[K-Women Talk] Preparing for a 'Job Change Project' with a Three-Year Cycle

Proactive Career Management
Supporting Thorough Planning and Execution
with Tools Like "Mandarat" and "One Point Up"

Job changes have become a daily occurrence. According to statistics from the recruitment platform 'Remember,' experienced hires with 5 to 16 years of experience account for 80% of all recruitments. Career job changes have become mainstream in the hiring market, especially among those in their late 20s to late 30s, reflecting a new paradigm shift in recruitment. Large corporations' open recruitment has already become a 'myth,' and recently, news of layoffs related to large companies has been heard quite frequently.

In the past, when employees joined large corporations or conglomerates, the company would design their career paths. They provided diverse experiences through rotational assignments and presented growth routes via promotion ladders. However, things are different now. One must manage their career proactively, treating job changes like a 'project.' In other words, successful job changes require thorough planning and execution.

Recently, through a forum hosted by Asia Economy, I had the opportunity to meet author Jung Yoo-jung, famous for works such as 'Seven Years of Night,' '28,' and 'Origin of Species.' When asked about the secret behind her delicate descriptions and details, she said that each work usually takes about three years, with much time spent on related research. After a long period of seclusion, when the work is completed, she spends about one or two months engaging with people externally, then returns to another three years of seclusion. This made me think that even if one cannot put in the effort of a bestselling author, it might be worthwhile to plan career milestones or 'Hot Buttons' in cycles of three years as a way to manage one’s career.

There is no need to strictly fix it at three years, but in the past, large corporations implicitly recommended candidates who had changed jobs fewer than three times in ten years as a guideline. In fact, frequent job changes within less than two to three years do not benefit one’s career.

As an actionable plan for considering job changes, why not use the 'Mandarat' method, known as the secret to MLB star Shohei Ohtani’s success? Mandarat is a goal-setting method using a 3×3 grid, placing the core goal in the center and arranging eight detailed goals around it.

For example, if the central goal is 'Job change to Company A’s marketing team,' the surrounding eight boxes could include 'Obtain digital marketing certification,' 'Achieve project results,' 'Build industry network,' 'Enhance foreign language skills,' 'Improve data analysis skills,' 'Create related portfolio,' 'Research industry trends,' and 'Strengthen current job expertise.'

Just as important as planning is the need for an effective execution strategy to utilize the three-year period efficiently. Professor Kim Nan-do’s 'One Point Up' strategy introduced in 'Trend Korea 2025' is worth considering. It is the concept of growing by at least one small step every day, emphasizing consistent progress even if small.

To enhance the effect of One Point Up, it is good to use 'Minimal Habit.' That is, instead of setting overly large goals, start with small habits that can be done in as little as two minutes. For example, "Read one sentence of an English original text today," or "Clip one piece of industry news," gradually increasing the level over time. It is also recommended to build a personal reward system during this process. Assign points for daily actions and give yourself small rewards when a certain number of points accumulate.

Start now. To reach the position you desire in three years, plan and act on what you need to do starting today.

Moon Seon-kyung, Executive Director, Unico Search

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.