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Exploring the Pros and Cons of Job Hopping: Making Informed Career Decisions 1

Exploring the Pros and Cons of Job Hopping: Making Informed Career Decisions

Thinking about job hopping and how it will can potentially impact your career? Here are four advantages and disadvantages to consider

According to our Talent Intelligence Survey, 87% of global professionals are looking to change jobs. There are a variety of reasons why job seekers today are job hopping from one company to another.

Traditionally, job hopping – the practice of changing jobs within a relatively short span of 2 years – is considered a cause for concern by recruiters. A professional who jumps companies at an alarming pace often leaves a bad impression. 76% of employers decided to not interview candidates with a history of multiple short term jobs. Additionally, the recent increase in job hopping has left some recruiters feeling uneasy. Many have started to wonder what it means for the future of their employees’ growth and business success.

On the flipside, are there legitimate reasons or scenarios where job hopping is justified or even advantageous? That is a multi-layered question that deserves observation from different perspectives especially since many professionals are now looking for alternative career paths. It’s important to understand the pros and cons of this trend in order to make the right decision. Let’s start with some of the advantages of job hopping:

Pro #1: Significantly increase your salary

One of the main reasons why the average person signs up for a job is the salary offered. According to our recent survey, 75% of tech professionals expect at least a 75% hike.  Most established companies have fixed pay scales and regulations on salary increment. Hence there are bound to be cases where the gradual increase in salary over a period of time might not be ideal for some employees. If you feel that this situation applies to you, looking out for new job opportunities with varied salary packages might be the right way to go in terms of job hopping.

Pro #2: Pick up a wide range of skills fairly quickly

Being at a single workplace for an extended period of time will definitely teach you some important skills. However, working for different companies could give you access to a more diverse spectrum of mentors, resources, and operational processes to learn new things. If you’re actively committed to adding new skills to your repertoire, feel free to do a bit of job hopping and see what works for you.

Pro #3: Improve your capacity for adaptability

When you’re exposed to an entirely different work environment, you start to understand the nuances of the new workspace and remold yourself to fit in. Obviously this happens multiple times when you are job hopping frequently. Whether it’s work timings, rate of delivery, or operational methods, you quickly condition yourself to be functional in multiple settings.

Pro #4: Expand your professional network

By working in the same company for a long period of time, there is a figurative limit to the number of people you’ll meet. Most often you may find yourself interacting with the same group of co-workers unless the company goes through an expansion phase. Hence the amount of knowledge and skills you can garner will be restricted to some degree. On the other hand, if you work in different spaces and forge strong relationships with multiple colleagues, there is a lot to be gained. You can leverage these contacts for multiple purposes including knowing insider information, getting career advice, improving your prospects, etc.

Apart from these, there could be personal reasons that actually necessitate an instance of job hopping – an disorganized work environment, need for relocation, unprofessional bosses, limited work-life balance and so on. Now, let’s explore the other side of the discussion – the ways in which job hopping could possibly impact your career negatively.

Con #1: Potential employers will doubt your loyalty

Multiple instances of job hopping make a resume look particularly unsavory to recruiters. Such candidates are often seen as flippant, non-committal, disloyal, or at best, a nomad lost in the world of employment.  Even if they leave on the best of terms, some recruiters might doubt their competency. This assessment is based on the belief that it takes a long tenure at a single workplace to gain relevant skills and experience. Also, employers with a traditionalistic business mindset are incredibly wary of job hoppers, becoming skeptical about investing time and resources in an employee who isn’t committed for the long haul.

Con #2: You could get blacklisted

When you quit a job after a particularly short stint, there is a significant probability that you’re not leaving on the best terms. This could be bad for your professional reputation if your soon-to-be former employer is spiteful and well-connected within the industry. By various means, they might actively spread the word that you’re bad for business. This might eventually result in you getting blacklisted in one way or the other.

Con #3: Constant job hopping can affect your mental health

New job anxiety is now recognized as a real condition that affects your psychological well-being. This can potentially result in increased frequency of stress and emotional exhaustion. Now imagine having to constantly re-adjust to different workspaces, colleagues, and operational methods due to constant job hopping. No matter how prepared you are, there might come a hurdle that trips you up when you least expect it. Even worse, you could burn out completely and lose your capacity for being productive.

Con #4: The need to prove yourself continuously

Your long term colleagues and managers will have a better understanding of your skills and what you bring to the table. They might have a fair degree of assurance that you can do your job well. But when you join a new company, no one knows what you are capable of professionally. The process of proving your worth through demonstrable effort begins again.

In conclusion, it comes down to your personal goals and preferences. Every professional should assess his or her situation to see what’s important. Is it all about the paycheck for you? Do you prefer job security over the chance to acquire a wide range of skills in different work environments? Can you adapt with ease? After you’ve figured out what you want and what you don’t, take the leap or stay where you are comfortable.

Looking for a change? Explore a plethora of exciting remote job opportunities from across the globe with Talent500. Visit our official website to see what works best towards building the career of your dreams.

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Nemo Job

Nemo Job

Senior Writer at Talent500. Enjoys long walks on the beach, when the beach is closed. Fascinated by all things related to anime, comics, video games, music, and cinema. Cautiously optimistic. Relentlessly sarcastic.

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