I’ve had 5 jobs in 6 years. Yup, I’m a millennial alright! Was it my intention go on a job hopping streak? Absolutely freaking not!! But the end result you ask? I’ve more than doubled my salary.
To be precise, my salary increased 125% over the 6 years I’ve been working. This puts my husband and I within the upper tier of wage earners in my state, according to ZipRecruiter. All thanks to job hopping.
In this article, I’ll break down everything I learned as a serial job hopper and share how you too can successfully job hop! Let’s get started!
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The Pros and Cons of Job Hopping
In my experience, there are multiple pros and cons of job hopping:
Pros:
- Opportunity for an instant raise, better benefits, and/or promotion
- Gain new experience, vital for building your resume
- Potential for a better commute and/or working hours
Cons:
- You may appear less attractive to potential future employers if you job hop frequently
- You’ll need to build new relationships and learn new systems and processes
- Potential for increased working hours
- It’s almost impossible to know if the new employers is managed well and is on solid financial footing, especially if it’s a start-up company
In many cases, it’s made sense for me to job hop. But, if you’re comfortable with where you’re at, you may decide job hopping just isn’t worth it! The calculus on whether job hopping makes sense varies on a person-to-person basis, depending on individual circumstances.
How to Job Hop Successfully: Tips from a Serial Job Hopper
Job hopping sure has it’s disbelievers! Including a boss I worked for who claimed he almost didn’t hire me because of all the jobs laid out on my resume in a relatively short span of time.
But job hopping does work!
And why it works can be boiled down to 2 reasons:
Job Hopping Tip #1: Basic Economics is Your Friend
There is currently a shortage of qualified professionals in my field. Hence, demand > supply. Ultimately, this enables job hopping.
With very few job applicants, employers are more likely to overlook any knowledge/experience gaps in your resume, knowing that there are not many other qualified applicants out there for them to evaluate.
Job Hopping Tip #2: Have a Story
Every time I interviewed at my next employer, I had the perfect answer to the question, “why are you leaving?”. And my answer, inevitably, did not capture the full truth. Because answers like, “I didn’t like my boss” don’t sell! And that’s what you’re doing in a job interviewing: selling! Selling yourself. Selling your career up to this point.
Allow me to illustrate…
My Job Hopping Journey:
Here’s the saga from my storybook:
- Joined a big 4 public accounting firm (resume brownie points!)
- It was my first job out of college and I didn’t like what I was doing. I adjusted by going to a smaller public accounting firm where I could see the full picture.
- I wanted to leave public accounting, so I took a job in private industry where I could expound upon the financial statement preparation work that I realized I enjoyed, while I was working in public accounting.
- Left there because I wanted to challenge myself as a manager. So, I took a job where I’d be doing some similar work, but also learning the operational side of things and getting IPO experience as well.
- Unfortunately, that company was on the verge of going out of business for reasons beyond my control, which led me to my current job.
- Employed and happy – for now!
Key Takeaways:
The story I’m painting is one in which a kid straight out of school is trying to find their place in the workforce, finally finds it, but wants to be challenged. Finally, she finds a challenging position. Then, suddenly, for reasons outside of her control, loses that job and is again scouring the job market.
It completely overlooks the fact that I’ve had horrible bosses that behaved like juvenile high school bullies, instability due to an upcoming retirement with tension between management (but not me!), micromanaged and being told no to my 2 week honeymoon, and lastly an absent CEO and Board of Directors who were inept at managing cash flows and making business-savvy decisions. Otherwise known as jobs 1-4.
Although the story I’m telling to potential employers is true, it’s not the entire truth! But, it’s the part of the story they want to hear. ALWAYS avoid bashing previous employers. This does nothing to benefit you! Instead, it creates doubts and uncertainty in the mind of future employers about your personality and work ethic.
Tips and Tricks for Serial Job Hopping
Ask Yourself What You Have to Gain
Before you decide to make that leap, it’s important to ask yourself “why?”. Job hopping made sense for me because it lead to drastically higher salaries and afforded me better career opportunities. BUT if you’re happy with your current employer, think about what you have to gain from jumping ship. It’s also important for you to think about the after-tax salary increase (if any).
For example, if your salary increases by $10,000 and you’re being taxed at 24% on a federal level, you’ll be pocketing about $7,600. If you’re already making $120,000+, an extra $7,600 might not be worth the hassle of changing jobs.
Know How to Play "The Game"
There are certain standards set when you’re searching for a new job. And to be successful, you need to know how to play the game.
This means showing up to an interview on-time and well-dressed; i.e. wearing a blazer and dress pants, rather than a sweatshirt.
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Playing the game also means you NEVER, under any circumstance, trash talk an old employer. Remember, the world is smaller than you think!
This also means you do not discuss your salary expectations, unless it’s brought up first by the interviewer.
And lastly, you should have answers to the most-commonly asked canned questions: “Why are you leaving?”, “Tell me about yourself?”, and “What attracted you to this role?”.
Think About Your Career Like You Would a Chess Match
When it comes to building a career, you’re best served thinking about where you want to end up. Then, taking steps to help you get there.
In other words, each job hop should aim to accomplish one of two objectives:
- Teaching you new knowledge or skills for the role you eventually want.
- Teaching you more or less the same knowledge or skills as your previous role(s), with the goal of getting promoted.
For example, during the first half of my career, I quickly discovered I like preparing financial statements. Although job 2 wasn’t where I wanted to be forever, it was the transition I needed to go from testing internal controls to preparing financial statements (fulfills objective #1). Then, as I gained more experience, I narrowed down my ideal job: one in which I was in private industry and involved in the financial reporting and the monthly close process. This criteria was met in jobs 3-5 and I have built on those same skills with each job hop (objective #2).
Use a Recruiter
Another tip for the serial job hopper is to use a recruiter. Oftentimes recruiters have the inside scoop on the job market and have exclusive job postings. They’ll also work with you to make sure you’ll get exactly what you want out of your next job.
Plus, they may be able to negotiate a higher salary than you otherwise would get because they know the company’s budget for the role.
But, be advised, the company may also not be willing to pay you as much as they would be if they need to also pay a recruiter fee. Moreover, they may overlook your application entirely if they have other qualified applicants who apply without using a recruiter, and are therefore cheaper to hire.
Personally, I’ve had good luck using recruiters. That being said, I recommend applying on your own for jobs as well. I find a mixed approach gives you the best odds of finding that next job.
Know that You Have NOTHING to Lose
Lastly, remember this: you have absolutely NOTHING to lose!
Obviously, the time you take to search for jobs is worth something, but you control how much time you spend looking. You’re free to walk away from a potential job at ANY point (before you sign the offer letter, of course!). And until you’ve signed an offer, you should continue on in your current role, collecting a paycheck.
The absolute worst that happens is you gain more experience interviewing. Which, really isn’t so bad when you keep in mind that that experience could prepare you for acing an interview later on, for what could be your dream job.
Will You be Job Hopping?
I hope this article gave you actionable, practical ideas you can use to job hop successfully and thrive in your career.
If you enjoyed reading this, check out some of my other articles related to self-improvement.
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