Meet the Job Hoppers

That feeling that you’ve done everything you can in your current role and it’s time for something new? It’s not unusual to get the sudden urge to look outside your current company and role, but for job hoppers, this itch happens quickly and changes are fast and often. In today’s blog, we explore job hopping and what it means for employers and workers.

The idea of staying with the same company for 5, 10, or 20 years is practically extinct. People are increasingly looking for curated career experiences, new challenges, and fresh opportunities to broaden their skills. At the same time, moving too quickly from role to role can cause prospective employers to put a question mark over your staying power. If you’re constantly looking for what’s next, can you ever focus on what’s now? We think the answer is yes, if you hop smartly and for the right reasons. Keep reading to find out more. 

What is job hopping?

Job hopping is exactly what it sounds like. It’s jumping from job to job often with limited time between roles. It can happen for a huge number of reasons, from a drive to collect as much practical experience in an industry as possible to a constant desire for new challenges or a need to regularly increase pay and benefits. Job hopping is more prevalent with millennial and Gen X workers, but it’s happening across every sector and industry.

What are the advantages of job hopping?

Job hopping gives people the opportunity to quickly broaden their skillset and get a deeper understanding of how their industry works, perhaps putting them in a stronger position to apply for a dream role. It can also lead to better compensation and benefits – almost every job hop will land a person a little (or a lot) higher up the pay scale. Finally, it can empower someone to explore different work environments and styles to find a place where they can truly thrive – especially early in their career.

What are the drawbacks of job hopping?

Some employers see a history of moving roles often as a symptom of a lack of commitment or a tendency to get going when ‘the going gets tough’. This means a resume of constant short-lived roles can occasionally make it harder to land a new position. It can also see job-hopping employees missing out on great internal projects and opportunities. However, workers who have been involved in multiple short-term projects or temporary assignments are unlikely to suffer any negative effects. In fact, a diverse CV can be a huge positive for hiring managers.

What does job hopping mean for employers?

Welcoming new ideas and diverse perspectives into a business regularly can be a great thing – it means that a culture stays fresh, innovative, and exciting. However constant hopping combined with negative employee feedback could be a sign of a deeper issue in company culture and isn’t something that organisations should take lightly. A fast revolving door of employees can sometimes make it difficult to build a sense of community and stability.  

No career should stand still. And if you’re feeling the ‘itch’, you should definitely explore your options. Temporary or project work can be a great fit for job hoppers, giving them the freedom to try on new roles, new companies, and new ways of working while building experience and improving their overall employability.

Ready to make a hop? Explore our open positions now.