Job Hopping – Is it good or bad for my career?

I have often been asked, “Is job hopping good or bad?” Answering it one way or the other is an over generalization of people and their needs. There are perhaps hundreds of reasons and unique circumstances behind job changes. It’s safe to assume that some of these reasons are good while others are not and can be avoided. Let’s take a closer look.

I have taken the liberty to classify all employed people into four major types based on their observed behaviours in reference to job changes. You are likely to find one of these types as your dominant type. To know what is your type, read on.

a) The Rolling Stones — people who are always on the move. It’s almost a religion to them. They can’t and they won’t stick to the same job (same or different employer) for a long time. They tend to be a lot more restless and get easily bored with their current job.

If you are one of them, you run the danger of being labelled as a “rolling stone” after a few changes at the beginning of your career. By the time you move into your mid-career, your potential future employers are likely to express concerns on your job stability. Some of the interviewers may even be prejudiced enough not to consider you for an important position. For others, you may have to toil hard to justify each of the changes.

Of course, there are others (interviewers and hiring managers) who may consider it as your strength. The very fact that you have been selected time and again by different employers is a testimony of your talent and expertise. They may well be aware that you are not being hired for next 20 years, but even if you stay for next couple of years, it’s worth hiring you.

If you are a ‘Rolling Stone’, it’s certainly not your fault. And I am not asking you to change either. However, I have a few suggestions for your consideration:

i) Don’t burn too many bridges. When you make a job change, make it as pleasant as you can. Work on a smooth job transition and do everything you can to ensure that your employer does not suffer any serious damage. Show gratitude for giving you an opportunity to work and do keep in touch. If you are a smart guy, you are likely to get one or more chances to come back and work for your previous employers.

ii) When you apply for a new job, don’t try to give them an impression that you have taken a rebirth and from now onward, you will work for the same company for the rest of your life! Well, you don’t need to tell in advance that you won’t be there after 2 years (statistically speaking), but neither should you try to over-justify your reasons behind the previous job changes. For heaven’s sake, don’t bad mouth your previous employers as a poor justification of why you have deserted them. As you may be aware, bad mouthing is a sin not many interviewers tolerate.

iii) While searching for new job, look for companies which are less prejudiced and more progressive in nature. Let them hire you solely based on what you can do for them now without getting bogged down by your "stability" concern..

iv) Stay confident (which you are likely to be anyway!). If you are really good, there are enough employers who will be ready to hire you.

b) The Rock Solids — almost the opposite of the rolling stones. They are loyal and they are passive. They give their best to stay with the current employer and build a career there. They become pillars of the organizations they work with and do not get easily perturbed with the potential lucrative opportunities outside. They are known for their high stability and loyalty. Most of them happen to do well in the long run unless the organizations they work with are fragile and runs the risk of dying prematurely.

If you are one of them, be assured that there is nothing wrong about it. In fact, it's a great career option if the organization is an empowering one and allows you to explore opportunities internally, helps you learn new skills and keep building your career within the same organization. There is no reason to change if you get learning, earning and fun from the same organization.

Being in the same company for a long time gives you time and opportunity to develop depth in what you do. Besides depth, it provides a sense of belonging and many close friends. These are important gains from a life and family perspective. Your stability is also an asset. While you might not have developed the job hunting skill, you don’t need to hunt a lot of jobs either. You perhaps don’t need more than a few jobs before you retire!

On the downside, you run the risk of becoming a victim of an unfortunate downturn in your company. While you may be fully aware of the volatility of jobs, you never thought it could happen to you. You might have put your complete faith on your managers and you might have never thought that your company can be in any kind of serious stress . Unfortunately, there is very little help your management can offer during a killer downturn. You may find yourself totally under-prepared to find a new job. In fact, you are unlikely to have a resume in place!

Here are a few suggestions for you to consider:

i) Don’t be blind-sighted to ‘nothing can happen to me because I am a star performer in my company’. Be aware of the job market, your employability and any potential signs of lay-offs that may impact you.

ii) Don't take advantage of the stability offered by your company. It is your responsibility to keep learning and building competencies as demanded by the job market. As long as you can demonstrate your skills, getting job is not going to be an issue. Being "stable" will add a virtue to your resume as many employers like to hire "stable" people.

iii) When you need to make a change for voluntary or involuntary reasons, choose a company where you can look for a relatively stable job. Remember that stability is part of our nature and you may see a higher chance of success in a company that promotes empowerment, loyalty and stability. Have patience and give yourself time before you take up your next job. You are not the type who can change jobs frequently.

iv) You may also look at entrepreneurship as a career option and start your own venture. It is likely to provide you long term stability..

c) The Short-sighted Opportunists — they tend to react to opportunities and panics. They often change jobs for very short term gains (sometimes even for an extra 5-10% salary hike) or accepts whatever jobs comes their way when they are in a state of panic. Often they don’t have a clear goal on what they really want and run after small wins.

If you are one of them, you run the danger of becoming a Jack of all trades but master of none. Job is a place to learn and you need to give yourself sufficient time to master whatever subject you are working on. An impulsive job change simply can jeopardize your learning process, your relationship with your employer and may create a bad name for you.

In a fast growing industry, employers are often under pressure to ramp up fast. Sometimes they do take a greedy approach to hire people by tempting them with handsome salary hikes and lucrative parks. Unfortunately, your performance does not depend on what salary you are hired at. It’s the other way. If you are not up to the mark, your new employer won’t hesitate to dump you for better talents. Even if you can manage a few opportunistic changes at the beginning of your career, these opportunistic changes are unlikely to be aligned to any long term career goals. So the feel good factor associated with few quick gains vanishes quickly and you may put your long term career at risk.

Here are a few suggestions for you to consider:

i) Don’t be too short-sighted to believe that the best way to increase your salary is through demanding handsome raises during job changes. While it may work for a few, it won’t work in the long term.

ii) At the early stage of your career, your primary focus should be investing on learning and establishing yourself as an expert on at least one domain/technology/function. If you fail to develop ‘depth’, your career growth will be limited and after a few years may stall completely.

iii) Have a long term focus and align your job changes to your life/career goals so that you can remain employable throughout your active work life.

iv) Think twice before you make the next impulsive job change. Talk to someone you trust or a career mentor before making a decision. The grass on the other side always looks green. Make it a rational and informed decision.

d) The Persistent Career-pursuers — they are sharply focused on their careers and tend to have a very good sense of what they want in the long run. They change jobs proactively based on what is needed to move closer to their career goals

If you are one of them, you are blessed. You know it very well that job hopping is neither good nor bad. You look at every job as an opportunity to learn, earn and having fun. You are rock solid with a company that empowers you and helps you build your career. At the same time, you don't hesitate to move out of a company that does not provide right opportunities to you.

Honestly, I don't have any advice for you. You are fully aware of what you want and you do your own home work that includes talking to career mentors and reading about the industry trends,

Looking forward to your feedback and views. Please do share with your network, if you found it useful

Best Regards,

Dr Susanta Misra, Founder and CEO,

NICEFIT Career Consulting and NICEFIT Innovations

www.nicefit.in, [email protected]

ps: This article is adapted from one of my past blogs.