Does job hopping help or hinder your career?

Back in the day, once you bagged a job, the ‘done thing’ was to stay there and work your way up the ladder until the grand old age of 65 when you retired with a handshake and a gold-plated watch. But times have changed. Today, the average person will have 12 jobs in their lifetime.

It’s common for people to juggle multiple positions and move from organisation to organisation in search of better benefits, more autonomy, or a better salary.

But some people go to the other extreme. Regarded as ‘job hoppers,’ they take on roles at lots of different organisations and stick at them for short periods of time - usually less than two years.

Despite the fact it’s increasingly common for people to job hop, some employers have an unfavourable view of it (and always will).

With this in mind, the ‘million-dollar’ question is: Does job hopping do more harm than good to your career?

Let’s look at the pros and cons and find out.

PROS

Self-discovery

Maybe you’re starting out in your career … you know you want to work in fundraising, but you don’t know what type of fundraiser you want to be. Exploring different options, (such as community, corporate or trust fundraising) can help you identify what you like/don’t like and what you want to specialise in.    

The same goes for organisational culture. Every organisation is different. Job hopping early in your career enables you to test out different environments and work out what the best fit is for you.

Developing skills

In today’s economy, agile learning is essential to compete in the job market. One of the benefits of job hopping is it gives you the chance to develop a diverse range of skills.  

Every time you change organisation, you build relationships with a new team and learn a new way of doing things. This hones communication and adaptability skills, (both considered valuable soft skills), as you adjust to your new working environment.

Broadening your network

Providing you conduct yourself professionally, and quit your jobs gracefully, regular job-hopping can do wonders for your professional network. As you move from one charity to another, your ever-expanding list of contacts can open up doors to fundraising collaborations/opportunities in the future.

CONS

Risky investment

Some employers see job hoppers as a risky investment. After all, hiring new staff is costly and time-consuming. If your CV shows you’re likely to move on again in a year or two, they may be reluctant to invest time and resources in hiring and training you.

Less in-depth knowledge

As mentioned above, frequent job changers have the benefit of possessing a wide variety of skills, but how in-depth are those skills?

When you move from one charity to another within a short space of time, you also limit the learning opportunities that occur when you work for one organisation for an extended period of time.

It can weaken your CV

Moving from job to job limits your potential to create an impact. If you can’t demonstrate your achievements on your CV, employers will probably opt for someone who can.

How can you reduce the chances of job hopping hurting your job hunt?

If the ‘cons’ have made you break into a cold sweat, don’t panic. According to the Monster Future of Work: 2021 Outlook survey, 49% of employers said that job hopping is becoming less of a red flag due to current market conditions.’

However, if you’ve switched jobs a few times in a few years, you need to be prepared to talk about it. Here are a few tips to help you navigate the conversation …

Be transparent

Whether you’ve had a string of bad luck or moved around in search of your true calling, the best way to handle the questioning is to be honest. Maybe you were pursuing the next great opportunity. Or you had to escape a toxic boss. Or you were subject to forces outside your control, like a layoff.

Whatever the reason, be up front about it.

Keep it short and sweet

Offer a short explanation of why you left each job. There’s no need to provide long-winded explanations or give a play-by-play of how things went down.

It’s a good idea to craft ‘exit statements’ – (simple explanations as to why you left each job) in 25 words or less. For example: “When I got settled into my position, I realized the work I was doing wasn’t what was described in the job ad,” or, “I wanted to develop my skills in a new area, and the charity didn’t have an opportunity for me to do that.”

Focus on results

Emphasise your achievements and how they helped the organisation thrive. Did you start an event that they now run annually? Did you exceed your fundraising targets? Or form a new team? Whatever you have to share, make it clear you left your mark in each role.

Final Word

Whether you’re a job hopper or not, we can help you find your dream fundraising job. Give us a call 020 3750 3111 to get started!