Job Hopping: Diffusing The Landmine

Are frequent job changes a sign of an unwillingness to commit, just chasing the dollar, unreliability, inability to stay the course or just a different way of looking at the world by those with different values and goals?

Opinion appears divided. To me it depends…Here’s why and perhaps we can join the dots.

Evolutionary Adaptation

We try not to draw too much attention to it but we can’t escape noticing how each new generation comes in more innately competent and ready for this world than the generation prior.

Yes, kids are not running before they learn to walk but most 3 and 4-year-olds are already engaged on iPads and devices. Young kids are teaching their parents and grandparents a few things about using technology too. They seem able to demonstrate these skills without ever having been taught.

We marvel at this and in the next breath expect them to closely follow the same trajectory we took in our career path or journey which is counter-productive since they have already evolved to a point beyond this.

Non-linear Progression

 We have grown accustomed to a linear career progression. You join a bank after leaving school and become a bank teller, then a supervisor, assistant manager then manager and possibly do that for the next 20-30 years.

This sort of linear career progression no longer suits the expectations and requirements for success in the age we are in. More on that in a moment.

There always has been and still are, parents guiding their children to safe and well-paying jobs irrespective of whether or not it’s a natural fit for them ie is what they want to do or is in line with their heart's desire.

These are the adults who are still struggling after years in the workforce to find their place. They know the choices are to live a life of ‘’making the best of where they are’’ since they can’t afford the risk now to make a change or be labelled a job hopper as they try to find their place in the world.

Worse still they are entirely disconnected now from what their passions were as children which could have been the first clue to a natural career path. They now struggle to find ‘purpose’.

To those, never give up, it’s worth the effort and can be found at any age!

Now let’s consider the other cohort often biased against due to job-hopping.

The younger generations who unashamedly to their credit:

• Don’t care about the status quo
• Who know what they want from life and are prepared to take it on their terms
• Who follow their heart and guidance to do what pleases them
• Forces the world to accept a new order
• And puts a stake in the ground about what their beliefs are.

If their so-called job hopping is done to harness diverse skills in different environments and is all part of a plan to take their career in a particular direction, whether they actively realise the plan or not (some people do it intuitively) this should be celebrated not criticised.

The traditional trajectory

Has been that one builds their expertise under the tutelage of others more experienced for the first 7-10 years before they move into leadership roles themselves.

This period of growth, learning, understanding and expansion is still essential to acquiring expertise in a field. The 7-10 duration may now be 2 years each in several businesses vs that entire duration in one business as in the generations prior.

Should they be punished for coming in Chatgpt ready?

Let’s consider why this career / job movement this is a good thing, even a very good thing.

Businesses are continually on the lookout for individuals who can think differently and innovate. Innovation is about differentiation and that means change. Using a different lens to spot the opportunities.

It’s the rule breakers and non-status quo-conforming ones who lead the pack.

They turn convention on its head, trample on a few toes, put many noses out of joint and show the world what happens when you follow your guidance and not the expectations of others.

Simply because it's not the path we are accustomed to, doesn’t make it wrong.

The world and business need not just High-income skills but also High-value skills.

While Sales or Programming are high-income skills, high-value skills are people management, marketing or financial skills.

Acquisition of these skills could necessitate several moves as the opportunity may not appear in a business accustomed to linear job progression and promotion. It may also mean moves into roles which on the surface to an outsider appear confusing.

However, this is what helps an individual differentiate. To present to the world a unique combination of skills which becomes their Superpower. It gives them and the business a competitive edge.

We admire great leaders like Napoleon, Hannibal and Alexander the Great.

All of whom were in their 20s when they led massive armies to victory.

Interestingly all 3 followed similar strategies:

Act with speed, and decisiveness, throw out the rulebook understanding that those who have done it before keep doing it the same way so do the opposite. Take the competition by surprise and do what’s entirely unexpected.

Isn’t this what we want in business too?

Is business just war on a different battlefield?

Some quite liberal-minded individuals claim that this job-hopping shouldn’t be viewed negatively as the applicant may have been misled about the job or they could have done something personal going on and we should offer the benefit of the doubt.

That all sounds very nice and is intended to portray them as being quite liberal and open-minded which is fine but it glosses over a more pervasive tendency to impose upon another generation, a limited mindset, under the guise of ‘how things are done’ albeit not deliberate.

For jobseekers, this is an opportunity to reconsider your career direction in terms of a traditional path or a diverging path that offers a unique toolkit.

For business owners and Leaders, let’s follow the lead of truly legendary leaders and pause to examine the benefits of someone doing it differently. Once we move past the discomfort it invokes in us and look for the benefits to them and us, it could open a whole new realm of possibilities.