The pros and cons of job-hopping

The younger generation of workers, particularly the Millennials and Gen Z, are known for their knack for job-hopping.

A 2021 study by IBM’s Institute of Business Value showed that out of the workers who switched jobs that year, 33% were Gen Z while 25% were Millennials.

The world of business usually frowns upon the idea of job-hopping, but the perception began changing when “The Great Resignation” happened.

At the height of the pandemic, millions of workers across the globe quit their jobs in search of better opportunities.

Job-hopping became more and more common as both applicants and employers slowly adjusted to the new normal of work and the challenges of employee engagement and talent acquisition and retention.

The period that followed “The Great Resignation” became a trial and error of sort as everybody tried to find the right balance in a post-pandemic world.

Read more: The Great Reciprocation: Loyalty is a two-way street

But when is job-hopping beneficial, and when is it too much? Before you think of embarking on your own job-hopping journey, let us first examine its benefits and drawbacks.

Benefits of job-hopping

Adaptability

Changing environments every so often may allow you to develop a sense of adaptability, which is a crucial soft skill when you are looking for a job.

Being adaptable can even make you an asset for roles that require communication with colleagues and clients around the world.

Network

Job-hopping will definitely expand your professional network, but only if you leave the company on good terms.

If you decide to go job-hopping, make sure to notify everyone respectfully, explain your reasons, and ask for your support. Never burn bridges.

Salary upgrade

There are lots of studies that show that switching jobs result in higher salaries compared to staying put, which means job-hopping is an effective way to increase your pay faster.

If you believe your skills are worth more than they pay you are getting, maybe it is time to move on to another organization that can provide better compensation.

Career advancement

Moving to another organization is also an effective way to climb up the corporate ladder. Job-hopping allows you to look for higher-value roles that may not be available in your previous jobs.

In this scenario, changing jobs may be the better option instead of staying put for years, waiting for that elusive promotion.

Cultural fit

Job-hopping will not just allow you to adapt to different work environments and cultures. It will allow you to assess yourself and determine the right organization for you.

Knowing your strengths and weakness as you cycle through different work environments, you will be able to determine the company culture that will make you thrive.

The downside of job-hopping

Starting over again

Starting over and over and over again is not easy. New people to talk to. New culture to adopt. New tasks to learn. All of these can be stressful.

The time you spend starting from scratch could have been valuable time spent on learning or upskilling to increase your value.

Loss of benefits

Every time you quit, you lose hard-earned benefits from your employer. While your next job is most likely to give you a new set of benefits, it may take time, given that you are starting from scratch again.

Paid leaves, for example, would not be available at once when you join another organization because you have to serve on probationary status before you get your full benefits.

Job uncertainty

Job-hopping sounds easy, but in reality, it can be tough, especially now when more people are resigning and looking for better opportunities like you.

If you are dead set on job-hopping, make sure you have enough resources to carry you through a long period because you’ll never know when you’ll get a job.

Questionable record 

The stigma against job-hoppers still exists. When a hiring manager looks at your CV, he might view the long list of previous jobs as a sign of impending attrition.

Many companies still place a high value on “loyalty”, and being a job-hopper wouldn’t help in these kinds of situations.

Depth of knowledge 

While it is true that you can gain different skills and knowledge when you move from one job to another, the time you spend on each role may not be enough to make you an expert.

Instead of fully realizing your potential in your previous role, there is a danger that you become a “jack of all trades and a master of none” in the industry, which keeps your value low.

Read more: How companies can hire and retain great talent

Is it time to go job-hopping?

Job-hopping, depending on how you do it, can be good or bad for your career. The key is to know whether your motivation and the situation are in the right place.

If you are moving from job to job more frequently because of bad relationships with your colleagues or managers, then maybe there’s something you need to fix first.

If you’ve been job-hopping with no clear goals in mind, then maybe you might want to stop and think about what you really want to do.

But if you feel like changing careers would help you level up in your chosen field and get a higher salary for your everyday needs, then maybe it’s the right thing to do.

In the end, the key to effective job-hopping is to do it with goals and objectives.