The Truth About Job-Hopping: Why Does It Have Such a Bad Reputation?

Job-hopping is the frequent act of moving from one company to another. While the rise of start-ups has made shorter tenures more common, someone might be labeled a job-hopper if their resume shows a clear pattern of staying at a job for less than two years. That’s less than half the average period that U.S. workers tend to stay at each job, as of January 2022.

An occasional “blip” on a track record (for example, a nine-month run at a job in between two five-year runs) won’t be seen by most people as job-hopping. Instead, they’re likely to be viewed as anomalies, possibly explained by an economic layoff or a particularly toxic work environment.

Job-hopping is often referred to as a “trend.” Gallup labeled millennials “the job-hopping generation” and pointed a finger at employers’ failure to engage Generation Y in the workplace.

A 2018 survey found that 64% of workers had a favorable view of job-hopping, including 75% of millennial workers. This represented a 22% increase from a similar 2014 survey.

Notably, none of these reports present statistics to prove that more people are actually job-hopping, only that attitudes toward the practice are shifting. Still, it doesn’t take a statistical analysis for workers under 40 to recognize that their career paths look markedly different from those of their parents. This is because the world of work has changed immensely, and today’s professional trajectories involve much more movement.

Without clearer evidence of a true job-hopping epidemic, employer panic about the so-called trend can be taken with a grain of salt.

Job-hopping has a reputation for being a fast path to a higher salary, but is that the whole story?

Even the most anti-millennial trend piece will point out that money isn’t the only cause of job-hopping. In fact, many surveys have shown that most workers are willing to take a pay cut in order to work somewhere more aligned with their social values.

Some of the non-monetary reasons behind job-hopping include:

1. A greater sense of control in one’s career.

The rampant layoffs that have characterized many young people’s recession-laden professional life haven’t gone unnoticed. For some, job-hopping is a way to break that cycle and take charge.

2. A reset button on boredom.

Growing and learning throughout one’s career is a basic need. When it goes unmet, switching jobs can sometimes seem more appealing than trying to get one’s current employer to invest in development opportunities.

3. Advancement.

Working somewhere for a couple of years, achieving a lot, and then moving on to greener pastures can seem like a shortcut up the career ladder. In this respect, it’s up to employers to set clear pathways for advancement and to promote internally.

4. A better work environment.

Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, employees simply have a lower tolerance for burnout and unhealthy workplaces and are “voting with their feet” in record numbers.

There was a time when job-hopping was a one-way ticket to a recruiter’s “No” pile. Job-hoppers were seen as inherently flaky and an unwise investment for any company to make.

Today, out of a combination of empathy for the reasons behind job-hopping and acceptance of the realities of today’s world of work, employers are more likely to give so-called job-hoppers a fair chance to explain themselves.

Still, hiring, onboarding, and supporting a new employee is costly, and employers want to be confident they’ll get their money’s worth. As a result, job-hoppers still face an uphill battle to earn the trust of wary prospective employers — their best bet is to be able to thoughtfully explain their career trajectory to date and to have a specific answer to the question: “What would it take to get you to stick around for the long haul?”

For employees who want to leave a job after less than two years, the first line of defense is an honest conversation with their manager about their concerns. What’s making them want to leave, and is there room to address these issues? (Of course, issues like disengagement and conflict with co-workers should be addressed long before an employee feels the need to quit!)

Remember, it’s usually less effort for an employer to retain an employee than to re-enter a hiring process to replace someone.

For “serial job-hoppers,” another positive alternative is to switch to a contract work model. Switching jobs after completing a defined, finite project looks much better on a resume than repeatedly abandoning what was supposed to be a long-term commitment.

Advantis Global can support tech workers looking to make a switch from permanent to contract work. Apply to a job or submit your resume to start the conversation with a recruiter.