For many Americans, the workplace is exceptionally challenging for all of the wrong reasons. Some employees hate their jobs because they’re not in a position where they can excel, or perhaps they're victims of workplace bullying. Essential Pittsburgh's Paul Guggenheimer explored these reasons with Sasha King, independent career consultant.
“There is a big issue in that a lot of employees are overqualified for their positions, yet because of such a highly competitive job market, people are sticking with jobs they normally would have moved on from already,” says King.
In other cases, some of the more senior employees who have been with a company for 10-15 years are too afraid to leave because they’ve already invested so much time in their position.
King’s solution to this problem involves an “educated hedging your bets approach.” She encourages her clients to first, meet with a financial advisor to determine whether or not leaving a job is feasible. Then, begin to strategically plan an exit by doing research on other companies, in similar fields, and tap into networking contacts.
“Because of the nature of this economy, please, please, please, keep your networking contacts very strong. If you have to find two days a month that you’re going to network with, then you definitely want to do that so that if you do have to switch jobs, you’re not wasting time trying to make those contacts."
