Why is job hopping so bad?

ms.prong

I have "job hopped" since I left school. I left school with only GCSEs albeit good results but I was not interested in studying further. I wanted to get out there and start earning money. This basically meant that I would have to start at the bottom and work my way up.

To do this I have moved jobs every 6 months - 2 years and I am earning really good money now, espcially for someone my age (24)

The whole job hopping thing has never been a problem for me, when asked I am able to show that I have progressed my career each time I have moved and this tends to actually impress employers.

That said, I do understand that I am still young and I don't want to be job hopping for ever as I think that I would now benefit from progressing within one company rather than moving around.

Conor_3

But you've been job hopping in times of plenty when the economy has been strong and there's been plenty of work out there. With a shrinking economy and massive job cut backs, you'll find it extremely hard to keep doing it.

a7man

You are really against this job hopping arent you conor. Do you own your own company or are you a manager? You are the negative sort that sticks to the book and cant think outside of the box or the constraints society has placed on you. The economy is bad etc but I'm about to job hop once more...

Adaptability isnt just about changing industries, different jobs in the same sector require a lot of different skills, especially if you continue to develop. Plus its all about meeting new people, fitting in with teams, picking up new software etc. You mention you have been a HGV driver and PC repairer, obviously they are completely different so wont compliment each other in any way.

Mrs prong has just proved my point that while beginning your career and working your way up the ladder, its a lot more beneficial to keep moving between companies.

ali-t

I have job hopped to an extent and over the span of my professional career I am about to leave a job I was in 2 years, before that was a 3 year span and before that a 1 year. I had temp posts with the same employer for 3 years before that. In that time I have had nearly 300% payrise and cannot complain.

Many of the jobs I have done have been temporary posts but I have used them as stepping stones and will continue to do so although I am aware now at the stage in my career I am at that I need to stay in post for a minimum 18 months unless I am headhunted prior to this point.

Job hopping has it's place as I feel you have to prove yourself quickly in each post but it must be done in a measured way rather than a few months here and there.

Savvy_Sue

If there's two of you interviewed, roughly similar ages and qualifications, who perform roughly equally at the interview, and one of you has job hopped (never in a job for longer than 12 months) and the other one has a track record of staying in jobs for at least a year, who do you think the employer will choose?

No-one's saying you should stay in a job for at least five years, but employers will - whether you like it or not - wonder if it's worth appointing someone who's never stayed anywhere for over a year.

Although in an increasingly tight economic climate you may find more and more jobs offered as short-term contracts anyway, so you'll have your wish: you won't be OFFERED a job for more than a year at a time!

tomstickland

Seeing how it takes a few months to really suss a job out then someone who changes every 9 months is going to look like they never really apply themselves to a situation.

therealdessie

a7man wrote: »

Mrs prong has just proved my point that while beginning your career and working your way up the ladder, its a lot more beneficial to keep moving between companies.

We don't know which industry/role Mrs Prong works in, or how much she earns. You saw a ton of examples here of why your method doesn't work, and siezed on the one answer which sort of agreed with your view. I don't think you've any right to criticise the people who gave you an answer to your question when you clearly were only seeking some validation.

That said, if you still think you're onto a good thing, take a look at a few company profiles: all the big companies will have a website with a list of their directors. Take a look then come back to us and let us know how many of those directors had 40+ jobs in the space of 20 years, and which had long-term positions.

PasturesNew

My CV is a total mess. For the last 20-25 years I've never been in a job even a year probably.

But not my fault. I took every job wanting it to be long term/my last. Then worked my nutz off (loads of free overtime) and put my heart and soul into it ... only for the companies to downsize, move, sell up, go under, get taken over.

When I've suddenly found myself out of work I have to immediately go and get a replacement to pay my bills, no choice involved, just "first job that I can do that somebody offers me". I never had the luxury of choice (single, so only my money coming in).

I've immediately usually resorted to taking on some temp or self-employed work. And sometimes the first job you're offered is a spot of self-employed work.

So my CV looks a mess and a damned intellligent, hard working person with an exceedingly strong work ethic is overlooked.

At the interviews for the jobs I've had they've usually brought up my apparent "job hopping" and I assure them I'm looking for a "job for life"/long-term job ... then they take me on and 6-9 months down the line they add to the problem when they close down and I've another "hop" on the CV!

Conor_3

a7man wrote: »

You are really against this job hopping arent you conor. Do you own your own company or are you a manager? You are the negative sort that sticks to the book and cant think outside of the box or the constraints society has placed on you.

I couldn't care less about job hopping. I no longer own my own company and there is no book to stick to.

I'm merely point out the REALITY to you - what potential employers are going to be thinking which will have a lot with how much it costs to recruit you, train you and that they want a return on that investment but the OPs job history proves they don't stay long enough for a return to occur. Whether or not that is thinking "outside the box" (I really hate marketbollox speak BTW) is irrelevent and taking into account the "restraints on society" is important when you're trying to convince someone to give you the job because that's their way of thinking.

Oldernotwiser

PasturesNew wrote: »

My CV is a total mess. For the last 20-25 years I've never been in a job even a year probably.

But not my fault. I took every job wanting it to be long term/my last. Then worked my nutz off (loads of free overtime) and put my heart and soul into it ... only for the companies to downsize, move, sell up, go under, get taken over.

When I've suddenly found myself out of work I have to immediately go and get a replacement to pay my bills, no choice involved, just "first job that I can do that somebody offers me". I never had the luxury of choice (single, so only my money coming in).

I've immediately usually resorted to taking on some temp or self-employed work. And sometimes the first job you're offered is a spot of self-employed work.

So my CV looks a mess and a damned intellligent, hard working person with an exceedingly strong work ethic is overlooked.

At the interviews for the jobs I've had they've usually brought up my apparent "job hopping" and I assure them I'm looking for a "job for life"/long-term job ... then they take me on and 6-9 months down the line they add to the problem when they close down and I've another "hop" on the CV!

I do hope that you use skills based format for your CV rather than a traditional chronolgical one. This is far more suited to a person in your situation and can turn a negative into a positive.