How Job-Hopping Could Actually Help Advance Your Career

Since graduating from undergrad almost five years ago, I have had classmates that have switched jobs at least three times. Changing jobs every year or every few years is the norm now. While job hopping used to look really bad on a resume, career experts are entertaining the idea that it isn't as bad as it seems.

As millennials are rising in the workplace and craving immediate gratification, development, and advancement, the idea of staying with the same company for years until retirement is pretty obsolete.

Older generations have argued that staying in a job for less than a couple of years showed disloyalty or a lack of commitment. While personally, I have never been eager to job hop (the job hunt isn't fun), after reading the quotes from the career experts below, I began to think otherwise.

Patty McCord, former Chief Talent Officer for Netflix says job hopping isn't a bad thing and employees should consider doing so every three to four years. "I think that the most important, critical change in people's mental outlook is to view employees as smart contributors from the beginning," says McCord.

In a Fast Company article, Vivian Gang argues that job hoppers get paid more and are more loyal: “Workers who stay with a company longer than two years are said to get paid 50% less, and job hoppers are believed to have a higher learning curve, be higher performers, and even to be more loyal, because they care about making a good impression in the short amount of time they know they'll stay with each employer."

Penelope Trunk, entrepreneur and writer said in an interview, “I've read a lot of research about what makes a good employee and people used to think that the longer you kept an employee, the more worth they are to you, because you train them and they get used to their job and then they do it. But, in fact, an employee who stays on the job and isn't learning at a really high rate is not as engaged, so they're not doing as good work. So it turns out, the employee who stays longest, you get the least work out of, and the employees that job hunt are the most receptive of becoming extremely useful, very fast."

Before you jump on the bandwagon of anti-job hoppers and preach that they are not loyal, can't keep a job, or get along with team members, consider the benefits below of job hoppers.

1. It's an opportunity to network and meet new people.

It's not what you know, it's who you know. We have all heard this saying and I honestly believe that it has some truths in it. When you are looking for a new opportunity or need assistance from someone, often the people in your network are able to help (or know someone that can).

If done tastefully, job hopping can help you achieve a powerful network. If you decide to leave your job, be sure to keep a healthy and balanced relationship with those people. Take advantage of your powerful network and nurture those relationships.

2. It's an opportunity to renegotiate your salary.

Job hopping can also get you the salary increase that you have been wanting. At most companies, the salary increase percentage is pretty low so even if you are at a job for years and have done an amazing job, your pay will probably not jump as high as you would like.

When you are interviewing for a job, you can easily communicate your salary demands and if they want you, chances are they will pay you that if not more. Every time you switch jobs, there is a new opportunity to re-negotiate your salary, sometimes even doubling what you make at your current employer.

3. It provides you with diverse experience.

If you job hop between different industries or companies, your skill set and experience will become more diverse and you will be more marketable. Someone who has a diverse background will often be very attractive to hire because they can bring new ideas and a fresh perspective.

4. It's an opportunity to figure out what's best for you.

When you job-hop, you experience different people and companies and you are able to figure out what you like versus what you don't like. You are able to learn different management styles and figure out what you like in a company. If you are a budding entrepreneur, this is valuable knowledge and experience. Even if you are not an aspiring business owner, it is still important just in case you ever did want to settle down with a company longer than usual.

What are your thoughts on job hopping? Drop a comment below and let us know!

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