Job hopping (and job hoppers more specifically) can sometimes get a bad rap, but that could be changing. These days, job hopping is better understood, and people are realizing that changing jobs every few years could actually be really good for our careers. We should reconsider the concept of job hopping so that we can better understand the advantages it offers. Let take a closer look at a few of them.
(Photo Credit: Dean McCoy Photography/Flickr)
1. You could earn more.
We all know that it’s important to negotiate salary if we want to earn more. However, workers who stay at the same job, on average, can expect only about a 3 percent increase per year. But, when changing jobs, the average employee sees a pay increase between 10 and 20 percent.
Changing jobs could certainly be one path to a higher salary, particularly if that’s what you set your sights on during the job search process. Just remember to factor in other things, like vacation time and benefits, when deciding whether or not the move is advantageous.
2. You’ll expand your network.
The more people you meet, work with, and get to know, the bigger potential professional network you’re working with. So, when you change jobs once in a while, your number of contacts expands, which allows for more and greater opportunities for the future. It could even lead to yet another job change. Employees hired via referral are often hired much faster than ones who come to a job through some other avenue.
3. You learn new skills.
One of the greatest benefits of changing jobs (and employers are coming to understand this as well) is that it’s a great way to gain new skills. It’s important to keep learning and growing in today’s economy in order to stay competitive. This is especially true in some fields.
“For those in technology, for example, it allows them the opportunity to gain valuable technical knowledge in different environments and cultures,” Laurie Lopez, a partner and senior general manager in the IT Contracts division at WinterWyman, told Forbes. “This can be more common for those specializing in development, mobile and Project Management. While job hopping has a negative connotation, this is more about a resource providing value to a company, and then realizing there is nothing more to learn in that environment. In order to keep their skills fresh, it is necessary for technologists to remain current in a highly competitive market.”
Job hopping is also good on an individual level. Learning new things is good for you – it fuels innovation and boosts confidence, for example.
4. You’ll be more excited about what you do.
It helps to love what you do. Changing jobs and feeling more excited about your work is a good thing in its own right. But, it also stands to reason that if you are feeling more passionate, more enthusiastic, your productivity and growth will accelerate, too. And, this could lead to promotions and other advancements that could keep this cycle of excitement and performance going.
It’s important to note here that there are some known drawbacks to job hopping, especially when it comes to future potential employer’s perceptions. If you hop too frequently, you could risk being seen as disloyal, or unreliable. So, carefully consider both the costs and benefits of this move before making it.
Want to know how much you could boost your salary by changing jobs? Take PayScale’s free Salary Survey.
Tell Us What You Think
How has job hopping helped your career? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.
In an RN. I’ve always hated job hoppers but I can’t blame them. You just get burned out working within a caddy environment. No representation on top of that. Every nurse is afraid of getting in trouble. For what? Working understaffed ? So they stay later ? To get their work done? Nurses are the best employees ever. Work off the clock. Come in early. Work with a yes master mentality. Yes master. Yes master. Yes master. Please don’t get… Read more »
I definitely think this is great advise!
I left a job of 15 years, 2 years ago and in that time have hopped from job to job, a total of 5 times & have double my income!
Over my 20+ years in the workforce, I’ve worked for 7 employers – a few as long as 5+ years, a few less than one year. Why? Some changes were my choice, others not. The sad part is that I have learned that I need to be prepared to hop to survive the changes I can’t control. But, my experience has been that every 6-12 months my boss changes my role in my current company – a new project, a… Read more »
It’s different strokes for different folks. Some view it as instability. Others question one’s lack of movement to other companies and view it as fear of change. I would suggest that one balances it out and my advice to the younger generation is: do not stay too long or for too brief a period unless the circumstances justify it. I would not recommend a person stays long if he/she has an abusive boss or the demands of the job have… Read more »
@Hiring Manager Thanks for your input.
I’ve spent 25 of my roughly 30 working years with 2 employers and was fortunate enough to receive promotions and high-mark evaluations at each. Unfortunately I was let go from the more recent of these about 3 years back and had to settle for a ~25% comp cut with more volume but lower level responsibilities. Again, I’ve demonstrated mastery of my positions, but minimal advancement opportunities so I’m looking again, but little to no employer interest (Gee, I’m mid 50s,… Read more »
Since I graduated college back in 2013, I’ve had 3 jobs. My first job out of college was for a non-profit. The company was going through drastic changes and I noticed that my mental health was suffering greatly from working there. I hated going to work because I did not like my job. I would get anxiety on Sunday because I had to return to work on Monday. The organization was poorly managed and my direct manager was unsupportive to… Read more »
@ hiring manager….. Try not to suck so much and you won’t have to worry about rehiring/training so often. The all high and mighty “manager” title tends to go to people’s heads and they get “drunk” with power. Life is too short to be a douche bag and treat employees as such. Let people do their job and quit micro managing. Enjoy life.
My daughter works at a placement company. She said her company would not take a job hopper because the employers they work with have to pay them to find a qualified employee and won’t want someone that job hops
Everyone who job hops, keep doing it. Most hiring managers find them undesirable. Less competition for me.
I disagree with “Hiring Manager” in that she’s assuming that the candidate’s resume is going to give him/her away as a “job hopper”. Besides, even if someone is NOT, he/she can leave a company ANYTIME if he/she finds himself/herself frustrated with company policies, direction, culture, etc. There is NO WAY the “Hiring Manager” can prevent that. It is a fact that people come and go (job hop) as they see fit and a lot more than in previous generations. So,… Read more »
I wouldn’t want to work for the first hiring manager. I appreciate the opinion but the ‘never judge a book by it’s cover’ rule is more important in my book. I would also be concerned because she’s clearly admitting that she doesn’t want to pay people what they are worth but just simply looks to manipulate their loyalty. I think that hiring someone is more about making sure that there’s a fit between the corporate culture and values and the… Read more »
As a hiring manager, all resumes of job hoppers go straight to the trash. I am not interested in spending 3 months training someone (a lot of time and energy from other employees and a lot of money on training seminars, etc) just to have someone hop on out of a job in a year or two. I have to go back and hire (time consuming and expensive) and train (also time consuming and expensive) all over again in a… Read more »
There are many dynamics that can influence a job change. One important one not mentioned here is discovering that a new employer or manager has over promised on the opportunity and fails to deliver.
Trust and verify are crucial elements in any employee/employer relationship and when the reality fails to meet the vision it may be time for a change.
interesting.
Worst article ever. Most hiring managers will not consider job hoppers because they are considered to be unreliable, unstable and incapable of keeping a job.
Do whatever you can to keep your job for at least a year, perhaps two to show prospective employees that you are mature enough to keep a job.