Six Reasons for Job Hopping. Why It is Different This Time

No one expects you to stay in a job where you are not happy. Especially if you are in the first decade of your working career and still working out what you want out of life. Many interview candidates will find themselves explaining their reasons for job hopping at some stage.

When personal or professional stagnation sets in, changing jobs can sometimes be a catalyst for the better. (1) if you do it for the right reasons and (2) if something genuinely changes with your next role. There might even be one or two jobs where you only stayed a year or two. It happens, but future employers will want to dig into the reasons.

A crucial component of job hopping is progress. Reasons for a job hop will vary in terms of personal circumstances. Still, so long as you can demonstrate that it was in your interests to move and that the reasons for the move were not present when you initially accepted the role, you have a chance of a potential employer not wishing to dig too much further.

Here are six of the most common reasons for job hopping. And how you can explain to a future employer that it won’t be the case with them.

Good reasons for job hopping

Seeking self-discovery and purpose. Learning about what you like and don’t like takes time. People and their circumstances change. Either the values and culture of your previous employer were not clear when you joined them, or the situation shifted after a while. Your future employer will expect you to ask some searching questions about their culture. You need to stress that you are now clear about what you want.

Professional development. Nothing is worse than sitting in a dead-end job where your employer is happy with your contribution and has no incentive to spend money or time developing you and then risk losing you. If you have come up against such a development brick wall, leaving is the only option for an ambitious employee. Your future employer will hope that you let them know your development needs. Show some self-awareness.

Unhealthy work culture/practices. While you should strive to never speak detrimentally about a former employer, if your reasons for leaving were genuinely about illegal or unethical working practices, sharing this as a reason for leaving shows that you are principled and honest. Your future employer will respect this, so long as you do not get personal in your criticism or share too many unnecessary details.

Company underperformance. The company’s financial performance can suffer for many reasons, and you can show that there was a resultant threat to your job stability. Leaving a sinking ship as the early warning signs are flashing is common for top individual performers. Loyalty is important, but blind loyalty is foolish. Show your future employer that you have done your financial homework and wish to join an industry leader.

Personal circumstances changed. Whether your family moved cities, you had a period of ill-health or maybe decided to take extended parental leave, there are various personal reasons why changing jobs became necessary. Of course, everyone has a right to parental leave and no one plans to get ill, but it is essential to be happy with all the major aspects of your life before you take a new job. Future employers will expect to hire someone who is at peace with the current circumstances of their life.

Period of interim/consulting work. The last reason we will share (and many more) is increasingly common. The nature of interim or consulting work entails short-term assignments where an insane amount of value is added to an employer over a short timeframe. Proof of interim consulting agreements is all you will need to avoid any questions here. Your future employer will, however require assurances that your consulting days are behind you (if you are going for a perm role, that is).

Job hopping is nothing to be ashamed of. It is often a sign of an ambitious employee who knows their own worth. Just make sure that any future employer sees it that way.

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists. 

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).