Want Stability? Get a Job at a Company that Promises Career Growth

By Vicky Oliver

Chances are, your dad or your dad’s dad knew someone who worked at IBM for 30 years. Now no one knows anyone who works anywhere for an entire career. We all change jobs frequently. Sometimes it can even feel like we are permanent freelancers, wandering from job to job, living paycheck to paycheck and paying for our own health insurance, if we can afford it.

No stability means you are always wondering whether you will be able to pay your bills on time, or whether you might be forced out of your home or apartment.

But what about today’s monolithic companies? Can’t they offer a measure of stability? Maybe yes, maybe no.

As recently as 10 years ago, if you were seeking job security, you tried to find work at one of the big-name companies. Getting in the door meant you could grow your career from within. Now even the so-called stable employers deserve a closer look.

Why? AI, of course.

How AI Is Reshaping Job Security

It is no myth that AI integration leads to large layoffs. Because big employers have the deepest coffers, they are the ones who can afford to automate. They are making hundreds, if not thousands, of positions obsolete for humans. You do not want to be among them. Do your homework so you are not an AI casualty at a company where you are seeking employment.

There are other paths to job stability worth considering. Smaller and mid-sized employers reward a closer look. Most of these businesses want to keep their loyal, upbeat, hard-working people, so they create opportunities for upward mobility. They may not be a household name yet, but they can be good places to get established.

As a job seeker searching for stability, look for an employer you feel you could commit to over the coming years, so you are not moving on after only a few months. Stability demands fidelity from both parties. Some jobs offer contracts, and a signed contract beats a handshake.

Not long ago, a friend of mine was promoted to a great position at the small company where she worked. An avid mountain biker, she had always liked the vibe of her neighborhood outdoor sports shop, one of a small chain of stores across the western states. After joining the rental department, her cheerful demeanor and reliability led to a promotion overseeing it.

When her manager asked her to give a presentation on customer service at the company retreat, she took the assignment seriously. Her talk was a huge hit, winning her praise from the company’s leadership. Less than a week later, she was offered a career-advancing role on the marketing team. Attitude and aptitude carried her far at a company she believed in.

Six Ways to Gauge Stability Before You Take the Job

When you are trying to assess the stability of a position with a potential employer, use these tips as your checklist.

1. Check for obsolescence. Is the position you are considering one that could be easily automated? Some careers are particularly vulnerable, including parts of customer service, project management, technology, finance, and administration. If your background sits in an occupation that AI can replace, consider a pivot or additional training that positions you for a role that still requires human involvement.
2. Assess the career paths available. Study the company’s website to understand its levels of hierarchy and where you might fit, as well as advance. You can also use LinkedIn to find current or former employees and hear their perspectives. Keep in mind that at a very small company, turnover may be infrequent and you could have a long wait. If the company is family owned and run, you could be passed over by the next generation.
3. Confirm the employer invests in skill-building. Tap your network to find someone who can introduce you to a current manager. If that works out, ask whether you can meet and hear their views, and run these other checklist items past them too. Ideally your contact sits at a higher level than the role you want, so they do not see you as a threat. Otherwise, you may need to reach someone in HR. Ask specific rather than generic questions, such as who is eligible, what types of training exist, and what percentage of staff receive it.
4. Investigate whether senior staff mentor junior employees. With any luck, the company will highlight its mentoring or coaching program on its website (check under “culture” or “employee benefits” tabs). Otherwise, ask current or former employees directly. If neither option is available, ask this specific question during the hiring process.
5. Explore how well the company keeps pace with its industry. Look through the company’s annual report to learn about its research and development investment. Check any innovation claims against the wider industry. Search online for industry recognition tied to breakthroughs in products, services, or other innovations.
6. Determine culture fit. A company’s culture will not always match its stated mission and values, so investigate further. Find current or former employees who can give you insight. If it is a storefront you can visit, watch how staff treat one another, whether they seem happy or downtrodden, and whether the group is diverse or homogenous. Otherwise, wait for an interview to ask about the work environment and what types of workers succeed there.

Finding stability in your next career move will ease the financial pressure of job hopping or long stretches of unemployment. Your groundwork and research will pay off over the long term. Just be sure to prioritize roles that align with your skills, interests, and values, alongside an employer’s willingness to invest in you.

About the Author

Vicky Oliver is a career development author whose books include Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers & Other Office Idiots (Sourcebooks, 2008) and 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions (Sourcebooks, 2005). She is a speaker and seminar presenter and a frequent media source, having made hundreds of appearances in broadcast, print, and online outlets. Vicky Oliver is the Nonfiction Editor and an Art Editor at LIT Magazine, the journal of the New School Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, and she teaches essay writing at the New York Writers Workshop. She co-hosts the Resilient Women series podcast for Relatable Media. For more information, visit vickyoliver.com.