When your former colleague calls and asks you to join them at a new company, your first feeling may be excitement. A new opportunity, a different working environment and perhaps a more attractive salary. But is this really a golden opportunity or just a potential trap?
“Job hopping” will have new opportunities?
Ms. Ngoc (27 years old, living in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), a communications specialist, has worked for 3 years at a fairly famous company. Everything was stable until she received a call from Ms. Lan, a former colleague who had moved to a technology startup company.
Ms. Lan invited Ms. Ngoc to transfer to her company because there were many vacant positions. This former colleague talked about new opportunities, creative projects and promised a dynamic and friendly working environment.
Hearing the attractive invitation, Ms. Ngoc decided to change companies. She said that at first she was very excited and had many new experiences. She was also offered a higher salary and benefits.
However, after a period of working, she realized that the company had many problems. She had to handle many tasks and work overtime, which made Ms. Ngoc feel stressed and pressured.
“Perhaps, I was too hasty in deciding to change jobs. Not to mention the difficulties at work, I also felt embarrassed when meeting my boss at my previous company. They were the ones who guided and supported me from the beginning, and also supported me wholeheartedly in my work. Yet I left for a little immediate benefit,” Ms. Ngoc shared.
Similarly, Mr. Nhat Hao (23 years old, in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City) also received an invitation to change jobs from a former colleague. Although he was swayed by the benefits offered, he was still determined to stay.
“I just graduated and want to find a stable company to stay with for at least 2 or 3 years. At my current company, I am still receiving good benefits and treatment from my superiors, so there is no reason to change jobs. If I keep changing jobs based on my emotions, it will be very disadvantageous for me in the future. Instead of looking at the green grass and the other grass, I will try to develop and make a lot of effort to soon get promoted, get a raise, and improve my own value,” said Mr. Hao.
Consider carefully before accepting a former colleague’s invitation to “jump ship”
Consider before “job hopping”
Ms. Nhat Linh (22 years old, living in Ho Chi Minh City) shared that she was also invited by her old colleague to work at a new company in the field of communications and events. Her colleague listed many strengths of the company for Ms. Linh, however, Ms. Linh did not rush to make a decision but considered her colleague’s invitation carefully.
“I often compare my current job and the new job such as: salary, benefits, opportunities for personal development, whether the new company culture is suitable for me or not, and whether the new company is stable in terms of finance and human resources. In addition, whether the new company is suitable for my career goals or not. After finding out objective information and considering subjective factors, I found that the new company is not really suitable for me,” said Ms. Linh.
Ms. Linh added that if we receive an invitation from an old colleague to work at a new company, we should first thank them. If we do not accept the invitation, we should politely and tactfully decline and show respect to our colleagues. We should not speak ill of the new company or compare the two companies, because these things will affect our future recruitment opportunities.
The decision to move to a new company with your old colleagues or not depends on your specific situation and career goals. So consider carefully before making a decision.