Job hopping can cause serious red flags when employers are reviewing your resume and see that you’ve held several positions in a matter of months. They’ll wonder if you left your previous positions on your own, which will make them question your loyalty to any company. If you didn’t leave on your own volition, they’ll wonder what caused your termination from each of the companies. Companies value longevity in your past experience because it speaks to your engagement as an employee and ensures your capabilities in a particular skill. In other words, you’re less of a risk if you stick it out with a particular company.
On the flip side, things are changing. Whereas our parents’ generation would stay in the same company for 30+ years, this generation is projected to have 15-20 jobs before retirement. Job hopping is very quickly becoming the norm, so if you were the one who made the decision to leave your previous roles, you’re not necessarily at a disadvantage – as long as you know how to spin it. Here are a few things you’ve learned that you can utilize to ease the doubts of any interviewer.
Actually, you do have a lot of experience.
The caveat to using this as leverage during your interview is that it only works if you were able to accomplish something impressive in a short amount of time at the company. Employers are always looking for candidates who can efficiently and positively contribute to the company – whether that’s in the form of more sales, user acquisition, product and service improvements or brand visibility. You have to be able to show potential employers that you were able to add immense value and measurable results, so make sure you’re putting numbers behind your claims, i.e. “By reframing our company’s pitch to potential clients, I was able to increase our monthly sales by 15%.”
An extra bonus is if your jobs were in different industries. You will have a well-rounded skill set, and you’ll also be able to provide valuable insight when interacting with potential customers or clients who are still working in the industries you left behind. It’s a great way of making sure you’re using the right language and tailored approach to help cultivate your business’s following.
You can adapt easily and quickly to different environments.
Six-person office to 300-employee corporation? It makes no difference to you. You fit well in anywhere, transitioning easily between company cultures where employees have their heads down, eating lunch at their desks, to an office where 3 different coworkers are filming the CTO trying out a hoverboard for the first time (#WayUplife). Change is inevitable for any growing company, and employers love to see that alterations in your surroundings won’t inhibit your ability to perform.
You’ve successfully interacted with a number of different personalities.
Not many people are able to get along with everyone – especially in an office environment where different communication styles and expectations can clash and make productivity a challenge, but because of your experience, you can accomplish projects and meet deadlines with anyone — from warming up the surly employee no one wanted to work with to corralling the creative, quirky employee into managing disorganized ideas.
No matter what your new job entails, it’s very likely that you’ll come into contact with co-workers, management, clients, customers — even potential new hires coming in for an interview — who have different ways of getting their work done and different visions for the company. You can impress your interviewer by showcasing your people management skills and putting him or her at ease when considering how well you’ll fit into the team.
Even using all of these points, employers could still be a little wary of extending an offer – but as long as you’re clearly communicating your value, it’ll make it that much harder for an employer to say no.
