avatarPeter Tilsen

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Resign, But Be Smart About It!

The current tech job market is completely out of bounds! Consider this if you want to succeed

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

When it comes to changing your job, you not only should make the right choice, but also make your choice right.

It is without any disputable doubt that the tech job market since the immensely large Reduction in Force (RIF) waves we’ve seen in early 2023, and over the course of the entire year, including most recent observations in 2024, have heavily impacted thousands of highly qualified individuals.

On top of involuntary departures, many have come to a point where a job change seems about the right step. During close to 3 years of a devastating and life-changing pandemic, many were in a state of paralysis.

In light of uncertainty due to hiring freezes, market and user demand transformations, employees held on to a safe spot. This all has now come to an end. Many have accumulated a long enough tenure to break out of their status quo. They are ready for a new chapter.

Read on if this describes your situation.

The new chapter

Just a few months back, and in anticipation of a more relaxed situation in the job market, with FAANG slowly but cautiously reopening requisitions, I had the opportunity to discuss above observations with some leadership folks here at Amazon.

Our conversations about mechanisms and activities that leadership could action to buffer some of our concerns revealed something enormously important, and certainly quite evident of our peculiar culture.

While acknowledging the risk of a “diaspora“ — the mass migration of employees, we extensively explored means to support successful transfers within the organization.

The idea behind this is that, under certain circumstances the wisest recommendation is to fully embrace individual decisions and lay ground for healthy career growth. To help individuals who are motivated to move, we analyzed a simple, yet extremely powerful mind-model.

Three dimensions

The team found convergence, reaching a common understanding of a pragmatic recipe to change jobs, without taking a big hit in productivity. The idea is to become cognizant of three dimensions: Skillset, Business, and Market.

Let’s dissect:

Skillset obviously represents one’s ability to meet their role’s functional and non-functional requirements.

Business represents a person’s sensitivity towards role specific business indicators. These are internal and/or external KPIs.

Market understanding is crucial to succeeding at almost any profession. As per the economical definition of the term, the Market is a “composition of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations or infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange”.

The conclusion is that transferees should consider changing only one of the three dimensions. The more dimensions they change the further they leave their comfort zone, and the lower the probability of rapid wins and immediate success.

So, what have I learned?

Should you look into changing your current role, think twice about how much you are willing to risk. What are you willing to compromise on, and where are you brave enough to enter a new and unknown variation of either dimension: Skill, Business, or Market?

Personal Growth
New Job
Decisions
Career Change
Career Development
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