Have you ever looked at a CV and been put off by the number and frequency of job changes? I know I have and certainly this will be a red flag to most hiring managers. But should it be, or are we being unfair?

There’s no doubt, job-hopping gets a bad rap. If often conjures up the image of an entitled, lazy millennial with no staying-power and we don’t want to take the risk of hiring them only for them to leave soon after. But is this a fair assumption?

Changing jobs frequently, especially early in someone’s career can be really important in terms of providing opportunities for career progression and growth. Gaining experience in different organisations and industries will certainly enhance experience and skills as well as salary progression. Every candidate should be reviewed on their own merit and in line with short-listing criteria. Choosing not to interview someone based on the number of jobs they’ve had is missing the context and any perceived notions about why someone has moved jobs a lot will become clear at interview. It does not automatically indicate lack of commitment.

When we consider the reasons why someone may move job, aside from salary and career progression there is every possibility that it may relate to refusal to settle with being unhappy at work whether that be due to a toxic culture, bad manager or poor work design. In fact, we should be commending someone for not tolerating this or where they’re no longer challenged or are under-valued or are seeking a more diverse and inclusive culture. Good for them!

When we compare the candidate with over a decade of experience for the same company with the candidate that has moved jobs a number of times within that period we need to be open to the possibility that both may be equally as experienced, competent and hard-working. Lone gone are the days of a career for life and employers should be mindful of this.

So the next time you or a hiring manager raise your eyebrows at the number of job hops on a CV why not regard this as a potential positive and an indication that this candidate might be able to offer bags of experience, be very career focused and hungry for progression; all the attributes of the perfect candidate especially in the current climate when we face such difficulties attracting talent into our organisations.

Useful Reading:

Employer Brand https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/people/recruitment/brand-factsheet#gref

Getting, developing and keeping the right people https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/people#gref