Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If your job hopping is a series of lateral moves accompanied by a lot of notations that employers should not be contacted, that is the kiss of death.
I agree with Andywire, assuming you are interested in career advancement, if you are not learning new things you should consider moving on. Nobody is really interested in hiring somebody who has been in an entry level position for 7 years. Somebody who is entry level for 2 years, then moves up, is more desirable.
Job hopping does need to be tempered though. Once you reach a certain level, employers want to know you will be around for awhile, as you will be making strategic decisions that need your guidance and oversight for successful completion. I would say that once you reach middle management it would be best if you were able to show 5 or more years at a job.
I'm working at a decent company now, they used to be better but got bought out (unfortunately).
I've found it's best to move on every few years to increase your salary faster than sitting around.
It's definitely become the new norm to not stay, but then again companies aren't loyal to their people either. And yes I've seen people who have been at companies for over 10 years get dropped. It's unfortunate when these people are over 50 because they have a harder time finding work.
I agree with all those that say you have to look out for yourself!
The fastest way to get a raise these days is to change company's but stay within your industry. That is how I slowly but surely increased my pay and got into management.
It's a shame that's the way it is - but that is the way of the world now.
It's also increasingly common, and likely to be moreso, for people in their mature years.
I turn 65 late next year, but have to work until 66 to qualify for full Social Security; also can increase that benefit check by working longer - 5% for each year still on the job.
Full-time work and benefits have been steady since late 2010, but for five years before that, I had a checkered career; worked one summer for an industrial contractor, which took me all over the Eastern Seaboard, but also for a theme park and as a freight handler for the now-much-smaller DHL. When those weren't available, I clerked at a C-store and did "factory re-pack" for a food processor -- and did nine months with the 2010 Census.
I was seldom completely unemployed, and collected a fair amount of "partial Unemployment", and this has the effect of "capping" your working income at around 140% of your weekly UC benefit.
I did tax prep for a number of years before turning things over to a partner, and the two of us may restart and expand if and when I retire, and I learned a little about "taking it out in trade" with people who own transient hotels and rental properties. I have a paid-for house -- partially rented out -- and expect that I'll be playing the game this way for a few years after my "normal" retirement date.
And the warehouse where I now work full-time has a reliable force of part-timers for the late-summer and Holiday peaks.
Flexibility and options -- that's how it's going to have to get done in the post-industrial America.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 11-23-2013 at 04:35 PM..
For some IT specialties, job hopping is so normal that 5 years at one company is considered a long term gig. If someone has been at the same company for 10 or more years, they risk appearing stagnant. That 10 year stint might be seen more as a negative than a positive.
There is a lot of experience that is gained in IT when you work at different companies. IMO, folks that have job hopped can become productive sooner in each new position because they figured out how to move through the 'onboarding' process quickly and efficiently.
At age 26, my running average is about 22 months... Not counting part time jobs or anything. I've had 5 jobs (all left on good terms) in a decade. I guess part of my issue was, and still is, I'm never sure what I want to be when I grow up
That's very true in my field. You want to be utilizing the latest software, and hopefully the latest technology. The trick is though, you don't want to work for a place where the owner is so deep in debt (financing this fancy technology) that he can't afford to pay you a decent wage. In that case, you could make more working for someone who's 20 years behind, but doesn't owe anyone a dime.
Some days, I'm working on stuff that's older than I am, but it was bought and paid for in cash. In that case, the owner knows what he can charge for the job to make a profit and still pay you a decent dollar. I've interviewed at places where everything looks brand new, and the place looks ultra modern... Except the wage would have been attractive 20 years ago, but not today. In a year or so, that stuff will be sold on the auction block after liquidation for pennies on the dollar.
I guess you have a long run of good luck because when potential employers see evidence of job hopping on my resume it is an immediate frown and doesn't generate a call back.
I agree, it is the norm. I have had three jobs (all within my field) since 2008 and I'm a government employee. I was told by an executive that there are two ways to get promoted in this system. 1. stay where you are at and hope that someone notices you and takes you under their wing. 2. Move as opportunity and pay takes you.
I'm working at a decent company now, they used to be better but got bought out (unfortunately).
I've found it's best to move on every few years to increase your salary faster than sitting around.
It's definitely become the new norm to not stay, but then again companies aren't loyal to their people either. And yes I've seen people who have been at companies for over 10 years get dropped. It's unfortunate when these people are over 50 because they have a harder time finding work.
I agree with all those that say you have to look out for yourself!
Except no other company will want to pay me $70k. They want to hire temps for $15 an hour. The only other place I'd consider moving to would be the federal govt. I tried during my last search over 250 federal applications and only a couple of phone calls. Every position in science is flooded with people in my field wanting to flee the abuse of the private sector.
Many people view job hopping as a negative thing, and in some circumstances, it still can be, but the nature of work in our society is changing. Many positions that used to be FTE are now filled by staffing agencies. More positions are becoming part-time and temporary, or even "registry/casual" on-call only positions with no guaranteed hours.
I've had three different jobs in the past twelve months. Two were through staffing agencies and the one I'm currently in is "part-time" at 36 hours week/$12.80/hr. With this level of compensation for a degreed professional with seven certifications and three years experience, my employer is pretty well encouraging me to leave. I have and can do better than this. Many times, the relationship between employer/client and the worker is tenuous at best, largely because of policies employers choose to pursue.
If you spend three years at the same employer in a position that doesn't have much upward mobility, that's a black mark because you didn't advance. If you leave, then that's a black mark. I think many people spend too
much time focusing on impressions and hypotheticals and end up missing good offers.
If an offer is good for you or your family now, take it. You need to what is best.
Since no company offers a pension plan anymore, why stay there for any length of time?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
