Job hopping is becoming an increasingly more common practice. While there is nothing wrong with it intrinsically, and in fact it can have benefits for the hoppers, there are some other considerations to note before leaving your current role. This guide will give you a brief run down on the dos and don’ts of job hopping.
How It Looks to Employers
If you job hop regularly, this can be a warning sign for your future employers. Consider this: you have two candidates for a role. One has an exceptional career hopping from job to job: outstanding achievements, a history of setting and achieving goals. The other is less stellar, but more steady. The work still gets done, but in a less flashy manner, and they have a work history of only a few employers. As a recruiter, which one will you choose? Most likely, it will be the less stellar, more stable employee – that way, you can still accomplish the work while reducing overhead and onboarding costs.
Remember, employers like stability. Stability is predictable and so they can plan ahead. Businesses rarely do well in unstable environments. Unpredictability frequently costs more money. The same applies to an employee that won’t be at a company long. The predictability of employee #2 makes them an infinitely more promising venture.
The Pros of Job Hopping
There are a lot of benefits to hopping from job to job. One of them is you are likely able to negotiate more money or better benefits for your work. Many people argue that the next shiny object, in this case, a new job, is better due to a pay raise or other personal or professional benefits. This is a reasonable idea, and one worth considering. Likewise, you might be able to promote from without, that is, not from within your current company. Career advancement and being able to learn about additional skills and industries might be a great way to make yourself more desirable in the future to other employers.
The Cons of Job Hopping
Just like there are plenty of reasons to job hop, there might be a reason to stay where you are, too. Job hopping can make you look unreliable or noncommittal to prospective employers. Do you have good reason(s) for leaving past employers? That will become a common interview question for all future interviews. Likewise, have you actually developed relationships or knowledge of an industry if you are frequently moving around? These are legitimate questions to ask yourself. You better belief recruiters and hiring managers will ask them.
Job hopping has its rewards, but also risks. Take all of them seriously when deciding what you should do next to improve your career.
