Job-Hopping Blunders

Job-hopping has become a trend today, from the new workforce to the seasoned professionals. I can’t blame them for their pursuit for greater heights. Most individuals hope to achieve better things in their lives. But what puzzles a lot of us in the earlier generation is when we see a lot of young people who, based on their employment history, can’t seem to choose what kind of work, and in which industry they want to delve into. At some point in time, these people will find it hard to land better jobs mainly because job-hopping is dealt with a lot of scrutiny by HR managers. Was she job-hopping for career advancements? Was he constantly changing jobs because of expiration of previous contracts? Were they shifting because they just got bored?

1. Hopping out too early. The big-gest and most rampant mistake in job-hopping is when you change employers before even reaching your first year there. Get to know your job first for a year or two. Often, new tasks are added and new challenges will surface for you to answer. Don’t judge your position based on your first few months. Gain working experience that you can use to reach better positions in your company or in another.

2. Sharing/selling company secrets. I once had an applicant who happens to be from a marketing company. When I asked him about the qualities he had that set him apart from the rest of the applicants, he excitedly told me that he copied the client database before leaving. Immediately, I ended the interview and sent him out, fearing that our company would only suffer the same fate with him on our team.

Do not offer illegally or unethically acquired trade secrets as your advantage just to be accepted. This only indicates that you should not be trusted by any organization in any way, and given the chance, you will do the same to them. Even if you are accepted, this distrust will likely be a long-term disadvantage to your career. The things that you should bring to your new company from your previous jobs are the experience and knowledge you gained throughout your stay with them.

3. Choosing salaries over opportunities. Some companies will offer higher salaries for the same position than the others and for a lot of people — that is more than enough reason for them to shift. But this is bad for your track record. As a business owner, when I see young applicants who choose their job based on monetary figures, I almost always turn them down as this would mean that they are unlikely to be enthusiastic about their job.

True, this is a dilemma, especially if your previous salary was just not enough to sustain your standard of living. That is why you have to always make sure that you are really interested for the position you are applying for, both with the tasks involved and the payment provided.If you have been with the company for a considerable amount of years, maybe four or five, then this is a reasonable time to look for a company that will provide you with better pay as a professional. Instead of choosing salaries, pick positions that allow you to grow farther. Secretarial to junior management positions are some of these jobs.

4. Hopping horizontally. Some people say that their reason for resigning is that they felt theirs is a dead-end job, only to end up applying for the same or an even lower position. If you are interested in job-hopping, consider positions that will allow you to grow. This means that instead of hopping from company to an-other, and salary to salary, focus instead on building your way up the corporate ladder. If you feel that your position in your current organization won’t enjoy any opportunity for promotion, maybe there are other companies that will hire you for a higher position given your experience in your current job.

For example, if you are a secretary for the supervisor, perhaps you can apply as a supervisor or a secretary for the HR manager or a secretary for the president in your next company. The point is, you should aspire for jobs that are of a higher level. Always aim for growth as a professional. Higher pay grade and bonuses will follow.

Job-hopping is no longer as unacceptable as compared to the past but too frequent job changes still carry a red flag for most recruiters. So before looking for other companies, think more than twice if your move will be of long-term benefit to your career.

*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin, C-4, Sunday, August 7, 2016. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.