on the salary scale.
Believe it or not, the average salary increase for long-term employees can be as little as 3%. Bad news for employees who aren’t all that great at salary negotiations during their annual review.
But moving does
Employers know that to find the best talent in their industry, it’s often necessary to target passive candidates. And when employers target passive candidates they know that they will undoubtedly need to offer them an increase on their current salary.
Generally speaking, people who move to a new role with another employer can expect to get anywhere between a 10-20% increase on their current salary. That certainly beats getting a pay raise that is little more than the average rate of inflation.
It helps you take stock of your career
There’s no such thing as a bad conversation. No matter who you’re talking to, you’ll always come away knowing more that you did going in. Well, perhaps that does actually depend on who you’re talking to, but you get the point.
So when a recruiter wants to talk to you about a new opportunity, take the chance to listen to what they have to say. It could be that they recognise something in you or your experience that you haven’t thought of yourself.
Conversations like this will help you take an objective view of your career so far and where it’s leading in the future. You may even identify areas where you want to upskill or expand your knowledge based on something the recruiter has to say.
You’ll understand and appreciate your worth
Modesty is an admirable trait, but when it comes to your career, it can stunt your development and hinder your progress. It’s incredible just how many people we come across that undersell themselves or don’t have the self-confidence in their skills that they so thoroughly deserve.
These people will be the ones who will hold off applying for an internal role or who don’t put themselves forward for promotion. As you may have guessed, they’re also quite often the ones that will tell us that they’re not open to any new opportunities. And it kills their career prospects.
Staying open to new opportunities and having those conversations we spoke of earlier, helps you understand your worth as an employee. Not only will this boost your self-esteem but it will give you more confidence if you decide to negotiate a better salary with your current employer.
You’ll keep your skills up to date
The problem with staying in the same role for a prolonged period is that unless your employer encourages you to refresh your skills, you tend to stagnate. You’ll only use the skills necessary for your current role and forget about the ones you learned in your college days or used in a previous job.
But when you’re open to new opportunities, you’re forced to keep your resume fresh and stay abreast of the latest updates in relation to your skills and qualifications.
As you can see, even if you’re completely happy with your current employer, there are so many benefits to keeping an open mind that it would be foolish not to. You’ll feel more confident about yourself, keep your skills fresh, and most importantly, you just might land the opportunity of a lifetime.
Are you looking for a new opportunity but worried that you might not have what it takes to make the change? Then why not get in touch today and have a chat with us about where you see your career in five years’ time. Like we said earlier, there’s no such thing as a bad conversation and you just might learn something about yourself in the process.