Job hopping almost feels dirty to say. But why?
For starters, if you’re reading this at work, don’t.
Historically, job hopping has been linked to individuals who have commitment issues or trouble holding down a job. Despite the negative connotations, there are, in fact, many benefits of job hopping.
So, if you’re someone who enjoys job hopping and perceives experience at multiple companies as stepping stones to professional success, then forget the judgment from critics. Job hopping can be purpose-driven.
Perhaps job hoppers are even more committed to their professional growth by starting over again and again and jumping into new territory more often than most.
Here are 8 red flag-free benefits you stand to gain from the controversial strategy.
Scoring Higher Pay
Job hopping is one of the best ways to climb the income ladder.
If you’re looking for higher pay, job hopping could be your best bet. When you leave one job for another, you can often get premium pay and earn more than you would get from a standard annual pay increase.
Leaving for more money is nothing to feel guilty about. In fact, applying to companies that are competitors of your current company may lead you to scoring an even bigger salary for the industry experience you’d be bringing.
Demonstrating Adaptability
Job hopping is, in fact, a roundabout way to demonstrate your adaptability.
You are effectively showing that you can move from one company to another and seamlessly (and successfully) integrate into a new company and new team with new ways of doing something.
Supplementing Your Skill Set
Job hopping can help you significantly broaden your skill set. Meaning, you can gain experience working with new software and tools. You can then add these new proficiencies to your resume.
Having a resume chock-full of experience and proficiencies can beef up your professional brand in a big way. Thus, broadening your skill set improves your overall value and employability.
Propelling Your Professional Development
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses helps you focus on improving the areas holding you back from success. This is especially important for people who have been in one job for a long time.
Changing jobs and adopting new ways of doing things is a surefire way to grow and get out of your comfort zone, forcing you to embrace new ways of thinking.
Improving Your Work Environment
One of the potential causes for job hopping is leaving a toxic work environment.
If your current boss doesn’t support or value your contributions, or if there’s no opportunity for growth, job hopping may be your best case scenario.
Look for a new company with more opportunities to grow, along with a company culture that aligns with your core values.
Making New Connections
When you change jobs, you get to work with a new team and make new connections, which is a worthwhile reason to job hop. The people at a job can certainly make or break your happiness with a job so it’s an important factor to not overlook.
Plus, making new connections is a timeless way to level up your professional life and bolster your network.
Relocating
Moving to a new location can also help you meet new people and make connections that could lead to new and exciting opportunities. This can also be a great way to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people while exploring different cultures.
Changing your scenery and deciding to move across the country or internationally for a new job is a surefire way to shake things up in your life that could benefit both your personal and professional life.
Getting Unstuck
Change is usually uncomfortable, but in order to stop feeling stuck sometimes, you need to embrace change to propel your personal and professional growth. If you get stuck in one position, it will be more difficult for you to grow as an individual and move up in your career.
The very nature of job hopping can prevent you from becoming too comfortable.
The longer you stay at a job, more often than not, the harder it will be to leave.
The Takeaway
It’s really okay (and exceptionally common) to be someone who needs change every so often.
Job hopping is not easy and it may not be viewed favorably by everyone, but it has its upside.
Granted, there might be employers and recruiters who are deterred by seeing multiple employers in a short time span on a resume and instantly disqualify an applicant for it.
But, the most important thing to consider is your goals and what you want your life to look like. Avoid the urge to resist change and, instead, embrace starting over and jumping in to new territory.
In short, job hopping is one of the best ways to climb the income ladder. It can be a faster and effective strategy to acquire new skills, score a pay raise, grow your network, and gain more industry experience.
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