Is Job hopping Good or Bad?

How long should you stay at a job before you leave and if you keep switching jobs is that a bad thing? I live in the Bay Area and I can say from looking at my Linkedin stream that people are job hopping like rabbits. Many people are concerned with how switching jobs makes them look on paper and we've all had that awkward conversation with a hiring manager where we are asked, "why did you only stay at your previous job for 9 months?" In this episode of the future in 5 I talk about why job hoping isn't always a bad thing. Have you ever job hopped and if so why? Did you ever get grilled by a hiring manger for not staying at a job long enough?

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The Future in Five is a regular video series where best-selling author, speaker, and futurist Jacob Morgan shares his ideas, insights, and commentary around the future of work in five minutes or less!

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[Ruffian]

I've been on both sides of the issue - an employee debating whether it was too soon to seek greener pastures or take advantage of an opportunity, and part of teams weighing frequency of job changes as one of many factors in hiring decisions (Millennial age-bracket, service and blue-collar industries, rural economically depressed locale). My 2 cents...

I expect to see some job hopping early in an applicant's working life. There are a lot of plausible reasons that don't reflect poorly on the applicant in the least - different summer jobs, internships, testing waters and leveraging the quick acquisition of basic work experience to leap a couple of rungs on the ladder at the next place. Fine and dandy, good for you; I personally will mark that as a potential indicator of a go-getter with a bit of ambition.

When it begins to be a liability is when I see the same experience repeated under different company flags that do the same basic thing. There is a point where these are no longer cumulative years of experience, but the same year (or less) of experience repeated over and over again. That's a lot less valuable from the employer's perspective. To use a bit of a parable... I can tell that you know how to take the plane off - but I also need people on the team who can guide that plane through a storm and land it safely, too, without pulling the chute and dropping back to practice that comfortable takeoff again.

People and their circumstances are individual; if you look like a good fit for an opening otherwise, I still want to talk to you and hear your story. The way that you explain and own those short stints will tell me a lot about whether you manage to bad-luck or life-circumstance your way into places that are worth leaving, or whether the job hops need to be considered a red flag.

And, from the interviewer angle... please, ask me about my company's turnover rate. Personally, I'm proud to share ours, but this is very valuable info for you as an applicant and can tell you a lot about a company. We've had job hoppers settle in for yearslong tenures at my current company for many reasons. We also don't want to be the platform for the hop that you're already planning in the interview process.

[MarikaEscaravageOnline]

Good job presenting different perspectives on a delicate matter. Some friends and I recently discussed the stigma of job hopping and the shared responsibility between employer and employee for preventing it.

We remarked that while it's commonplace for organizations to request references for a potential employee, it may be time for employees to request references for their potential employer. I can just imagine the look on the hiring manager's face...

[mikebrown]

In my opinion nobody job hops from a good job. Pay your employees a fair wage treat your employees with respect keep lines of communication open and honest and you will be amazed how Few people leave your company.

[Jack-timg]

Looking at my own professional history, I would not classify myself as a severe job hopper, but probably a moderate job-hopper. I work in the tech industry, and for me, moving around has given much exposure to different tech stacks and different philosophies. Some preferring on-premise; some with the cloud, and some that are a mix. I have found myself evolving a bit with each jump; I used to not mind so much working on older, proprietary tech stacks, but after working at a startup for a time, I realized that my thinking has changed to be closer to the cutting edge. I would agree, with some other sites that have discussed job-hopping, that staying too long at a place could also be detrimental. I work now with some folks who have stayed at a job for 10 or more years, and while they are extremely good at what they do, I sometimes get the feeling that they may have been in a bubble for a tad bit too long, and lost touch on some of the advances in the rapidly-changing technology industry.

[WCepheiHD]

I left my previous job of 6 months because the lady who gave me training was a total B, I’m now 6 months in the new well paid job because my lady manager is even worse than the previous one, what are the statistical chances to get a toxic manager when I get a new job now?
I must leave, I’m having unnecessary stress under a manager who has mental issues like anxiety and depression, she has apologised to me only to repeat poor behaviour, I can’t stand it anymore, I must leave.

[starzintheskyz]

I've been through 60 jobs in 20 yrs. Which averages out to 3 jobs/yr. I'm 35 now. It's a chronic problem I have. You name it, I've done it. I have skills in just about everything. And I've NEVER been fired. But from my experience, when a company has a "revolving door", is there's something wrong with the company, or the person? For me, I get a job, and usually I either love the job and can't stand the people, or I love the people and hate the job. I don't like forcing myself to be miserable at a company, so I quit and move on. And sometimes I wonder if staying at one job for too long can make people lose touch with reality. Cause they only put themselves in a "small world" in their life for such a long time.
But I know that's a horrible pattern, and it's not normal.

I know what I want to do with my life, but I have no guidance in my life to get me to that goal. I don't have money for collage either. I ended up going back to a previous job I enjoyed that I had the longest (cleaning), but I feel like I'm taking huge steps backwards.

I'm out of ideas and places to apply to. And I would consider myself a "Sever chronic job hopper". Any suggestions?

[KevtechITSupport]

Job hopping is good if your looking for a new opportunity. I jumped hopped a few times in order to learn and make myself a better employee. No shame in job hopping to make yourself a better employee. I doubled my salary just by job hopping alone so I think it has it's pros and cons to it.

[MsLotusBlooms]

Yes, job hopping is essential unless you find one you really want to stay on. Even then, anything more than 5 years is too long.

[Roro-]

Finally I found a YouTube video/forum that I can relate too. I recently relocated to a larger city city and was recruited by staffing agency to work for a contract worker that would eventually end up permanent..well long story short I wasn't offered a permanent position until after I put in my 2wk notice and accepted a permanent position with another co...well I'm 8mos in at my new company and I'm doing less work and its sort of dummy me down. The company is growing, but my manager is treating me like a baby and not utilizing all my skills. I believe he is afraid to give me more responsibilities. So I'm looking for another position the turnover rate is high at this company. I love the atmosphere and pay isn't too bad, but its driving me crazy I finish my work in 2hrs and sit around 6hrs twirling my fingers. I'm at my boiling point I've been bored 8mos...should I hop?? It's been if so that will make 2jobs in a year.

[james]

Great video! It's was really nice to hear another person's perspective on this topic. Currently, I'm having to make a decision on wether to take a job with a new company. The offer is 14k increase in base salary and a 3k signing bonus. The problem is, I've only been with my current employer for 6 months. The three reasons I'm open to leaving is pay, lack of direction and lack of faith in leadership. I'm afraid this is going to hurt my career in the future because I was stolen away from another company by my current job after working there for 10 months. It was my first job out of college and I hated it. My current job is ok, but I'm not developing and being paid like I think I should.