After joining the company, Jessica found that foreign enterprises had more unwritten rules compared to private companies. She had to wear business attire, high heels, and skirts that couldn't go above the knee. These were clothes that Jessica had never worn before, and now she had to buy new ones for this job. Before earning her salary, she had already spent a lot of money.
Before switching jobs, many people find it hard to calmly and rationally analyze the pros and cons because they want to get rid of their current monotonous and unmotivating work. From the cost-benefit analysis mentioned above, it's clear that switching jobs can have a domino effect. Without careful consideration, one may suffer greater losses. How can we reduce costs and maximize personal benefits? Chief Career Planner Hong Xiangyang from Chaoyang Living proposed the following three points:
Switching jobs is not a panacea; one should not use "jumping" as a solution every time. Will there be no problems at the new place? Before choosing a new platform, one must patiently gather information and understand the target company or industry comprehensively, analyzing clearly based on your own situation before making a decision.
Jessica decided to switch jobs! She thought that since she knew a bit of business English, working as an administrative assistant in a foreign company would provide better development opportunities than her current job.
**Hidden Costs of Switching Jobs**
| Item | Description | Impact |
|-------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Psychological Cost | Anxiety is an inevitable psychological state during the job-switching period. It usually occurs during the transition between old and new jobs. The boredom with the old job, the uncertainty and worry about the new job, will make you anxious, emotionally unstable, and mentally unbalanced. | An unstable mindset not only affects emotions but also impacts your ability to calmly and objectively handle problems. In severe cases, it can affect physical health. |
| Interpersonal Cost | Leaving a company also means that the interpersonal relationships built during that period may reset to zero. Not only colleagues but also external partners, clients, suppliers, etc., may gradually drift apart. | Old relationships are lost, and new ones need to be established and maintained, requiring fresh investment with uncertain results in the short term. |
| Opportunity Cost | Choosing one opportunity necessarily means giving up others, including potential raises and promotions at the original company. | It's difficult to evaluate the future growth of the company. Missing a promotion or development opportunity could significantly impact your career. The growth potential of the new job is still unclear. |
| Risk Cost | Moving to a new environment, facing new work tasks and interpersonal relationships, is challenging. Additionally, the future direction of the new company is unpredictable. Financial crises, policy changes, etc., can significantly impact the industry. | Large-scale industry changes or small-scale company reorganizations can directly affect your job. |
| Other Costs | In a new environment, there are inevitably some minor expenses. Some companies have dress code requirements, necessitating buying new clothes. Socializing with new colleagues also requires some expenditure. | In the old company, these costs could be saved as colleagues are already familiar. In times of rising prices, these expenses add up. |
Not only that, the new interpersonal environment is very different from before. Even the way of speaking is restricted by "invisible limits." She constantly worries about being isolated and becoming a "marginal person" in the office. To please her department manager and other colleagues, she sometimes has to treat them to lunch or give small gifts. Every day at work, she not only has to deal with work but also manage interpersonal relationships.
Switching jobs became a "losing proposition."
After reading the cost-benefit analysis provided by the CCDM career planner, did you suddenly understand or come up with new ideas? Calm down, reassess your current job and environment, clarify your thoughts, take some time to plan your career development strategy, and achieve the maximum workplace benefits, becoming a consistent winner in your career!
Chaoyang Living Exclusive: Whether to switch or not, everything depends on career planning.
Quitting impulsively without proper evaluation can lead to difficulties. However, the new job didn’t come as quickly as expected. To find a foreign company for an administrative assistant position, she went through a lot of effort, waiting for over two months, which was a real torment given her financial constraints.
1. Make a benefit analysis table for your current job.
Evaluate comprehensively the current work platform and environment, identifying what opportunities you can obtain and what aspects are beneficial to your growth. Familiar environments always offer some advantages over unfamiliar ones, so don't dismiss everything outright.
2. Fully understand the target company or industry.
The first two steps involve gathering various information to support rational decisions. If you cannot achieve your goals alone, consider seeking help from professional career planners. Based on your actual situation, develop a career planning scheme. With clear principles, actions become standardized, minimizing risks and costs associated with job-hopping.
In fact, Jessica didn't realize that the process of switching jobs often brings numerous "hidden costs." The expert team from Chaoyang Living believed that the "hidden costs" of switching jobs include at least the following five types:
She never imagined that changing jobs would bring so much trouble. Jessica felt both physically and mentally drained and had no one to confide in.
Expert Suggestions:
After graduating from university with a degree in international trade, Jessica found a job that matched her major—foreign trade follow-up. Initially, she found it exciting and challenging, thinking she wasn't wasting her university education. However, after more than a year, this low-technical job made her increasingly feel the lack of growth opportunities.
From a long-term career planning perspective, experts suggest making decisions carefully.