In the 20th century one thing you didn't want was a reputation as a job hopper. But in the 21st century? Penelope Trunk says it's a different story. In a blog called Why Job Hoppers Make the Best Employees, she points to the statistics that tell us that people in their 20s change jobs approximately every 18 months. And people in their 30s change jobs frequently as well, although at a slower pace than the Gen-Yers.
But let's reframe this old issue. Job hoppers are not quitters, nor are they merely opportunists. Penelope argues that job-hoppers make better employees and are generally more satisfied with their work life. So if you think job-hopping is bad stuff, change your thinking.
Lest their be any doubt on this issue, I support Penelope's reasoning 100%. I'm biased. I'm a job hopper. I can tell you for certain that job-hoppers are generally more satisfied with their work life. Check out these five characteristics of job hoppers.
1. More intellectually rewarding careers. The learning curve is very steep early on, usually for six months to a year. And then it goes flat. So what's going on in the gray matter if a person stays at the same job for the next 20 years? People who change jobs often are always challenged with a lot to learn--and their learning curve stays high. That applies to industry specific knowledge, navigating corporate hierarchies and politics and dealing with "office dramas." And the more you learn about people, the better you'll become at making people comfortable at work. That's a great skill to have!
2. More stable careers. As most of you know by now, job stability and security have gone the way of the Dodo bird. Unless you're completely out of touch, you know that layoffs, downsizing, just-in-time hiring and contract workers are the name of the work game today. But if you believe in yourself and gain the confidence to bluff your way into new jobs on a regular basis, the fears of job loss are gone. Importantly, people who work for a lot of companies have a larger network than people who stay in one place for long periods. And people who work for huge companies, but work all over the world for that company, can learn pretty quickly how to manage systems and their career. And then if they don't get what they want after four or five years, it's not life or death to move on to another major or minor company.
3. Higher performers. If you know you're going to leave your job for another one in the next year or so, you're not going to slack off. That job resume is going to be very important for your future, and so you're going to want to be adding value every place they go. You also know that your future jobs are dependent on the expertise you develop in each job, so job hoppers want to do really well at work.
4. More loyal. Loyalty is all about supporting the people you're with. Job hoppers are liable to be great team players because that's all they have. They don't identify with a company's long-term performance, because the identify with their project team's short term performance. They also want to build relationships with their co-workers so they can all help each other get jobs later on. Here's where you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours becomes the rule, not the exception.
5. More emotionally mature. This is a sticky issue, but Penelope points out that it takes a lot of self-knowledge to know what you want to do next and choose to go get it rather than stay someplace for long periods of time. In your early years of work, you may want to bolt too quickly, but it's important to learn to work with difficult situations and difficult people. Once you've mastered some of that stuff, it's OK to start looking. Mastering tough situations is a learning skill, so don't jump just because the situation is tough. Penelope believes in shorter terms than I. I think you should usually stick it out for 12 to 18 months, unless the situation is just horrible, then quit and move on. But make every minute of that time count for yourself and your projects.
The good news today is that it's OK to quit. Only the dinosaurs look at a resume and say they're not certain they want to hire a job hopper. The smart people admit to themselves that jobs and projects aren't liable to last to long anyway, so let's look at this person. She's probably been around the barn (or whatever it is Gen-X says when they think about hiring someone).
Oh yeah, if you've got some fears about job hopping, you may want to check out my well-researched paper, "How to bluff your way into a new job."