Job descriptions and interviews sometimes fail to accurately describe actual responsibilities, leaving professionals immediately wanting new jobs after just starting one.
Browsing Indeed and LinkedIn can help individuals find positions in their area of expertise, but it’s impossible to know if a job is a good fit until starting it.
However, job hopping can negatively impact your career. Many hiring managers want to find someone loyal and patient, two attributes lacking when a resume showcases many positions within a short period of time.
It’s important to find a good career fit, but it’s also tough to explain job hopping to recruiters and employers.
Here are three reasons why tenure is important to your career goals:
Stability –
Most of the time, each job posting has hundreds of applicants hoping to procure a new position. That means you’re competing against a number of qualified individuals hoping to get a job. Prospective employers want to find a reliable employee who has shown loyalty and stability throughout their careers. If you have had three jobs in a two-year span it might look bad compared to others. Sometimes job hopping is out of your hands, but it can hinder your career moving forward.
Job Security –
If you have moved from job to job throughout your career, you could be the first to go at a new job. Employers may be willing to take a risk on you, but you might be an easy first cut if the company needs to let someone go. Job hopping can work both ways. Professionals can leave jobs they don’t like, but then they may be more apt to be released themselves.
Limited Growth –
It’s hard to think about missed opportunities for a place you didn’t like, but every time you leave a company after a short tenure, you lose the opportunity to move up in the company. Career growth can have a small window of opportunity, and limiting chances by continuously starting over can hinder your career.