So many of us just want a job with a decent employer so we can go about our lives free of the stress and turmoil of job hunting. It is not such a bad thing to want employment complacency, as in cruising along doing something we like in exchange for the security of a steady paycheck. Unfortunately, trying to find that level of contentment in today’s job market is becoming less and less likely.
The harsh reality is that loyalty ain’t what it used to be. You may want to display loyalty and commitment to your employer, but in many cases do not expect it to be returned. The convention has become that companies and their managers are not loyal to employees. Oh, they may rely on you for the skill you can bring, and they may appreciate you when it suits them, but thinking they have your best career interests at heart is dreaming. A basic survival tip is to rely on yourself and on your own talents.
Job transitions have become more common and are expected to continue to be in the future. Although you need to be careful not to compile a history of leaving a series of jobs under negative circumstances, you do have permission to hop from a good situation to a better one. If you can make the case that the reason you are leaving a job is because your work with them is essentially completed from your perspective and that you are ready to transfer your skills to a new challenge, then why not?
There are several reasons job hopping can be good for your career. Let us begin by looking at the way multiple positions broaden your horizon. By working in a variety of settings you build a better and more realistic understanding of how companies run because of experiencing different work settings and cultures. Your network of contacts expands and your career portfolio grows. Taken together, this deepens your knowledge of your profession and makes you a more well-rounded employee.
Who knows where your future will be? Careers develop in a non-linear fashion and are likely to be a hybrid of competencies taken from many places. By adding diversity to your work history, you open the future up to greater opportunities and possibilities.
An additional value to having many jobs is the adaptability you develop. Employment maturity characterized by flexibility and an ability to change is more valuable than knowing just one organization’s way of doing things.
If you know yourself to be a high performer, then expect your talent to be desired. You may find putting yourself into a strong negotiating position is enhanced by having an attitude that you are willing to shop for the best employment opportunity at any given time. Now, if your current employer checks all your boxes, then of course stay and thrive, but if you are treading water in a ho-hum job, go ahead and actively seek an alternative.
And what may be holding you back from embracing job hopping as a career development strategy? Well, fear of course! You mind is probably going through a bad episode of the “What Ifs”. What if managers think I’m unreliable? What if there is nothing better out there than the devil I know? What if I cannot maintain the expensive lifestyle I have grown accustomed to?
So, in addition to those questions ask yourself this: Am I a go-getter or not? Am I willing to take a risk to improve? Am I as good at what I do as I think I am? If you can answer “Yes!” to these questions then job hopping may be the plan for you.
