Job hoppers – friend or foe?

Employing a ‘job hopper’ is often something that businesses avoid.

When someone’s CV shows that they only stay with employers for 18 months to two years before they move on, it can ring alarm bells, but should it?

When someone changes jobs every few years, it can be seen as a sign that they weren’t performing and jumped ship before they were pushed. Or that they are searching for ‘their calling’ and haven’t found it yet. Or that they have no staying power. They can be seen as a risk.

But look around at the people in your office, the people you work with. A lot of those people, during their first year in their job, probably gave it everything they had. They were keen, trying to impress and they had a fire in their belly. In their second six months to a year, they were settled and best placed to really make big strides for the business.

But then, after that, are they still making the impact or trying as hard as they once were?

A lot of people never ‘lose it’. They are committed to a role, industry, product, people or a business. But quite often the first two years of a person’s employment with a company will be their best.

So, if someone moves around every few years, as long as you can discover their motives, it might not be a bad thing.

If you find a passionate, motivated, committed person who is also a job hopper, don’t just dismiss their CV. Look again, they might be the firecracker you are looking for.

Getting two great years from a motivated, driven person, can have more of an impact on your business than employing someone who will stay with you forever. And it’s always good to have a variety of people within your business to help keep decisions balanced and you moving in the right direction.