When the urge to switch career is unbearable...

Changing career is common but there are many advantages and drawbacks to consider. The Jakarta Post's Maria Endah Hulupi, Pandaya and contributor I. Christianto discuss the issue and offer tips on planning a career change.

JAKARTA (JP): Changing career is a critical decision that requires careful planning, strong resolution and a high degree of flexibility.

Imagine you are a seasoned professional dancer and you now want to become a computer programmer after the relentless financial crisis sent your dance company into bankruptcy.

Changing career is an increasingly common practice nowadays. Many companies have no choice but to downsize, or even cease operations, due to the economic crisis, and their dismissed employees have to become imaginative in order to survive.

Better pay and working conditions are the most common reasons for seeking a change in career.

"There's nothing wrong with accepting a better paid job offered by another company. It's something that companies should be aware of these days," said Eileen Rachman, director of executive performance development firm Experd.

But many also seek a career change because they cannot stand the boredom after years of performing the same duties and functions with meager financial rewards and no promotion. They want a change.

"Many people find their occupations lacking in challenges and decide to look for a totally new job," said Jon A. Masli, managing director of the human resources consultancy firm, Asia Intensive Manager-Executive Search (AIMES/PT Prismas Jamintara Pejati).

R. Indra, 34, a corporate communications specialist with PT Telkomsel, began his career as an employee in a retail company in Jakarta. He then became a journalist with a magazine. However, he lost this job after the New Order government banned the magazine.

"I like something challenging," he said.

For people of this kind, taking up a "more challenging" career does not always mean seeking higher pay.

Age is often a big factor in changing careers. Certain jobs, such as many in the sports and modeling industries, will certainly not last forever so you will have to prepare for another job when you reach the age of, say, 30.

Whatever your reasons may be, there is a lot to consider before you pack up and leave your workplace to start a new career.

Just a change

Even though changing career is not bad, "just a change", performance development experts warn that changing jobs too frequently could be detrimental.

Eileen said that employers would generally frown on an applicant who changed jobs every two years as they would consider his/her loyalty as being questionable.

"Such a job seeker will find it difficult to find new employment unless they are professionals with highly sought-after skills," Eileen warned.

Eileen's advice matches that of Santi Lewenussa, a senior AIMES consultant.

Santi points out that many multinational corporations closely examine a job seeker's track record.

"The more frequently a candidate changes his or her job, the more cautious prospective employers will be. They worry that, if accepted, the candidate will quit soon."

However, it is common for people to change jobs in less than two years in certain fields, such as the service industry, hotels and restaurants.

According to Santi, the ideal track record is two years, three years and another two or three-year working period in three different companies consecutively.

Multinational corporations generally seek people under 37 years of age for the managerial level.

And listen to headhunter Jon of AIMES, an executive search firm targeting the mid to upper managerial levels. People who want to change jobs for a better career path, should consider things like managerial skills, mastery of foreign languages -- especially English, integrity, discipline and leadership qualities.

"Compared to expatriates, Indonesians do have competitive qualifications in managerial fields. But they have to improve their English, integrity, discipline in relation to professionalism, and leadership qualities," Jon said.

AIMES notes that many multinational corporations prefer to hire expatriates rather than Indonesians. "Although it does not necessarily mean that the expats will do better than the Indonesians," Jon added.

Jon's company considers between 50 and 60 people daily, but only about six of these per month are sufficiently qualified and eventually directed to new employers.

"Fewer people are being referred now as there's been a drop in demand of 50 percent compared to four or five years ago. Many multinational corporations are still in the process of consolidation and are cutting back on hiring," he said.

Attitude

Novianti Hardi, Citibank's assistant vice president for cash and products management said she always examines the attitude of a candidate applying for a position in her division.

"I really value those who know their goals and how to reach out and grab them. It is also important to know that they are able to cooperate with others."

The candidate's education, career and family background are also essential.

"Someone does not have to be an overseas graduate to work at Citibank. Graduates of reputable local universities are as qualified as those who studied at overseas universities, except from a highly respected university like Harvard," she said.

According to Novianti, it is hard to assess a candidate who has changed his or her job or profession too frequently.

"There must be something wrong if a person change his job, say every year. Ideally, in the first year, someone is learning about the job. He or she will perform in the second year and will harvest in the third year. Then, most people will start to think about more challenges for career improvement. Because it is not good if you stick with the same position for years," she said.

She admitted that the turnover at Citibank was quite high. "It's really hard work. Someone needs real endurance to continue working here. The first three months are very tough and everyone should be prepared to work in a very fast paced environment."

Novianti said that she had frequently hired an executive search firm to help in recruiting new employees.

"Vacancies advertised in the newspapers are only one-way information. Through head hunters, both the candidate and the companies can carry out more in-depth investigations so that they can get more detailed information about each other," she said.

Businessman M.V. Adhiprabawa prefers to recruit new employees, particularly for managerial positions, by conducting interviews himself.

"It's going the opposite way at the moment. Headhunters are now being hunted by job seekers to help them find better careers. It's become common knowledge that sometimes the same names are being put forward by different headhunters," he said.

Tips

When the urge to change career comes on strong, there are a few basic things to consider: Are you ready for a career change? What are the steps to take so that the plan will succeed? Is it necessary to seek professional advice or go to a headhunter? And what sort of alternative career path might possibly suit you?

Ideally, you should undergo retraining before moving onto another career path. But this strategy may require a lot of time and resources that may be very difficult to afford.

For example, going to school or attending a course that suits the new career may take several weeks, months or even years to complete, not to mention the fees you will have to fork out. Unless you are still "young", such retraining could turn out to be impractical.

You will be lucky if you can use your work experience and expertise in your new career.

Changing career is a process that requires careful planning, which in turn requires that you know what you are going to do.

Diana Fell, a human resources development guru writes in The Human Internet that good planning should seek answers to the following questions: * Are you going to have to return to school? * Maybe just picking up a few new skills would do the trick * Can anyone mentor you? * Do you have experience that is (almost) applicable in the new job?

The next move is to write a curriculum vitae and market yourself.