How Long Do I Really Have to Stay in One Job?

This article is sponsored by University of Southern Queensland.

We’ve all been there. You start a new job, keen as a bean, and then realise on day three that it’s not right for you. What do you do? It feels like there are unwritten rules about how long you’re meant to stay. But I sure as hell don’t know them and have hung onto jobs for far too long to reach some imaginary finish line.

So, what’s the etiquette?

To try and put these awkward puzzle pieces together, we’re chatting with Sarah Mitchell, a Career Guidance Practitioner at the University of Southern Queensland, who spends all day coaching people on their careers. Tell us your secrets, Sarah!

First thing’s first. The elephant in the office is that, surely, things differ between industries, right?

Yes, is the short answer.

“It will depend on the complexity of the task; costs associated with training and skill level to do the job,” Sarah explains. “In fields where jobs are impacted by technology and knowledge that is regularly updated, it is important the occupant remains current. For example, many roles in IT are short-term contracts, as this allows employers to access the most up-to-date skills and knowledge required to do the tasks.”

So, with that in mind, let’s see what does (and more importantly, doesn’t) fly in job tenures.

What amount of time in a job is considered a red flag?

“Numbers are generally arbitrary, as the ‘right’ amount of time will be dependent on so many variables, such as skill level required to do the job; demand for current skills, employment level, the type of industry, personal goals and labour market,” says Sarah.

These days, we’re not expected to stick around forever like our parents’ generation might have.

“In fact, it is expected that individuals will now change their jobs 12-17 times in their working life. This means employers and recruiters are not surprised to see movement in a resume and they would expect to see, on average, employees changing jobs every two to four years,” says Sarah. “If there is a red flag for an employer, then it might be related to an applicant whose average job tenure is less than two years, or someone who has been in the same role for over four years and their tasks or responsibilities have not changed.”

What amount of time in a job is considered ideal?

Similarly, it’s hard to pinpoint an exact number. Damn you, nuance!

“There is no ideal time to be in a job, as the time may be dependent on the task, role level, the employment contract and the person’s circumstances or goals,” Sarah explains. “However, ideally employees should provide themselves sufficient time to master the job and to demonstrate they are doing well.”

Her advice is to think back to that classic question you were asked in your job interview: “ Why do you want to work for us?”. If you’ve gone on to achieve everything you said, and the same reasons no longer motivate you, it might be time to get outta there.

Once you’ve done that, sit yourself down for some more reflection time. Sarah suggests asking yourself the following questions to try and work out if you should move on:

• Are you generally excited to go to work?
• Do you think about work in your personal time? Is it negatively impacting your ability to relax on your days off?
• Is there opportunity for growth, new skills and ways of doing things?
• Have you been overlooked for promotion? If so, why do you think that was? Did you have the opportunity to apply or prepare for an opportunity? Why?
• To what extent do you feel valued and recognised for the work you do?

How long is everyone else actually staying in their job?

Okay, we know it’s hard to slap an exact timeframe on how long we should or shouldn’t say in a job. But what are all our peers up to? If everyone else is jumping ship on the regular, you better believe I will be too.

“According to the ABS, the most recent data indicates that 55% of the 13.4 million people employed in Australia in February 2022 had been in their current job for less than five years and 21% had been in their job for less than one year. In comparison, 11% had been in their job for 20 years or more,” says Sarah.

So, most are only a few years in. And, turns out, the observed job mobility rate in the past 12 months is the highest it’s been since 2012. Job-hopping is hot right now.

Whether you’ve been in your current job for one year or 20, ask yourself those tough questions above to see if it’s still serving you. If you are keen to pivot into something new, you can book a career development session at UniSQ for personalised advice.

If you’ve been teetering on typing up that resignation letter, perhaps this is a sign?