Job interview/previous work history concern

SpetsRepair

Went to another job interview and it was brought up they're worried why I keep leaving companies every 2 years. I thought this was common in the field, lots of people in tech leave after a certain period of time but everyone I interview with seems to think its an issue for them

The interview i think didn't go well either, they were grilling me on why leave after two years each time

DatabaseHead

I've run into this myself. A lot!

Just because it's a trend for people to leave after 2 - 3 years, doesn't mean companies are adopting acceptance.

cyberguypr

Deja Vu! We did this exact discussion the other day: http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/133870-company-has-concerns-about-job-jumps.html

scaredoftests

Just say a contract ended or something along those lines...

CyberCop123

SpetsRepair wrote: »

Went to another job interview and it was brought up they're worried why I keep leaving companies every 2 years. I thought this was common in the field, lots of people in tech leave after a certain period of time but everyone I interview with seems to think its an issue for them

The interview i think didn't go well either, they were grilling me on why leave after two years each time

Try to answer it in the context of your prospective employer.

For example, if you are being interviewed by a huge company with 100'000s of staff you could say:

Yes, well spotted, I left my last two positions after two years as I began to feel that I had reached my full potential there and unfortunately there were no opportunities to progress, either sideways or upwards. I am very excited by the prosect of working for <<<INSERT THE COMPANY NAME>>> as I'm aware you have a presence in over 50 countries, numerous exciting projects such as A, B, C and I know there will be so many opportunities to test myself, progress and continue to learn.

Or if it was a smaller company, you could say:

I really am excited by the prospect of working for <<<INSERT COMPANY NAME>>> as you're not just a huge, multi-national company with thousands of people like in my last two roles (if that's true). I believe that working for you, I will have the opportunity to truly make an impact and be fully involved with the company. It's exciting that in the last two years you've opened two new buildings, and increased the size of the IT department. It shows me that you're investing in the current staff and are moving forward. It's exactly what I've been looking for.

Lastly

In my experience of interviews what you say barely matters, but how you say it does. The best interviews I've had are ones where I was honest, including saying I don't know the answer to something but saying how I can find out. Also, showing a genuine enthusiasm too but not speaking like a robot.

Why do people hire? It's not because they're amazing on paper, it's because the people interviewing think "Yea, he's a nice guy, I can imagine going for drinks with him/her, or working on a stressful project and getting along well".

In one interview I even said "Looking at your job description, I loved the fact that there's a lot there I haven't experienced before. That means I know there's tons for me to learn and I won't be bored anytime soon". I then went on to say "I think that it's far more effective to hire someone who doesn't know EVERYTHING rather than someone who does but is more likely to get bored within a few months and feel underchallenged.

In short, be yourself, be honest, relax. Good luck.

nole07

It seems like this is what people seem to preach in order to gain a pay raise, but my company just finished hiring for a new position. My boss expressed desire in finding someone who:

A. has a job history local this area
B. had not had too many jobs
C. had several years at each job

He basically boiled it down to finding someone who would stay for a while. Any resume that was out of state, excessive job hopping, got tossed to the "other" pile.

DatabaseHead

nole07 wrote: »

It seems like this is what people seem to preach in order to gain a pay raise, but my company just finished hiring for a new position. My boss expressed desire in finding someone who:

A. has a job history local this area
B. had not had too many jobs
C. had several years at each job

He basically boiled it down to finding someone who would stay for a while. Any resume that was out of state, excessive job hopping, got tossed to the "other" pile.

Yup

I hate to admit it, but bouncing jobs does come with a cost. Right or wrong it's reality. I'm finding staying 2 years still isn;t enough.

FluffyBunny

Good thing I'm a consultant I get to job-hop between customers, while staying with the same employer. But yeah, that doesn't help anyone not in the same boat Sorry to hear about your troubles.

jwdk19

My average tenure per position is around 2.5 years. Has never been an issue that I'm aware of. This has enabled me to get exposure to a vast array of environments/ technologies and has resulted in fairly significant salary increases.

Lol this is just my personal experience. Not saying it is the correct approach.