Posted

Some employees step away from the podium on graduation day and move into the workforce within a week, immediately shifting from one well marked path to another. Some employees keep that first job and that first employer for the next five, ten, or even thirty years, never varying the routine, never learning anything new, and never exploring the word outside of that cozy bubble.

But not you. You’ve held several jobs since you finished your education…and in fact, the positions you’ve held have crossed lines between multiple industries. You may not have a deep immersion in one tiny corner of the working world, but your reach is wide and your experience is vast and varied. So how can you use your short job tenures to your advantage? Here are few moves that might help.

Don’t use (or worry about) the term “job-hopper”.

In our modern world, this term has lost most of its meaning (and its once-pejorative sting). Employer-employee loyalty is largely a thing of the past, and most employees keep a given role within a given company for an average of 2.5 years. This is a far cry from the lifelong worker-company bonds that existed generations ago. Some rigid and cautious employers might look askance on an employee with a restless history, but this is usually defined as more than five jobs in two years, or more than five consecutive jobs with a tenure of less than six months each.

Experience can be wide or deep, but not both.

This is especially true for workers who are under the age of 35. So far, you’ve chosen wide. So stand behind this decision and use your sense of enterprise and your natural curiosity as selling points. As your record shows, you learn new things quickly, you aren’t afraid of change, and you like to stay in constant motion. These are all traits that smart employers are looking for and know how to use.

You leave, but you make a difference first.

When employers avoid hiring “job-hoppers” they aren’t doing so because they fear unpredictable or unconventional personalities. They aren’t frozen in a mid-50’s world where jobs last forever and employees pledge eternal loyalty to their bosses. But they DO fear hiring candidates who will accept expensive training, make expensive newbie mistakes, and leave before they have a chance to serve as assets or contribute value to the organization. Make it clear that you won’t do this. You might leave jobs within a few years, but before you go, you add lasting value and you have the references and track record to prove it.

For more on how to use your work history to your advantage—whatever that history may entail—contact the staffing and employment pros at Expert.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)