Sir Change-Jobs-A-Lot…the Good & the Bad

The “Job Hopper” debate has been a long-standing one, especially in the technology industry, and continues to be a notorious concern for companies and recruiters looking to find quality talent.

So, what exactly is “job hopping” and why do professionals continue to do it?Dr. John Sullivan, an HR thought leader from Silicon Valley, states that “a ‘job jumper’ or ‘job hopper’ is a recruiting prospect who has had short tenures with several employers.”

Historically speaking, job hopping has been looked at as a “No-No” in most industries. Employers have passed on talented candidates regardless of experience once they are categorizes as frequent job changers. In recent years, the job hopping debate has morphed in the sense that some companies, especially in the technology sector, find it to be advantageous – if done for the right reasons. For example, I have noticed that many of my clients are somewhat specifically looking for architects and engineers who have bounced around every few years. Their reasoning for this is that the frequent changes allow these professionals to gain valuable technical knowledge and expertise within different cultures and environments, which technologists need to keep current in today’s highly competitive market.

Ryan Kahn, the founder of The Hired Group (and star of MTV’s Hired) agrees with today’s theories of job hopping, “In the past, this would have been something that would deter employers – but because of its frequency today, job hopping is replacing the concept of climbing the corporate ladder.”

Below are some pros and cons to job hopping.

PROS:

1. A Diverse Background -Spanning from experience with different industries, company size and culture, management styles, and job specific challenges.

2. A Growing Network- And access to a vast amount resources and information.

3. Higher Salary- Loyalty does not always equal more pay- most job hoppers move because of higher salary potential.

4. More Open to Change- With new opportunities comes varying amounts of flexibility, risk, and versatility as well as the opportunity to show off some of a candidate’s best attributes.

CONS:

1. Hesitancy to Hire- Some employers continue to be hesitant to invest in a job hopper, since it seems to infer to future employers that this person will continue to jump. Career Builder published a survey in 2014 that found that “43% of employers will not consider a candidate who has had short tenures with several employers.”

2. Job Security – History has shown that job hoppers have been the first to get laid off given their track record of short tenures. This is because employers fear that a hopper will leave after a short period of time and question their long-term value and reliability.

3. Burned Bridges- Job Hopping potentially leads to burned bridges, damaged relationships, and trust issues.

4. Not “Seeing it Through”- A technologist that moves often never truly experiences the satisfaction of finishing the product or service he or she has been working on due to the longer life cycle.

My honest opinion? There are advantages and disadvantages that come with job hopping- if you do it for the right reasons, then it is justified and probably a good life choice! A family member of mine has taught me that the most important thing for a professional to know is that regardless of where you work, or how long you have been there, you were in some way or form a critical component to the success of the project and/or company… and that “sir” (or madam), is something to be proud of!

-Nick