I came across this interesting article from EzineArticles today about how to retain Generation X employees for longer periods of time. His analysis is pretty good, I especially agree with his thoughts on Generation X’s need for constant job movement as a form of career security. He also makes some excellent suggestions as to how you can go about preventing this exodus from happening. They aren’t anything new, but more companies would be wise to implement them.

I’m really interested to see what other people think of this situation, drop me a line in the comments if you would like to discuss.

Without further ado, here’s the article:

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Are you considering quitting your job? Would you know if you are even ready to quit? This is a very important decision to make, and should not be taken lightly. However, you would be surprised how many people rush into this decision and then almost immediately regret it afterwards.

With this in mind, I’ve come up with the following three questions that you should ask yourself BEFORE you quit your job.

• Do you DREAD going to work every day? - Let’s clarify this: There is a big difference between “Dread” and “Not feeling like it”. The second option is what most of us feel on an occasional basis. Maybe we’re tired, hung-over, or what have you. However, dreading going to work is a whole new ball game. Every day, you hate going to work. It might even make you feel a little bit sick to your stomach. Sometimes, you call off sick because you just can’t stand going to work that day. This is dread. If you’re feeling like this, then that’s a good sign you might want to get a new job.

• Does your attention constantly wander at work? - Most people cruise the internet every once and awhile at work, just to take a small break from whatever they’re working on. However, in this case, you are constantly doing something, anything, besides working. You know you have deadlines, but you just don’t care (more on this in the next question). Excessively long lunch breaks, wandering around the office constantly, cruising the internet all the time, these are all symptoms that you might not be satisfied with your current job.

• Do you care about what you produce? - This is another big one. If your work comes out great, good for you. If not, no big loss. That’s how this kind of attitude works. Basically, if you don’t care about the outcome of your assignments, then you probably need a new job OR a new role on your current job (big “OR” here). The “OR” here is important because this might just signal that you need a new project or task to work on. Before you take the drastic step of quitting, you should investigate whether or not there is something else you could be doing in your current job that would be more satisfying.

The thing to keep in mind here is that you don’t necessarily have to answer “Yes” to all three of these questions to show that you’re ready to quit your job. Maybe only one of these apply, maybe only two. Conversely, just because you answer “Yes” to one or all three of these questions, it also doesn’t mean that you have to quit your job. Keep in mind that only you can end up making this decision, these questions are meant to act as more of a guide to help you make it rather than making it for you.

Are you in the market for a new job? Are you still employed? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then you should check out this new article on looking for a new job while still being employed before you start your search.

Quitting your job might be one of the trickiest situations that you can encounter. However, even trickier than quitting your job occurs right before you quit your job: Looking for a new job. When it comes down to it, you could quit your job before getting a new one if you have to. In my experience, it’s much more preferable to have something lined up before you quit your job. The question then becomes, how do you go about doing this?

Here are three things you should do in order to look for a new job while still being employed AND not burning any bridges along the way:

• Tell your boss - Does this sound crazy? Actually, it’s exactly the opposite. This is probably the best thing that you can do before you start looking for a new job. More than likely, if a new employer is interested in you, they are going to call your references. If you are even on decent terms with your current job, then you have someone there as a reference on your resume. Even if it’s not your boss, if they get a call then your boss is going to find out about it. This is not the way you want to keep on good terms with your current job. Schedule a meeting and tell your boss that you are planning on looking for a new job. Make sure you have the reasons that you are leaving ready beforehand to discuss with them. They will appreciate that you are giving them a heads-up as to your imminent departure, and coming from you is the best way they can hear about it.

• Don’t look at work - This is another biggie. You should avoid looking for a new job while at work at all costs. Looking for a new job at work (basically not doing any work for your current job) will certainly rub people the wrong way. This is a surefire method for getting a bad reference from your current employer. If you absolutely have to, such as you need to call someone from a possible new employer, do it on your lunch break and/or in private. Also, you should minimize the time at work that you are using to do this (taking two hours out of your work day is not suggested).

• Keep working hard - I’ve seen this happen a lot. Once someone starts looking for a new job, they quickly lose all interest in working hard in their current position. Again, this can mean nothing but bad things for you. You need to keep working hard regardless of the fact that you plan on leaving. Not only will your boss appreciate this, but your co-workers as well. You never know who you will work with or for in the future, so it’s best to not anger anybody by slacking off at the last moment.

One of the most important rules of business is this: Don’t burn any bridges on your way out. This may not always be possible, but you should do your best to make it happen. As I stated above, you never know who you will be working with or for five years from now. One of the people you work with now could be the person who decides whether or not you get hired in the future.

Getting a promotion is equivalent to taking that next step on the corporate ladder. You may have a lot of rungs to climb, but that’s one less rung you have to worry about. All in all, it’s a great feeling. This is why getting a promotion is the single most important goal for most people in the workplace today.

However, before you look to take that next step, you need to make sure you are ready for it. While I’m sure you’re ready for the money (If they promote you but don’t give you a raise, I’d high tail it out of there as you’re basically doing extra work for free), are you ready for the responsibility?

With that question in mind, here are three things to think about before you take that next step in your career:

• Do you know what this new position entails? - This sounds like common sense, but I’ve definitely come across people who have no idea what to expect in their newly promoted positions. While I’m not saying that you have to know the intimate day to day details (you’ll learn a lot of this on the job), you need to have a general understanding of what responsibilities this position entails and what will be expected of you. If you walk in completely blind, you’re almost guaranteed to have a rough time of it. A good idea is to talk to someone already in that position and get a feel for what they do.

• Are you ready to manage others? - This may not apply to your new position, but if you are going to be managing other people then you need to be ready for it. Most likely, if you are up for a management position, then you have had some experience with it. However, if you haven’t, try to get some experience before you take your new position. An example of this would be volunteering to take charge of an assignment, where other people would be working with you to get it done. It will be a lot easier to manage people in your new position if you have done it in your current position. I know it might not be possible (sometimes you don’t have a say in it), but you should try to get some experience if you can.

• Are you ready to be held accountable? - This is a big one. While you may have some accountability in your current position, most likely this level of accountability will increase when you get promoted. Even more likely, you will be held accountable for the work of others. You need to make sure that you are ready to be held accountable for everything that your new position is responsible for. For example, in your current position, you might be accountable for your software design. However, when you get promoted, you might be accountable for ALL of the software designs. Inline with the above two points, you need to be ready not only to perform the responsibilities of your new role, but also be ready to take the heat if necessary. Don’t fret though, it’s not all bad. If everything goes right, you’re in a position to get great PR for yourself.

I’d like to reiterate that getting a promotion is a very important step in your career. While the above are great points to consider before you start your new role, you also have to factor in that no matter how much prep work you do you will learn A LOT on the job. Don’t be afraid of getting promoted, just make sure that you do as much prep work as possible so that you do a great job right from the start.