Do you have too many jobs on your resume? Do you leave positions prior to the end of a year? Have you received the side eye when asked about your most recent job and why you left from potential employers? If so, then you would be classified as the traditional job hopper. What is a job hopper? A job hopper is someone who works in a position shortly and frequently changes jobs than the average employee.

 

Over the years, a job hopper has been considered a person employers and recruiters should watch out for because they’re unreliable and unstable for work. In addition, this type of employee has been stereotyped as millennials. Although, according to an article from EdSurge, “Millennials have not hopped on the scene and started job hopping; this has been a trend in previous generations”.

Aside from job hopping an issue for employers, people are debunking the myth. In a recent article from Forbes, “companies cannot afford to reject a candidate because they look like a job hopper on paper”. More employers and recruiters are starting to see the benefits in hiring job hoppers. Not only does this type of employee bring diversity but they are more likely to be resourceful than a person who has been with an organization for years. How else do they become job hoppers?

 

On that note, here are a few more benefits to debunk the myth of a job hopper FOR a job hopper:

 

Experience in Culture

Meeting different people? Building a network? That’s what companies are looking for today, right? This should be a great character and shows potential employers you are able to build awareness of the organization and adjust to the culture, mission, and people who work there.

Multiple Skills

You’ve learned something new at each position you’ve held. Smart recruiters and employers should see that when they look at your resume.

Creativity on the Job

You’ve seen what other companies (even competitors) do on their projects/tasks. Couldn’t you bring something old to something new? Or couldn’t you bring something new with an upgrade? Job hoppers can bring creative ideas to the table (Seven Ways on How to Build Creativity).

You Know How This Ish Goes

Been there, done that. Job hoppers know what needs to be done and could probably adapt to an organizations’ needs quicker than the average tenure employee or someone who has been with the company over the years. They might’ve taught themselves on a few things between those work gaps. Employers should take in this trait as self-sufficiency and eagerness to learn.

Shows Risk in Variety

A job hopper shows risk. And with risk comes experience. Every job hopper has a reason for leaving their previous positions. Unless you have something already lined up, it’s scary to leave the secure income. It’s a challenge to find a job in the job market. Yes, there are a lot of jobs, yet, there are a lot of people. The more people, the less chances of you being chosen. Some employers are not seeing that. In addition, no company is perfect and not every employee can deal with the whole package. Sounds like a relationship, huh? Because it is.

Self-Discovery at its Best

A job is a job. A career path can change. If people can change, why can’t jobs? We as humans, have many different interests and love to have a job that’ll explore them all; but that’s not the case. Therefore, we should go on a self-discovery journey. Learning what type of work culture we enjoy, an environment that suits us best, an employer or manager we work well with, and so much more are aspects we consider prior to taking on a new opportunity. For example, a single life employee can commit regular plus overtime hours to their job. Eventually, marriage and children come into their lives after some time; priorities have changed and they can’t be the same person with those single life job hours. A new opportunity can look good if a company offers actual work-life balance.

 

This post is not to promote job hopping. Its purpose is to tell you don’t be afraid to speak on your job hopping. You are not the only person who is looking for their calling or the right position. It takes time to find yourselves, the position, and mentor. You have great skills and can benefit an organization no matter how much experience you have.

 

Do you still need convincing? Check out this inspiring LinkedIn post by Kayla Naab: I’m Not Ashamed to be A “Job Hopper”

Do you consider yourself as a job hopper? What are your thoughts on job hopping? Tell us your thoughts and comment below. Like, Comment, Subscribe, and Follow!