Job: Why you should change jobs after seven years

It used to be very simple: you looked for a company, did your apprenticeship there and stayed – ideally until you retire. But if you wanted to make a career, you should change jobs after three years at the latest, was the next rule of thumb that persisted. And anyone who left the company after less than two years was considered a professional failure. You should hold out for 24 months.

The time limit of seven years has now been set. If you want to advance professionally, you should leave the company by then at the latest. But why seven years? What is it about the myth?

Change of job in Germany

First of all: the desire for a secure job is still high. And Germans stay loyal to their job for quite a long time on average: If employees stayed with a company for an average of 10.1 years in 1985, it was already in 2014. So length of service is growing. With this value, Germany ranks in the middle of Europe: The Danes change on average after 7.8 years, the Italians stay with one employer for 12.2 years.

Experts are critical of this loyalty to the employer. They advise you to change jobs after three to five years, at the latest after seven years. A new task in the company is a good thing, it would be better to leave the employer too. But why this assessment?

The seven levels of job motivation

In fact, companies are also subject to constant change. And thus the requirement profile for the employees also changes. If you don’t want to leave the company involuntarily at some point, you have to adapt to these changes and learn. How long the time should be with an employer also depends on the industry: In fast-moving areas such as advertising or marketing, three years are sometimes enough to look for new challenges. In other industries, seven years is definitely advisable in order to switch. According to the 2012 EU Labor Force Survey, the most loyal employees are those in mining, who statistically stay with an employer for 18.8 years. This is followed by public administration (17.6 years) and banks and insurance companies (15.2 years).

But not only the companies go through phases – the employees do this too. According to the portal, there are seven phases:

1. Enthusiasm

You start a new job and start highly motivated. In this job cycle, employees are committed, but also unsettled because they are not yet familiar with the processes.

2. Sadness

After a few months, the first setback usually comes – and the question of whether the job change was really such a good idea. The old job is glorified. You have to get through this phase, because there were good reasons to leave the company.

3. settle in

You are still commuting between phase 1 and 2, while you work your way in and take on more and more responsibility. In this phase, motivation increases again – it usually lasts for a year. Commitment and top performance are inevitable.

4. Stability

Nobody can give permanent fire at work, so a good, but not excessive, level of performance settles in this phase.

5. Top form

The fifth phase again stands for greater willingness to perform – because this section is often also about hierarchical advancement. According to experts, this phase usually begins in the third year and can even last for years. However, this peak performance can seldom be sustained for more than five years.

6. Change

After the go-around, there is usually a descent: You ask whether it’s all worth it. Whether the job still fits. This is also where the first major problems with colleagues or superiors usually arise. Dissatisfaction grows. This phase would be ideal for a job change. But changes are avoided. Often times, employees hope that this is only a short phase.

7. The way down

Those who have sat out phase 6 will now be drawn into a downward spiral in section 7. The performance declines, stress-related illnesses occur. Anyone who is in this phase will have to leave the company – either to save themselves or because the employer is separating from the employee.