13 September 2017

Job Hopping – The Good The Bad and The Ugly

Gone are the days when you were hired at 18 by a big corporate, worked your way up the ladder, stayed there for 50 years and received a nice retirement package at the end.

It’s 2017 and everything is fast paced. The traditional career plan has changed and there are so many different avenues and industries to explore, there are startups, agencies, corporates, Fintech, Edtech, E-commerce and so many more that a focused, straight line career path is almost impossible to achieve and to be honest – an outdated approach.

On top of this, there are so many new skills to acquire with training so easily and widely available there is another issue of how much to upskill yourself and which of the many available skills to add to your CV, however, this is a topic all on its own.

What are the main reasons people leave jobs these days?

  • Lack of growth or promotion opportunities
  • Bad managers
  • Looking for more money
  • Job is plain boring, dull duties, not challenging enough – as I mentioned, everything is fast paced now, we get bored easily

So let’s, get down to it, the good the bad and the ugly. How much hopping is too much and when does drive and ambition turn into a disloyalty and a short attention span?

Earlier on in your career, it is expected that you will hop around a bit more, exploring different paths while bumping up you menial starting salary each time.

If you start out with an internship, it is expected that this will last between 3-6 months and having a couple of internships on your CV is a good look.

Now onto your first job, a year is standard, if it looks like there is room for growth and a title change then stay on and rack up your achievements. If you are really unhappy, a year is sufficient but anything less than a year tends to look bad without good reason. When it comes to title changes in the same company, put that on your CV, it shows that you were doing your job well, they valued you and promoted you.

First job out the way, your next move should be looking for somewhere to stay a while, grow and learn. About 3 years is a good amount of time to stick this one out, and after 3 years, if you feel you have maximised your potential and there is no room for learning or growth, it’s ok to look for something new.

After this, hopefully, you will be well on your way to figuring out what you do and don’t want out of your career and able to select a job with a company that matches your goals and values that you can stick it out with.

One last piece of advice – don’t just accept the first job that comes your way. As hard as it is to find a job, being stuck in the wrong job and constantly hopping is far from ideal. Do your research about the company and ask as many questions as possible. A job interview is also a chance for you to interview the company and find out if it is the right fit for you long-term.

For more information, queries, vacancies or staffing solutions, please email us at info@recruitdigital.co.za

 

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