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The pros and cons of job hoppingWhat effect does job hopping really have on career trajectory? Let’s take alook at a few positives and negatives, and what they really mean.The typical career path that employees are expected to follow throughout theirprofessional lives is changing. Even just a few decades ago, most people wouldstay within the same company for years and years, only making one or twomoves, if any. Today, however, employees have much more freedom to shiftbetween businesses, positions and even industries – especially in the flexibleIT&T industry.#### The modern employeeJob hopping is especially prevalent amongst the generation known asmillennials – typically defined as those born during the 1980s and 90s. Infact, a recent survey from ManpowerGroup Solutions found that over half ofAustralian millennials are actively looking for their next position. Thisgroup of employees is often referred to as ‘continuous candidates,’ providingrecruiters with an almost never ending stream of potential talent to placeinto positions across the country.From an employee perspective, this offers all sorts of unique benefits, but itcan also come with a downside. Many employers and recruiters see job hoppingon a resume as a negative, signifying either an inability to hold down aposition, or a lack or dedication and loyalty. This perception is changing,especially in industries like IT&T, but there are still a few definite prosand cons to a long list of previous employers.#### Job hopping: The positivesFor savvy job hoppers, switching between companies can be very beneficial to acareer in terms of progression and salary. Not only will you get a chance toexperience multiple sectors and ways of working, but it’s likely that movingfrom place to place will also mean you can move up the corporate ladder morequickly, instead of waiting for a position to open up at your current office.This is reflected in salary differences between ‘hoppers’ and ‘loyalists,’with Forbes reporting that employees who stay at the same company for morethan two years can expect to be paid 50 per cent less over their lifetimes incomparison to those who actively seek change and growth. This is because theaverage annual raise an employee receives when staying at a company is lessthan 1 per cent, while moving to a different company typically results in anincrease of 10 to 20 per cent.Other benefits to take into account are greater variety over the course of acareer, as well as the opportunity to travel both domestically andinternational. This is especially true in the tech industry, where contractwork makes it possible to sample all sorts of different roles and projectswithout remaining tied down to one company.#### Job hopping: The negativesOn the other side of the coin, job hopping can look bad on a resume,particularly if the duration at each employer is particularly short. The bestway to avoid this is to make sure you’ve obtained good references from eachposition, and an explanation of why each stint was so short (e.g. contractwork).For certain positions, employers may see job hoppers as a risky investment.After all, nobody wants to invest significant time and money into an employeewho won’t stay around to pay it off! However, if you’re after those long-termleadership positions, job hopping may not be the best strategy anyway.Ultimately, it all comes down to the type of career path that you want, and toachieve those goals, you can get in touch with Talent today.