Job-hopping – Does It Affect Your Career Success?

Is there a link between job-hopping and career success?  What effect does one have on the other?  How long is too long to work for a company?

Job hoppers change jobs frequently for a number of reasons.  A lot of the time they probably have no idea what the long-term ramifications of this habit are.  They also may not know what they really want to do, or are easily bored. 

Changing jobs frequently can definitely have a negative impact on your career.  Think about it for a moment!  What does constant job-hopping tell potential employers?  That you probably won’t stay with them very long either so is it worth their while taking the risk of hiring you!  It also gives the impression you don’t really have a solid career path mapped out, or at least not one that you’re committed to.

The Two-Year Rule

Some career coaches, and hiring managers, believe you must be mentally prepared to commit to spending at least two years with an employer before quitting.  This is so you can get through the learning curve.  The theory is that if you change jobs too frequently you’ll find it hard to learn anything useful. 

Why two years?  For many employees it really does take around 12 months to learn the ins and outs of the company.  It then takes around another 12 months to really hit their straps, at which point they can be considered truly productive in terms of providing value to the firm.  Therefore, if you are prone to changing jobs frequently but still care about your career, it’s probably time to reconsider your job-hopping tendencies.

Educating New Employees

Many companies are quite prepared to put money into training new employees and recent graduates, and have established training programmes to this end.  However, they have to be the right employees.  If your past is littered with bounces from job to job you’re highly unlikely to be one of them!  Someone who flits from job to job versus someone who will repay the investment in them by staying with the company for a respectable amount of time?  For many hiring managers, the answer is a no-brainer!

Job Hopping – Reducing The Frequency

A good way to stop jumping from job to job is to have a clear path in your mind of where you want to head both with respect to your life, and your career.  When you have a handle on that, you’ll find it easier to focus on building a strong foundation of relevant skills, talent and experience that will take you where want to go.  You’ll be less likely to get bored and want to take off to newer pastures all the time.

If you’re just out of college, and still not really sure what you want to do, realistically assess your skills and strengths, and make a list of the things you’re interested in.  Do some research and find out what career paths are available in those fields.  You may for instance be interested in building safety and code compliance, in which case a career as a Fire Inspector could be right for you.

Whatever you decide, finding a career path that interests and inspires you, and a great company to work for, is the best way to stop moving from job to job.