The Two Sides of Job Hopping
Most of us have changed jobs at some time or the other during the course of our careers. While the shift is enforced on us at times, there are others when we have deliberately chosen to move to greener shores or better prospects of our own volition. But there are some people who follow the path of butterflies flitting from one flower to another and move from company to company, never staying long enough to really make an impression or achieve new heights. Job hopping is seen as a necessity by such people, either because they are bored after a while and need something more challenging or because they are always looking for a higher pay packet. While employers view job hopping as adverse to their interests, this process has both pros and cons for the employee.
Among the advantages are…
- Job hopping is beneficial when you’re hoping to the job that best suits your skill set and temperament. If you stay on at a job that you do not like simply because you’re scared to test the waters at other companies, you’ll soon be a washed out, jaded caricature of your former self.
- Changing jobs often helps to retain that air of newness in whatever you do. Staying on at one job for a long time becomes monotonous and routine after a while, especially if you’re not offered anything in the way of new challenges and achievements.
- You learn more as you move from one job to another; even if you’re in the same industry, you amass knowledge about new ways to do old things and you build a network of relationships with the different people you come across.
- Job hopping works when the talent is rare in the market and you’re in possession of a good education with a skill set to match.
- Job hopping is a good way to beat salary compression, the phenomenon where new hires are offered a higher pay packet than their more experienced colleagues simply because of higher market salary rates.
The disadvantages include…
- Employees who job hop on a regular basis do not find favor with new employers after a while as they are seen as liabilities rather than assets. Organizations spend a large amount of money on training new personnel and are not too pleased when they up and leave just as they are beginning to settle in. If you’ve been through five jobs in as many years, you will be going into a new job interview with five biases against you.
- Job hopping is difficult when you have a retirement plan. You have to either leave your 401(k) behind or roll it over into a new plan at your new job. If you decide to neither and withdraw the money, there’s the temptation to blow it all away on frivolous expenses. If you’re steady and disciplined, you have 60 days to invest it in a new savings plan that qualifies for tax benefits.
The key to making job hopping work for you positively is to update your resume in such a way that you manage to highlight your achievements in each company you’ve been with. Win over your new employers with the fact that you’re not moving because of issues with colleagues and superiors or any other negative experience but because you feel the need to prove yourself beyond the level you’ve achieved so far. It’s easier to find new jobs if you’re a high flyer who manages to make a mark in a short time.
By-line:
This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of pediatric nursing. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.