Job Hoppers

Job hopping can be seen as a compulsive behavior by employers. Think before you leap
There are two kinds of employees in the world right now – those who stick around for donkey’s years and those who don’t. Job holders can be appreciated or labelled lazy or plain non-ambitious. Job hoppers, on the other hand, are perceived as being too ambitious or too capricious. Job hopping, however, is now a done thing. Surveys show that people between 20 and 30 years of age cruise through as many as eight jobs in a short span of 5-10 years.

Too costly

Job hopping also is an expensive business for the employer. According to a study, every departing employee costs 1.5 times the salary paid. When an employee leaves, the resultant cost of hiring and training a new person may be even higher. Also, employers may not want to hire a person known to be a frequent hopper. No company wants to invest in training an employee who is bound to leave before he has even settled down in the job and justified the capital invested in him/her.

The hopping history

It all began with the laying off of the 1980s and 1990s. It was the end of the ‘lifetime employment’ era. Keeping a job at the beginning seemed more of a matter of luck. Now it’s a matter of choice. Other than that, whether the economy is shaky or strong, the young workforce has shown tremendous resilience. Their enterprising spirit has, in fact, been able to make a few big bucks off the depression. This has boosted confidence especially in an era of multitasking. Furthermore, recruitment agencies and the internet have opened up innumerable opportunities. There are always choices available. 
Job hopping is now the norm. But the structural changes which have enabled it to become a norm are privatisation of industries and the shrinking of the world through multimedia and the internet.

Reasons for hopping

The oft listed reasons for switching jobs are better pay, better benefits, learning opportunity, work/life balance, overseas opportunity, better brand and personal reasons.
But it’s not always easy. If your resume shows that you’ve only been able to keep a job for less than 5 to 8 months, chances are that prospective employers would be hesitant about hiring you. Instability without good reason will raise questions.
You need to explain why you are a valuable asset to a company. This is something that you need to think about. Time is not so important if your contribution has been major. Show them that wherever you’ve been, your performance and contribution to the company have been outstanding. And indeed it should be. Job hopping is not just about money and experience, it is also about acquiring highly advanced skills and finesse at different things on the go.

Reflect first

If you want to swing from one branch to another, make informed decisions.
Ask yourself:

• What are the kinds of responsibilities and challenges am I looking for? Why can’t I explore the same in my current job?
• In the next company, will I get similar opportunities and responsibilities? If so what are the team members like? Can I learn something from them or will I be dwarfed in the company of such talented people?
• Could I try and bag this profile in my current place of employment?

• Try and answer these questions honestly. It is not a bad thing to look for better and more exciting opportunities as they help you grow and keep the passion for your work alive. Also, lots of different profiles at an early age can help you decide what you really want to do. So take your chances, just make sure they are well thought through.