Find Stability in Life by Changing Jobs… A Lot

OZaC says on February 28th, 2007 at 9:58 am

Conversely though, many potential employers may see this as a red flag. Why hire someone if they’re going to quit relatively soon? I left a job after a short period of time, and had to answer for it at the beginning of each and every interview thereafter.

I think you’re on the right track though - they key is to find a happy medium. I won’t deny that the days of staying with the same company for 20 and 30 years are becoming a thing of the past. Just know when to quit and when not to, and be able to effectively justify your actions. Be careful not to sabatoge yourself.

On a related note, young people are a lot more free to do this. Suppose you’re in your late 50’s or early 60’s and start shopping around for a new job. An interviewer doesn’t have to try and figure out how long they think you’ll stick around. It’s no-brainer to assume that you’ll be gone in a few short years.

Craig Childs says on February 28th, 2007 at 10:39 am

How true. I have always had to answer for a few short stints at workplaces.

This definitely seems easier for young people, you’re right. To be an older job applicant would be very difficult.

I wonder if there are some tips for that generation finding work..

Kara says on February 28th, 2007 at 10:48 am

Sometimes it’s just the right time to see a post like this one. I’ve been contemplating changing jobs recently. I’m blessed to work in a large organization that allows for some job changes (promotions, advancements, etc.) within the organization. I still count these as job changes as they come with many of the inherent complications of changing jobs (except perhaps you don’t get the time off between jobs that you have when you do a physical change). I can’t agree more about keeping your finances in order. For me, it’s also good just to keep “life” in order (home, work tasks, etc.). If I wanted to walk out of work tomorrow, to take another job, could I with a good conscience do that - knowing that all current projects were at a state where they could be handed off to another person or easily summarized as to their status.

Kim Isaacs says on February 28th, 2007 at 1:09 pm

I would add one more tip to Penelope Trunk’s excellent list of coping strategies for frequent job changes — come up with a good explanation in your cover letter. Recruiters often consider job seekers with frequent job changes (AKA “job-hoppers”) flight risks. Some employers do not want the extra expense of recruiting, hiring, and training someone who is likely to move on fairly quickly. Like OZaC and Craig Childs noted, you will be questioned about short employment stints.

You can increase the likelihood that you’re offered an interview by providing a brief explanation in your cover letter, which will help squash employers’ concerns before your resume is trashed.

Ribin says on February 28th, 2007 at 11:50 pm

see http://doted.info

Penelope Trunk says on March 3rd, 2007 at 11:50 am

Hi, Craig. Thank you for linking to Brazen Careerist.

I have found (both from my own experience and from interviews with recruiters) that it doesn’t matter what age you are as long as you do good work wherever you job hop to.

The more clearly you can present acheivements on your resume (rather than just listing job duties) the more likely you will be able to overcome the job hopping hurdle in a hiring manager’s mind.

Penelope