Career building vs. Job hopping
For previous generations, having one employer for the duration of your working life was the norm. You’d join company X and then move vertically or horizontally within the organisation until you hopefully receive a golden handshake when you reach retirement age.
The current employment scene, however, looks very different – with far more movement between different companies. While having multiple employers over your career span has become the new normal, for some people, their rate of changing jobs is more frequent. Unfortunately, this is sometimes viewed in a negative light.
According to talent strategist at Regent Career Architects, Lerato Nxomani-Pakade, employers consider job hopping to be when an employee changes jobs within a 12-18 month period. This can be problematic for organisations.
“Companies are concerned that they will spend money training you and you may leave before the payback period. This is the period after which the value you produce for the organisation starts to exceed what they have invested in you.”
To counter some of these negative perceptions, the context and understanding about job hopping need to be re-framed. This can be done by not only seeing it as a chase for a higher salary, but being about building a career that fosters growth and learning, that seeks fair compensation, and that reflects that good working environments nurture a longer tenure.
If you’ve changed jobs a lot over the past few years, here’s how to show recruiters that you’ve been a career builder and not a job hopper:
DEMONSTRATE LOYALTY WITH A DIFFERENCE
Long service has traditionally been seen as an indicator of loyalty – that individuals who are committed to a company stay there through all the ups and downs they may face. There are, however, different ways to assess loyalty than a long tenure.
If you’ve had a number of employers over the past few years and concerns are raised about your ability to be loyal to a company, you can spin this around to be positive, says Nxomani-Pakade. “It’s important for employers to understand that there are more rigorous measures for loyalty than long tenure. In the current economic climate, an employee staying with a company for a long period can mean that they aren’t able to compete in the market. This means that your most ‘loyal’ employees, as currently understood by most employers, may not necessarily be your best. Instead, loyalty can be measured by your likelihood to encourage other talented people to apply to work at your employer, and other more nuanced loyalty considerations.”
A long service is also not the right metric to determine the value of an employee. No matter how short the tenure, an employee can make a big impact and add great value to the company. So if you want to showcase your loyalty and value, talk about the impact and contributions made in your previous jobs.
SHOWCASE BREADTH OF KNOWLEDGE
If you’ve worked for more than one or two employers over the past decade, it means that you’re likely to have firsthand knowledge of how different organisations are incorporating technology in their business functions. And depending on the types of roles you’ve held, it may also mean you have exposure to different operating systems, tools and software.
You’re able to not only navigate your way around these options, you’ve also gained understanding of optimal working conditions and fit. This is all knowledge you bring with you to a new employer. In addition to these practical skills, changing jobs also conveys your personality and emotional strength, says career coach and CEO of Hesed Consulting, Vumi Msweli.
“It allows you to gain vast experience of the industry and increases your ability to be flexible and adapt to different organisational cultures,” she says. It takes courage to learn everything new and different. Being willing and able to do this is testament to your inner resolve. For potential employers, the knowledge of different ways of doing business is an important consideration that can put you ahead of other candidates.
REVEAL CONNECTIONS AND NETWORKS YOU’VE ACQUIRED
Every office has that one go-to person whenever a recommendation is required. That person knows just the right person for certain tasks because they’ve built up a strong network over years of being in different companies. An advantage of a history of multiple employers means you’re likely to have a vast network, Msweli explains. This can be beneficial to a company that is considering hiring you because it’s not just you they’re bringing on board, but they’ll also have access to all the people you know and have a relationship with.