More and more often we are hearing the term ‘’Job Hopping’’ but what is it and why is it becoming more popular?

First of all, job hopping is used to describe those who jump from job to job – from company to company within (typically) a short period of time.

Why has it become so popular?

Based on our research it is clear that the Baby Boomer (1945 - 1964) & Generation X (1961 - 1981) are generations that mainly focused on stability – by this we mean that they were seen as more loyal employees, once they found a job they more often than not stayed with the company and grew with them. Whereas Generation Y (1985 – 2004) also known as ''The Millennials'' who believe that sticking with the same company means slow growth and a dead end. The Millennials believe that job hopping can help them grow the professional ladder much quicker.

As Gen Y have been brought up in the digital era – where all is just a click and a scroll away – there is little time for patience – if something doesn’t load within 5-8 seconds they click away – therefore, Gen Y do not care so much about stability in a job – they are looking more for career exploration – the more adventurous job seeker.

The question has still to be answered: Is job hopping good or bad for your career – or it is slowly but surely becoming the new normal – do we all just need time to adjust?

Before you jump to conclusions and start taking a leaf out of Gen Y job hoppers book – have a look at our quick list of the good & the bad when it comes to Job Hopping.

THE GOOD:

• Mixing it up:

Routine in our everyday lives can be both welcoming and a burdon – we like the comfort of routine but feel bored with it at the same time. Job hopping can help add variety – with each new job you have the opportunity to learn something new about the industry, another company and hopefully yourself.

• Experience:

Job hopping allows you to add a number of skills to your CV – Making you an attractive prospect for future employers. Just make sure you can prove that these skills have worked in the past. You can do so by providing information on past tasks and projects that have performed well.

• Networking:

If done right and done well – this can be a great benefit to job hopping – working in a number of companies and industries allows you to grow a substantial professional network that could come in handy in the future.

• Pay Increase:

Like we said – having a range of skills can be an attractive prospect for potential employers, meaning that they are willing to pay that bit more to have you on board. Many of those who job hop believe that is one of the fastest ways to grow your salary.

THE BAD:

• Loyalty:

You may have an eye catching CV but with employers seeing that you have moved around quite a bit – they may think twice about employing you. How long are you going to stay – any money and time they take to train and develop you would be wasted if you left – are they going to see an ROI on employing you? If they don’t see any loyalty in you with previous employers -what is to make them believe that you wouldn’t do the same for them?

• Burning Bridges:

Depending of course on how long you have worked and how you have left it when leaving the company, you could have burned some bridges on your way out. You may also have lost a considerable amount of contacts that could have been used as references when it comes to looking for a new job.

• Internal Promotions:

With Job hopping you could be missing out on possible internal promotions – these are a way of your employer noticing your skills and rewarding you with a promotion for them. If you are constantly job hopping how will you ever grab a well-earned promotion?

• Negative points:

Many employers today still see job hopping as a negative thing. If they see you hopping from one company to the next especially if you are not staying with them for at least 1 year – this can reflect badly on you – the employer may see you as lacking in focus and motivation as well as having a limited knowledge about the industry and the job.

There you have it – What’s the verdict, good or bad?

Whatever you decide – check out the jobs that Job Coconut have on offer – whether you want to hop around and see the world while you are doing so, or you want to find the one – to stick with – we’ve got the job for you.