WHY (JOB) HOPPING LIKE A KANGAROO CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR CAREER

Marc Denham • September 20, 2021

In the past, a career often meant a job for life. Both employees and employers would expect people to remain with the same company for an extended period of time before moving on, if they jumped ship at all that is.

Today it’s different. New Zealand’s now a nation of job hoppers, and that can be a great thing.

New Zealanders change jobs often. The most-common amount of time we spend in our job is one to three month.

And career hopping is something that younger workers seem much more comfortable with.

Younger workers and smaller firms have a higher turnover rate.
Workers aged 40 years and over have a much lower turnover rate.

Job hopping used to be frowned upon, seen as a sign of low-loyalty, impatience or maybe conflicts at each company you’d worked at. Today, job hopping can actually be a good thing. It’s gaining changing the job market for workers regardless of age.

Here are some of the reasons why changing up your career can actually be of benefit:

Skills Boost

Whether you know it or not, each new job you have will teach you new skills. You could be introduced to new software, processes, machinery, techniques and ideas. And you’ll always be adding new people skills, being thrown in with a fresh mix of new colleagues to learn from and collaborate with. Over the long term, this build up of skills makes a very valuable employee.

Networking

Job hopping does more than add skills to your CV, it adds contacts to your network too. All these new contacts may be able to help you with your next career move, and you may be able to help them. This can be invaluable to a long-term career. You never know where your network may take you.

Getting To Know Yourself

When you’re not sure what you really want to do, job hopping can help you figure it out more quickly. By experimenting with a number of jobs, you’ll get a better sense of what you like, what you don’t like, and get focused on your true career path earlier than you might otherwise.

Career Control

Job hopping can give you more of a sense of control over your salary and your career. Sticking it out with one employer means you may be missing out on better opportunities and better pay elsewhere.

Industry Knowledge

Working at a variety of organisations within the same industry gives you a better perspective of what’s going on in that sector as a whole. Keep an eye out for patterns and common practices, both good and bad, which can help you spot future areas for change or improvement.

So Long, Boredom!

For some, the security and sense of community that comes with staying with the same company for years is just the ticket. For others, staying in the same job long term means motivation can lag, ideas can dull and it becomes easier to disengage. Switching jobs can help keep things fresh, with new ideas, practices, and even a physical change of workplace giving you and your career a new kick start.

You’ll become adaptable to change

Staying with the same company long term can make you resistant to change. Growing comfortable with the same methods, practices and ways of thinking can lead to sluggish performance and poor adaptability. For job hoppers, adapting to change becomes second nature, and this is a real asset for employers, especially start-ups, looking for innovative candidates.

And a change in job doesn’t necessarily require a change in employer!

Marc is a Director of The Talent Hive and leads our IT recruitment practice. Originally from the UK, Marc has been living in Christchurch, New Zealand for ten years and working in the recruitment sector for just as long. Marc has worked as an in-house recruiter and within multinational recruitment consultancies and independent recruitment businesses. He is partial to a medium-rare Roo burger!

At The Talent Hive we specialise in connecting IT & Engineering professionals with the right career opportunities. We encourage collaboration, socialising your success and sharing industry insight and expertise. Start the journey, connect with The Talent Hive today.

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