Thoughts on Going Job to Job

the_Grinch

What's everyones opinion on this? I always find two schools of thought on the subject. A consultant I worked with said that any good company will question why you stayed somewhere over a year. A professor of mine swears going job to job can only hurt you. Thus far, I've been fairly job to job and seem to be doing ok finding new ones. It's not that I don't want to find a place to stay, but it just seems that I get about all I can from a job and the itch to move sets in. Plus only good raises I tend to get are from leaving and going to another job.

petedude

Job-hopping's not as big a deal as it used to be, but you still have to manage it carefully. In this day and age, the implied (non-stated, non-verbal) contract employees had with employers of "I'll stay and you'll take care of me" is largely gone. This has been replaced by an urgent need for most employees to be self-managers and drivers of their own careers in order to protect their interests. Companies understand this (usually) to varying degrees. It also depends on who you're working for, the area you live in and what you bring to the table. If you have hot skills few in your area that few have caught up with, you will have some mobility available in your career and you can afford to move around a little. On the other hand, if you're a Windows system admin in say, New York, hang onto your seat because others (too many) are gunning for it (and other posts like yours!).

It pays to stay at a place long enough to get to know the organization, to see how you can apply/demonstrate your skills and to see if you build at least some marginal work relationships. There used to be a 3-5 year rule on this. Now, you could probably go with 1-3 years depending on the role, local demand and culture within the targeted companies for your skill set. Just think it through and look before you leap.

shodown

If job to job is working out for you, then you should just look at contractor roles where your benefits out and move from job to job after the time period and build yourself up that way. If you make your own corp it will look like you have been employed for a long period of time without several gaps.


I personally have done what you have done, and I have missed out on a few cool jobs, but overall it was worth the loss, so I would continue to do it if I was still in that situation.

the_Grinch

Yeah I've been leaning towards it doesn't matter anymore. Company loyalty is definitely something from the past. My other issue is there aren't a ton of large organizations in the area, so it proves hard to move up and/or around to other positions.

powerfool

I think it is fine. I don't think I would just look after only a year unless I was unhappy... and if that became the norm, I would hopefully reflect on my choices. However, two years seems to be fairly common in IT. I had a string of one year jobs early in my career because it was the startup fun times of the late 90s and early 2000s, and company came and went. However, my last four jobs have been around two years... 2.8 years, 1.75 years, 2.75 years, and 2.5 years (so far). I plan on staying in my current job for as long as possible since I am doing consulting... except I have only worked for one client the entire time. Once I wrap up my current project, I am going to try and find another client for a few months to get a break from my primary client. I will owe my employer 1.5 years after this last class to pay back all of my tuition reimbursement obligation... but that diminishes a little bit every six months.

If you find a good job stay... if you aren't growing, then you will need to move on. I agree with how you feel about it... better raises and keeps things challenging. I have done fairly well in my current job (15% over last job, 10.5% after first year, 4% after second year, and I hope around 12% after third year... as that means a promotion).

I keep getting contacted by recruiters and that is nice. I tend to follow through until there is an offer, even if I am not looking. It keeps me sharp, but I can always have something in the fire if it becomes necessary. I got hit up by a recruiter for a great job today... and if my wife was willing to move to California, I would certainly consider it if they would provide a sign-on bonus equivalent to what I would owe my current employer. It just matters how everything matches up.