job hoppers

was wondering if u have a job 2 or 3 years ago and you stayed in there for only 2 or 3 months and you left because you didnt like the role and got offered a better one is this fine? Will this ever matter?

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Comments

NotHackingYou

Should only be a concern if it's a pattern.

N2IT

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST

Agree with Carl

If you have several jobs that aren't project related that are 2-3 months then you are going to have a tough time explaining that. My resume is like that a bit.

Devilry

Agreed, if you only had one instance like this a few years back it will be fine. Just be honest that it didn't workout.

Roguetadhg

It's like your credit score. The more you hop, the lower your score, the higher the risk for employers to hire you.

djfunz

If it's a contracting gig, I think you can be expected to jump ship for a full-time position at any point. I wouldn't jump ship from a full-time job though.

Roguetadhg

Yeah contracting is going to be expected differently. Just be ready to explain that it was a contract, finished, and moved on. Job hopping full-timers are a red flag and a reasonable expectation that you won't stay for long.

DB Cooper

I concur, job hopping doesn't look good unless you are contracting.

N2IT

I'm not risk aversed when it comes to applying for other positions. I am finally locked into a management role (once again) this time I am staying. I love management it's what I enjoy and it's what I excel at.

Find something you do well and like and stick to it for a while

Danielh22185

Agreed with the above. One or two instances might be the thin area for tolerance though. If it doesn't work out it doesn't work out. That should be relatively easy to explain. Doing it often though I too agree is not a good idea. You don’t want a resume looking like Swiss cheese.

I actually interviewed a guy in the past who thought this was a good idea and intentionally left companies often, or so he claimed. I am not sure if he was just a bad employee or he truly thought this was a good idea; however I as an interviewer I did not find this at all impressive.

If this is your first "hop" I would say go for it if you know where you are going is going to be a good career move. I actually left a full time position for a contract position just to get experience and to build my career in the direction I wanted to go. I don’t regret doing this for a second. Just evaluate the move, give it time, and thought.

shodown

when I 1st got out the military I was a big job hopper, but at the same time in the 4 year of job hopping I doubled my pay and work level. I went from Tier 1 Support, to Tier 2, to Senior network engineer to Tier 3 support to Lead Engineer, so I felt as if my job hopping has has paid off. I'm working as a independent contractor now so things are different, but if you feel you have better opportunities take them if you feel the risk is worth it.

NetworkVeteran

healthyboy + modification to make point in bold wrote:

if u have an at-fault auto crash 2 or 3 years ago because the car in front of you stopped too fast is this fine? Will this ever matter?

It matters. Those who managed to avoid your situation have a slightly better standing. However, it's human to err, and for most insurers one past incident won't translate into extreme rates.

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Your first few months of employ typically cost and employer more than they gain. They like to see that you will stick around long enough post-training to become an asset for your employer.

healthyboy

what if you volunteered and worked for free but they had to let you go after 3 months due to not having enough resources etc?

YuckTheFankees

As of recently, I would probably call myself a job hopper but thats because I moved to a different city for a finance job, decided I wanted to get into I.T., received my 1st I.T. making crap, and then after 6 months of experience I received a well paying NOC position. The only thing now that kind of sucks, is that I feel like I have to stay at this employer for at least 18-36 months, so future employers wont question my background. But then again, some employers don't care and just want the best person for the job.

N2IT

Get those legs ready to bounce again! (I'm coming off a 8month stint going into another engagement, all project work which helps) ****I think

Devilry

Keep in mind also that its relative for a market for what is considered job hopping. In larger metro areas I think its fairly common around 24-36 months to move on, in smaller markets the norm might be 3-5 years.