Job Hopping?

Gabe7055

So what is the general rule on changing jobs often in the IT sector? I have often heard no one in IT stays in the same place for more than four years and from what I have seen this seems to be true but is it considered bad taste to jump around to different jobs until you found one you like?

Personally the way I see it employment is a give/take relationship. I work 40 hours a week and I get a paycheck, I don't feel like I owe an employer anything if I am doing my job. That being said is it wrong to look for another job if you feel like there is something better out there even if you been with your employer less than say six months?

Do people doing the interviewing realize that IT is a faced paced world and people move around a lot. To me it would seem as long as you are honest with the person doing the interviewing and just tell them you’re not happy or you want more money or so on that they would respect that.

Anyway what are your thoughts on this? Are there any guidelines for hopping?

Thanks.

Sie

Personally I would say if you 'jumped ship' occasionally it wont do you any harm but if you do it alot you better start thinking of very good answers when employeers ask you why, thats assuming that they even call you for an interview.

Obviously what every employer wants is someone who will do the job and stay doing the job, but im sure they would understand an instance or two where you were not at a job that long aslong as you can back it up when asked.

BeaverC32

It's a dog eat dog world, my friend. If you don't do what's best for you, nobody will.

nel

Just think of yourself buddy

michael_knight

If your contracting to me it doesn't matter you can always say it was a 3 or 6 month contract that ended (or you can always lie and say that...just know they may verify this with your employer) If you are in a fulltime position I would say to at least try to stay 1-2 years. Where I work now, could be considered one of the most Prestigous places in the US to work (I won't say where so nobody better ask! ) I started out as a desktop contractor supposedly 3 months to perm and after 3 months I was supposed to get the lead position. Well 3 months turned to 6 They tried to low ball me in pay (I showed them an old offer letter for a company that didn't work out and was able to get it up a little. Companies nowadays never care about the employees so ask for more than you want and let them lowball you to what you want) and I didn't get the lead position until 9 months in.

I took a lot of crap in my desktop role, people trying to get me fired because they didn't like me, teaching my Helpdesk manager how to do his job, when they turned me down for the same position and whole lot of other stuff. Like I said I work at a prestigous place in the US, so part of me wanted to stay, but if it was anywhere else I would have bounced. In anycase an opportunity came up for the network team. They couldn't hire a senior guy because no one would take the job because they didn't want to pay the going rate, they hired me because I'm getting paid below the normal rate. (remember they lowballed me when I joined the company?) Well to me, I had got 3 promotions in a year here where I am and I know they aren't going to come out their pocket so I took the job. Now the jokes on them because I'm learning on the job and my boss even encourages me to study for my ccna at work on downtime.

My point in saying this is that you have to weigh the good against the bad. If the place is a hostile working environment get the hell out! (Never leave though with out another job no matter how bad it is, better to go through the BS than to sit at home with an eviction notice/If you live with your parents the equivalent would be no money to take girls out with!) If the place just sucks, stick it out as long as you can. I like where I work now but the money and the commute is starting to be a problem, so I'm looking for something close to where I live, but I'm not just gonna jump ship because I think 1 or 2 people are A-holes (I did when I was younger and sat home 6 months)

tjcasser

I somewhat see both sides of the equation - being an employee, it's sometimes really alluring to think of jumping ship and finding somewhere better every few months, and being someone who helps out with the hiring decisions, I will admit that I've been biased against resumes that seem to scream of being perpetual job-hoppers.

My caveat: I've been with my current employer for over five and a half years, and rather like it. My last two employment periods before that were less than two years each.

I agree with the sentiment that there are plenty of workplaces where you go through quite a bit of drama without much reward, and that there are employers who will do things to take advantage of you where they can. Profit goes both ways, after all.

From the other side of the hiring desk, I don't think that one or two short stints really hurt you all that much. The issue is when the resume that comes across a hiring manager's desk screams that the person is a job-hopper - they're going to get additional scrutiny to ensure that this isn't going to be someone who leaves quickly. Companies do invest quite a bit - knowledge-wise, if not financially - in employees and it can be a burden to have to repeat the search.

So... my thoughts have tended towards the 'job hopping hurts you' line of thought... but that's admittedly just my $0.02.