Is job hopping a bad thing?
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13/12/2022
When we look at candidates’ resumes, we tend to be instantly put off by short tenure lengths assuming that the reason is they have performed badly and been unsuccessful in their role due to performance. We may assume that they have been fired for their poor performance. However, this may not be the case and it is worth exploring why. Increasingly candidates of all ages are exploring contract and casual roles to remain challenged and acquire new skills. They want to embrace short-term roles for a variety of reasons whether it be to try diverse companies and roles, gain a skillset and have a chance for greater autonomy. It is always worth exploring and asking questions to see if there were good reasons and to understand what motivates a candidate, this is a good way of finding those red flags. So, what does an employer look for and take into consideration?
LARGE GAPS BETWEEN JOBS
This can be a red flag. Many candidates will take career breaks or some kind of extended personal leave due to family circumstances. However multiple gaps can be a red flag as this can suggest that the candidate is not motivated and unfocused or lacks skills.
THE STIGMA
Employers will always be wary of job hopping. The first impressions are that the candidate will not be loyal and leave, which turns out to be a waste of time and expense for an employer after investing in induction and training.
THE REMOTE WORKING EXPERIENCE, COVID AND CHANGING ROLES
The Covid pandemic in the last few years had a huge impact and has changed the ways of working and remote working is much more common. During the peak of the pandemic, candidates may have had to change roles especially if they worked in a job where they were unable to work from home. However, working from home is not suited to everyone so if you are in an organisation where remote working is essential, it is worth considering a candidate who has had to change roles due to remote working, this candidate will be able to adapt to a degree of resilience.
DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND EXPERIENCE
Candidates who have multiple jobs benefit from working with a variety of methodologies and resources. They can have valuable skills and experience with a fresh knowledge base and experiences of best practices. They are very likely to bring new ideas and a fresh perspective and potentially have broader access to resources and are more receptive to continuous learning and keeping their skills up to date to remain current in their industry.
ENTHUSIASM AND PRODUCTIVITY
Changing jobs can energise people who tend to have passion and excitement when starting a new role. They tend to be able to hit the ground running with an array of skills and can adapt well to a shorter learning curve and be more productive and flexible.
POSITIVE JOB HOPPING
There can be reasonable and professional reasons why a candidate has changed jobs frequently. These can include being offered a great opportunity that was too great to pass on, better salary and benefits, like work/life balance or a change to relocate nationally or overseas.
Job hoppers can bring diverse skills and experience and work for different organisations can bring the ability to adapt to different work environments including various team structures, management, and operational styles. They can draw on their experience and offer fresh perspectives and insights. So, when you are next reviewing a resume of a job hopper, take a minute to consider what you could potentially be missing out on. The candidate could become a valuable asset to your team, they could have left roles due to a toxic work culture or difficult manager, most employees tend to leave organisations because of poor leadership and not necessarily because of the job they were in.
