Is Job-Hopping Bad?

Job-hopping is no longer unacceptable. Amid the Great Resignation, more employees are moving from one job to the next and not looking back. So, how does job-hopping work, and how much is too much? In this post, we delve into the ins and outs of job-hopping, including the pros and cons. 

By Brandi Fowler

Sticking with jobs for five or more years has become more uncommon due to the effects of the pandemic.

According to a study from IBM’s Institute for Business Value, one in five workers voluntarily switched jobs in 2020, and one in four workers planned to change jobs in 2021. More than 60 percent of that group had already changed employers in January 2021.

Those stats are just the beginning, and most job-hopping employees fall into two demographics. 

“Of the one in five workers who switched jobs last year, 33 percent identified as Gen Z and 25 percent as millennial,” IBM reported. Millennials are also considered to be the generation most likely to job hop, Gallup revealed. 

Job-hopping is spending less than two years in a position. It can be a way to leave a job you are not happy with, increase your salary/benefits package, go fully remote, etc.

“The reasons people job-hop are as numerous as there are job seekers,” career coach Ed Han said. “People might hop because of a poor job fit, avoiding being terminated, an offer they couldn't refuse, conscientious objector to something shady happening, or quite often, was working on a contract engagement of short duration.”  

“When there's more opportunity, people are always looking over their shoulder or looking ahead and thinking, what else can I have?” The Talent Fairy and Ed2010.com founder Chandra Turner said. “I want to have more money. I want to have better benefits. I want to be working full-time remotely. That's a big part of it.

“I'm seeing a lot of that. No surprise…the people that are going back to work and don't want to be, they're like, ‘Well, I can go work someplace else. That opportunity is now to do so.’ And so they're jumping.”

I chatted with Han and Turner to find out more about the pros and cons of job-hopping and the best ways to take the plunge. 

How You Can Use job-hopping to Benefit Your Career

Han and Turner said one of the biggest benefits of job-hopping is that it can lead to higher salaries.

“No matter how much you love what you do for a living, it's gotta help you make a living!” Han said. He added that job-hopping can also help benefit your career if it removes you from an undesirable job so you can thrive elsewhere.

“The market has allowed for people to move around more without penalty,” Turner said. “Supposedly we're moving into a recession, but right now there are still a lot of jobs and a lot of freelance opportunities too.”

Turner said one of the big reasons behind it is the lack of advancement within companies.

“My expertise is really in media and content and marketing, and in those areas, and this is probably true in most places,” Turner said. “Your current employer isn't incentivized to give you lots of money every year. 

“So, the best way to make more money is to leave and get a job in another company who is going to usually pay a more competitive rate than what you're making now. And you're in a negotiation position.”

Turner also said some companies are open about flex remote policies, which more employees are looking for.

“Airbnb said now that you could work anywhere,” Turner said. “You don't have to ever go into the job. I heard that when they did that they got a flood of applications.

“So that's more work, more flexibility to be able to work when you want to work, and what works for your lifestyle, family situation or whatever the case may be.“  

How job-hopping Can Be Detrimental for Your Career

Job-hopping is not shunned as in the past, but should still be handled appropriately.

Like there are pros to job-hopping, there are cons too. 

“The con is that at least until the pandemic, most hiring managers were suspicious of short tenures, assuming that someone was either fired or left in anticipation thereof,” Han said. “While this still occurs, it's not as pervasive today.”

So, how much job-hopping is too much? It varies.

“The old guideline was one such hop was bad, but the past two years have softened this due to the difficult career climate of COVID-19,” Han said. “Others take a more permissive view, feeling that several such opportunities in the recent few years are OK.”

Turner said, “It's hard to be judgmental because we all know that there was so much change happening and it was beyond our control. So that really made it easier for the workforce to be more flexible.”

Turner reiterated that there is more acceptance around job-hopping because the market is “super competitive.” She added, “If you want to hire good people, then you have to overlook the fact that maybe they have jumped around a little bit.

“If they're jumping every six months, which I've had a couple of coaching clients who have done that, and I look at their LinkedIn and I think, you've had four jobs in the last three years and they're full-time jobs, that doesn't look good. It says to me that you're difficult to manage whether that is true or not. So that is a real perception issue.“

Consultant or contract jobs are expected to be for a few months at a time, but you should try to commit to full-time roles for at least a year, Turner said. 

“If you hate your job, you can leave it after a year,” Turner said. “Just don't have that happen four times in a row. Then you have to get creative with your resume.”

Han echoed Turner’s sentiments about how several short job stints can be perceived. 

“The unambiguous hard line is a work history exclusively comprised of such brief tenures,” Han said. “By moving frequently, this means that you never had to worry about longer-term planning, seeing the true results of what you delivered.”  

How to Explain job-hopping to a Hiring Manager

If you have job-hopped quite a bit, you should be prepared to talk about it authentically if a hiring manager asks.

“Honesty is the best approach, but carefully worded honesty is essential,” Han said. “No one wants to hear that your former employer was a terrible place to work. Thus, whatever your truth is, put the best light on the subject.”

“You need to be smart about what you're saying,” Turner said. “You also need to make sure you are not trying to just pull one over on whoever you're going to work for. You want to make sure it's going to be a good fit so you can stick with them. Now that it is more competitive, say exactly what it is that you are looking for. If you want to be working remotely or you want to be flex, say that.”

How to Prevent job-hopping So Much

Sometimes situations occur where you had high hopes for a job, you take it, and it is a nightmare. 

Doing more research before and during the interview process can help prevent that. 

“I think that oftentimes, this is especially true of people a little bit more junior in their career, [people] tend to get swayed by whatever the job is and excited that people want them and they want to hire them,” Turner said. “There is an intoxicating effect of being wanted, needed, and courted, and they forget what they want.

“They forget to see what they need.  [If you job-hop frequently], look back at those last three jobs that you had and what you didn't like about them. 

“What was the management style that you didn't jive with? What was it about the organization that didn't make you want to stay there?” 

Use those answers and do your research on the job title, its responsibilities, and the company as a whole, Turner said. She also suggested asking people at the company about the work environment. 

Job-hopping can benefit your career or be a detriment if handled wrong. Don’t be afraid to seek other opportunities even if only six months have passed in a new job, but be aware of the possible consequences if you do that more than once  — and often.

Top Takeaways

Is job-hopping bad?

• Job-hopping is more acceptable than it was in the years before the pandemic began. 
• Job-hopping can lead to a higher salary, and can be beneficial for your mental health if you are leaving jobs that have unfavorable work conditions. 
• Too much job-hopping can be detrimental. Try to stay at a job for at least a year.
• Be prepared to explain to a hiring manager why you job-hopped and be honest when you do.