job hopping | Journey

Is Job Hopping Still a Red Flag to Employers?

By Job Journey on Thursday, September 16, 2021

You’ve had several jobs in three years. It wasn’t because you were fired; maybe you were just finding your way, or the pandemic caused consecutive layoffs. Whatever the reason, your resume makes you look like a job-hopper. Traditionally, this has been a red flag to employers; they want to know you’ll stay dedicated to their company so they don’t spend time and money training you only for you to leave a few months later.

However, job hopping is much more common now than it was in years’ previous. It can be beneficial for workers to work under a variety of leadership styles and industries.

Nevertheless, there is still a stigma attached to job hopping. If the topic comes up in an interview, you’ll want to both explain the benefits of your job hopping and detail how this company is different. You won’t be leaving in a few months. Here’s how to do that. (more…)

Are You a Job Hopper or a Job Shopper?

By Miranda Wilson on Monday, March 14, 2011

Job hopping and job shopping – there is a debate on what these two things mean and if one is more significant than the other.

As the economy continues to show improvement, many people are either looking for first-time employment, wanting to get back into the job market, or looking to change careers. There’s no denying that the job market has changed over the years, and it’s definitely not the same one where loyalty reigned supreme or many employees spent their entire career at one company. Today it has become more acceptable to switch jobs – even several times – during one’s career.

With more employers now looking to hire top candidates, it’s a great time to know the difference between a job hopper and a job shopper, and the impressions that could be associated with each.

A Job Hopper.
A job hopper is usually someone who doesn’t stay at job for a long time before they are on to something new and exciting. This individual has had many different jobs that aren’t necessarily related to the same field. Once considered to be something that only younger generations would do, job hopping has become a more widespread practice among all workers. After experiencing a recession where jobs were lost or where employees saw friends get let go, many have changed their mind on loyalty to an employer.

From an employee’s perspective, job hopping can have its benefits. It can allow you to gain new skills and invaluable experience in a variety of areas. It can also allow you to identify what jobs you do and do not like to do, helping you find your true career calling.

From a potential employer’s perspective, they might wonder why you’ve job hopped so much. If you’ve had several jobs in a short amount of time, an employer might be concerned about your commitment level. Also, they will probably want an explanation for all of your hopping.

So, before your next leap, take time to think about whether or not you can make your current job more challenging. And if it does turn out that you need something new, what might be a better option than a job hopper?

A Job Shopper.
According to an article on Yahoo! Finance, job shopping differs from job hopping because it is more structured and planned. Whereas a job hopper might just blindly jump into a new career without doing any research, a job shopper does the necessary homework before making a decision.

In addition, a job shopper has a direct goal in mind for what they want in a career and only transitions to new jobs that will help them achieve that goal. If you are planning to change careers, think about how a change can add to your skill set and improve the work-history story, better known as your résumé. And remember, it’s important to do your homework on your personal time rather than on your employer’s time.

When it comes to your job search, you want to make sure that you stand out from other applicants for all the right reasons. Take time to think through what you want to do for a job and a career, and what it’s going to require to get there. Be strategic with your search. The sky’s the limit in what you can achieve.

At Work Workplace Relationships

Is a Two-Week Notice Still Necessary?

By Jennifer Kenley on Monday, July 20, 2009

I recently read an article on MSNBC titled Take this job and shove it! The article talks about how employees who survived recent company layoffs aren’t following traditional job protocol when they leave their company. Employees are now leaving without giving their employers a two-week notice, and some are even going to work for competitors – despite noncompete agreements they signed with their previous employer.

Company layoffs and benefit cuts can leave surviving employees feeling angry, scared, and nervous that they might be next on the chopping block. In this economy, employers can’t promise their employees that no more cuts will be made. Even if employers give a sense of security to their workers, the trust between the company and its employees is already broken, resulting in many people searching out other job opportunities.

Often, when the trust is broken between employers and their employees, employees no longer feel obligated to give a two-week notice. The need to feel in control of the future often overrides feelings of loyalty and common workplace courtesy toward employers.

But, is it OK to leave your current job without giving the courtesy of a two-week notice?

Leaving your place of employment for better opportunities, a more secure job, or simply because you don’t like how they handled things when layoffs came around is not necessarily a bad thing. But, leaving without giving your employers adequate notice is not good for your professional image.

So, if you’re looking for different employment, don’t leave on a sour note or burn bridges with your employer. No matter what the situation, make sure to give ample time for the company to make alternate arrangements and offer your help to make sure the transition is an easy one. Leave with your professional image intact, and you will not only feel better in the long run, but you’ll leave the door open for any possibility your career leads you to.

At Work Career Advancement

5 Steps to Make Your Work More Challenging (Without Job Hopping)

By tiffany monhollon on Wednesday, March 11, 2009

If you’re like almost half of all workers, chances are, you don’t feel challenged enough at work. In fact, Business Week recently reported that 46% of women and 49% of men say they don’t feel like they’re being challenged in their jobs. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to jump ship and look for work elsewhere.

If you don’t feel challenged at work, here are five steps you can take to start raising the bar for yourself – and make yourself more valuable to your company.

1 – Ask for Better Work.
Start by having a conversation with your boss. Approach this conversation with respect rather than frustration. It’s not going to help your job – or your relationship with your boss – to complain about things. Be able to demonstrate your competency in your current work load, and then let your boss know you feel confident in the current tasks you’re assigned to and that you’d like to take on some additional tasks. Sometimes, simply asking for new work is all it takes to add challenge to your workday.

2 – Spur Your Own Growth.
Whether or not a conversation with your boss is successful at adding new tasks to your plate, professional development is a tried and true way to improve your work. By learning more about your field or industry, discovering how to use the latest trends in your current job roles, or observing new ways to approach old processes, you can rejuvenate your thinking – and maybe even challenge the status quo yourself. Professional development comes in many shapes and sizes these days, so try several approaches and see what works for you. Join a local professional group, befriend industry leaders on social networking sites like Twitter, or learn by teaching others.

3 – Develop New Ideas.
If you want to be the kind of employee who gets the best work, often, you have to be proactive and go after it yourself. Use the knowledge, skills, and ideas you develop through professional development and apply them to your current job role. If you have a spare hour in your work day, don’t use it to catch up on personal e-mails or peruse the Internet like most workers do. Instead, step out ahead of the pack and start something that will make your own work more challenging. Use your spare time at work to develop ideas you have that could help your department or company reach its goals, save money, or better serve customers and clients. Challenge yourself to develop innovative products, cost-effective processes, or cutting-edge concepts, and you’ll feel more energized – but don’t stop there.

4 – Propose and Present.
Simply spending time developing new ideas will help you feel more challenged at work, but to add value to your company, you have to take your ideas to the next level so you can actually implement them. Some of the best tools you can use to sell your ideas to your boss – and equip them to sell your ideas to their bosses – are the proposal and the presentation. Write a well-thought-out proposal to help you clarify your idea to yourself and sell others on its value to the company. Create a thoughtful visual presentation explaining your idea, and then set up a meeting to pitch it to your boss.

5 – Follow Up and Follow Through.
Once you pitch your idea to your boss, let them know you’re serious about moving forward by asking for their immediate feedback. Ask them to give you specific questions or ideas you can use to improve your proposal. Let them know you’d like to meet again in a week or two – to talk about moving forward. Then, follow up. If they don’t adopt the idea immediately – or at all – that’s OK. New ideas are proposed all the time, and not all of them come to fruition. Continue developing ideas, listen to the critiques of your boss, and learn from the process. And if your ideas do get the green light, make sure to follow through with excellence.

If you feel your work lacks the challenge you’re looking for, don’t make the common mistake of waiting around for your boss to notice your potential. And don’t assume it means you need to find a new job.

Take the responsibility for making your own work a rewarding daily challenge, and not only will you beat the Monday morning blues, you’ll start adding accomplishments to your resume and building the career you’ve been dreaming of.

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