YOUR PERSONAL ADVISER: CAREER

Q I need advice on how to deal with the many calls I have been receiving from headhunters. Since about a year ago, I have been getting about two calls a month. I am in my late 30s and married, and I have a good work-life balance in the company where I have been working for more than seven years. My wife is also a senior executive in a multinational organisation. We both travel regularly and do not have children.

I know that I am a highly marketable talent given my track record. Maybe it is because of the many calls from headhunters that I am now wondering: After seven years in one company and doing one job, is it time for me to make a move? If other companies are keen to hire me, why should I not leave?

Besides, I expect I should be able to command a pay rise when I move. What do you think would be a ballpark percentage for pay rises when one switches employers?

I recognise that I have a 'good' problem - but it is a problem, nevertheless. I hope not to make the wrong career decision. By the way, my wife is not keen on any career moves that would involve a relocation. Some of the prospective roles require a move to China. I have met a couple of headhunters but have always declined pursuing the opportunities.

A Receiving calls from headhunters is always flattering, and one should rightly feel good about it. How to respond to such calls is as much an art as it is a science. I have known some people who put callers off by slamming the phone down on them. You cannot make a worse mistake. Firstly, it is downright rude to slam the phone down on anyone. Secondly, my advice is always to use the opportunity to enhance your network of contacts.

Thus, although you may be perfectly happy with your current situation (employer, job, boss), do allocate some time, perhaps after office hours, to hear what the headhunter has to say. If there is a degree of interest, you can even go a step further and meet the headhunter. The rule of thumb is always to have the meeting in the headhunter's office, never over a meal where your colleagues, or even your boss, may chance upon you.

Your objectives should be twofold. One, to meet new people and enhance your network of contacts; and, two, to keep your options open. A word of caution: Do not mislead the headhunter into thinking you may have an interest in pursuing the opportunity offered by his client. Not only will you be wasting other people's time, but also, you may damage your own reputation.

Purely from a career management point of view, whether you should make a move or not depends on whether you are still able to learn and benefit from doing your current job. If you have been in the same role for seven years, there is a chance that the learning components of your job will be limited. This may not be the case if you have held multiple roles.

If the former is true, it could be a valid reason to start looking at other options, both within and outside your current company. Another rule of thumb: Try not to make career moves purely because of money.

Having said this, I feel that how much salary you should be asking for in a new job depends purely on one key factor: the value of the job you are considering moving into. Assuming your current job and the prospective one are similar in scope and size, you could be looking at a 20 to 30 per cent pay rise. If this is the case, my question to you would be: Why move for a similar-sized job? Unless you are satisfied that there is a potential win-win situation - that is, you can learn as much (or even more) as you will be contributing to the new job - you should question your own motivations for making that move.

An overseas posting is usually an attractive proposition, career-wise. Most come back to their home base with a 'larger pair of eyes' and enhanced marketability. But the opportunity also comes with a string of challenges. Usually, the string is longer for those with family encumbrances.

If you have not already done so, sit down and have a good talk with your wife, and understand her reasons for not supporting an overseas posting. Her concerns could be well-grounded or unwarranted. However, at the end of the day, it should ideally be a mutual 'Yes, let's go'.

Still, you should try your best not to accept an overseas posting that leaves your family behind. I have witnessed enough broken marriages and families to state categorically that you should not take the risk. It's never worth it.

Paul Heng
Founder, NeXT Career
Consulting Group, Asia