What is the best way to explain "job hopping?"

12 Comments

1. ElizabethJuly 15,2023 at 2:24PM UTC

   The best way too explain it is with the truth. Maybe you "job hopped" because you needed a work life balance. Or maybe it was because you wanted a higher salary. There's always a reason for why we do the things we do. Maybe it was about fit. I don't know but tell the truth in a way that benefits you. Still honest but not harmful to you.

2. AnonymousJuly 15,2023 at 2:50PM UTC

   Use the truth as best you can. Depending on why you changed jobs, you may have to "spin" it, especially if you were fired. The best way is to say that it didn't work out because a) there was no growth potential, b) the job did not meet your expectations, or c) you decided your career needed to go in a different direction.

   Some of it depends on how many jobs you have had. If these are your first three jobs, it is not uncommon when first starting, trying to find your "niche" in the job market. Otherwise, you might have to explain it as trying new things on a career pivot.

3. Barb HansenJuly 15,2023 at 3:28PM UTC

   Job-hopping is in the view of the beholder.

   How long do I need to be at a job that pays me less than the next job, or isn't a good fit for me for any number of person or job-related reasons?

   Is it one year? Is it two years? Is it five years?

   I had a peer tell me that she doesn't hire anyone with less than a 5-year stint at any job on their resume. That statement was dripping with privilege and luck - she was a VP in her husband's company. Her resume started with her first job out of college that she held for two years, and then she left after she got married and got hired by her husband's company, a job she had held for over 20 years.

   Clearly self-awareness wasn't her strong suit.

   Anyway what can you do?

   -don't assume that the person reading your resume thinks you have been "Job hopping'

   -when asked, tell the truth without bashing a previous bad job (if you left one of those positions because of bad management

   -lean into the pandemic - how many people took short-term jobs during and immediately after the pandemic? Tens of millions of people did. you are in good company.

4. Elizabeth HicksJuly 16,2023 at 12:58AM UTC

   I was in the same boat after getting laid off during the pandemic by the job I thought I'd be with forever. now I'm not in the private sector - I applied for a gov job at the advice and rec of a friend and moved back to an old city I used to live at. I applied for a lot of jobs. The good ones never mentioned my job hopping. Only the ones giving off toxic vibes did. In the end I took a risk in a new field and for once I'm the one effortlessly succeeding. You weren't job hoping, you were surviving.

   Also fun story- the one ballsy guy who called me out for job hopping I actually called them out on the interview for bait and switch. I dodged revealing my younger age and instead said I'd gladly sign a contract for the job in the ad. The ad is accurately representing the job, yes? :D

   the he realized I was on to his bullsh!t and got flustered. I didn't even care I didn't get the job, burning him back was the best revenge.

5. AnonymousJuly 16,2023 at 2:04PM UTC

   You aren't likely to be asked.

   The question you'll be asked is "Why do you want this job?" and your answer to that is the same as the reason why you left those other jobs - it's a better opportunity and you think you'll be successful.

6. Coach Nancie Kay ShumanJuly 16,2023 at 2:16PM UTC

   So what is your position and industry? In some positions and industries, it is considered the norm to change jobs ever year or so. That having been said, there are companies which will eliminate any resumes which don't show some longevity, so if you are being interviewed, this is probably not an issue.(I did have an interview where I was asked about a gap in my resume from 2008. Um, well, I was a 6 figure employee and there was a worldwide financial crisis. People who were hiring could get someone for less than half what I had previously been making. Um, okay. . .)

7. AnonymousJuly 16,2023 at 3:08PM UTC

   I have jobs that I held for just over a year, but I show that I was moving up in seniority and responsibilities. Ten years ago, I had one recruiter slam me for it. I see that as very short sighted. Was I supposed to stay where I was knowing that pay increases and promotions were never going to happen? Yeah, sure.

8. AnonymousJuly 17,2023 at 2:01AM UTC

   It depends, do you consider it job hopping? And if so why did you hop? Were you recruited away or did you apply because you hated your former employer? Was it for money or title change? Find the path of information that tells a story of growth and promotional opportunities and steer clear of the bad company is why I left story. Write it out as a script and have it handy consistently while you look for a new role.

9. AnonymousJuly 17,2023 at 11:58AM UTC

   You alone calling it 'job hopping' is the why, for me. Why do you continue to? If you use that phrase in an interview I do see it having a negative effect on being offered a position. As we get farther away from the pandemic I see companies once again looking closer to these things on resumes. If I see that pattern when looking at candidates, I wonder, what WE need to do to keep the talent, or is it THEM, and that WILL get flushed out in the interview. You won't know you're showing your hand, btw, excellent recruiters can tell. Now, there are several legit reasons, I've also hired from that as well, and sometimes it's a season of life that just brings ups and downs. I get it. Be able to speak to this.

10. AnonymousJuly 17,2023 at 6:01PM UTC

    If asked call them term positions. I think too many people think about it as a negative, but most employers fire people who have given their life to a company so the company does not have to pay the retirement. Not every job is a good fit, no reason to be miserable because it will reflect in your work. I was a single parent who moved around a lot to make more money as most of the positions I had did not have room to move up. Also how are you supposed to get experience. I have now retired from a position that I was with for a decade that made me miserable, now I take different temp and part time positions and I am loving meeting different people all the time and able to have new experiences all the time. If judged then the job would not have been a good fit.

11. surfnwriteJuly 18,2023 at 4:36AM UTC

    I went through a period where I had 3 jobs in 3 years and I was trying to get a mortgage. When asked, I said I was making a career change and "it took a while to get my footing but I'm so glad I made the change." Worked great.

12. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 18,2023 at 5:28AM UTC

    Were you job hopping?

    Or were you advancing your career?

    Two jobs in three years doesn't really sound like job hopping to me.