With talent shortages not seen by businesses since the Y2K Days, employers find themselves being forced to change and pivot how they find and hire critical talent in order for their organization's growth and survival.

One of those changes, inspired by the latest generation to arrive on the job market is that job-hopping will no longer be frowned upon as it was in the past. In fact it may even be embraced as a competitive advantage as organizations massively struggle to keep up in the "hiring game". A world living in a pandemic we have not seen in over a century for the unforeseeable future means organizations - in order to survive - must also change. This means pivoting their values and beliefs around how they hire and evaluate talent. Todays employee is not only asking but demanding flexible working schedules, freelancing, new technology-led communication, and entirely new industries to work in with lower barriers to entry.

A career path is no longer a in-depth process like in the past. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shared reports finding that workers are staying in a job for a median time frame of just over 4 years. Millennials although not the only reason for this trend are a big driving factor behind this due to work/life balance being at the top of their priority list.

HR departments and recruiters have in the past looked at jobseekers who have had multiple short-term jobs negatively. Even employers would go on record saying they wouldn’t hire a job-hopper for fear of training employees that have no intention or commitment to staying with them long-term. However that was during pre-pandemic times and perhaps now is the time to take a breath and re-evaluate. There are many advantages to both employer and employee in a short-term hire.

Benefits to Job-Hoppers:

• Employees can quickly obtain a variety of skills they might not get by staying in one place or one job.
• Working at different companies means experiencing a variety of cultures and management styles. A unique insight into what suits an individual most.
• In a healthy economic market like what we are experiencing now, a job-hopper might enjoy a pay raise in the neighborhood of up to 10% or more, versus staying in the same role for the same organization, where in most cases just the cost of living yearly increase of 2-4% seems to be the maximum that the employer market is bearing.
• An opportunity to build up a wide network of contacts who could turn out to be potential employers or business partners.
• Millennials and Gen Z employees are prioritizing environmental and social issues in the workplace, and are far more prepared to walk away from a role that doesn’t meet their ethical standards, possibly making companies more aware of how important these priorities are.

Advantages to Employers employing a Job-Hopper:

• Job-hopping demonstrates an ability to be flexible in a wide range of environments including with your competitors, which is a useful to skill to have on any team.
• They are not afraid of change and are prepared to take risks, which can be very attractive qualities in today’s uncertain climate.
• Sometimes a role doesn’t require longevity. Bringing someone in to complete a project who will leave afterwards can be mutually beneficial.
• Bringing in a fresh perspective and a new creative energy to a stagnant workplace, can benefit everyone. A new employee won’t be complacent and is likely to bring a fresh perspective to how the organization has always done it. This can go a long way in re-charging the creative "batteries" of an employer helping them be able to survive the next wave of changes.

Employee Disadvantages:

• Employee loyalty is still highly valued, often at the expense of other qualities, so you may be turned down for a role on that basis alone, but this can be rectified by being clear and up-front with your motives.
• Colleagues who have worked for a company for longer might feel resentment that they will have to pick up an extra workload and spend a disproportionate time on getting the new staff member up to speed.

Employer Disadvantages:

The disadvantages of changing roles frequently are more familiar to many, but still worth bearing in mind because they can be avoided.

• Hiring and training new staff is an expensive and time-consuming business and the ROI on a job-hopper may not appeal.
• Not displaying a desire to contribute to an organizations’ long-term success may be seen as a weakness.
• There is a common suspicion, that regular job moves may be due to poor past performance rather than more positive reasons.
• If a company thinks they are merely a steppingstone on the career path of an ambitious young employee, they may feel resentful and be more reluctant to take them on.
• Some smaller companies may not easily be able to recover from investing in a new employee if they don’t stay long enough to recoup the investment.

How to prevent it being a disadvantage for both sides:

• As an applicant, be the first to explain your motives. You have nothing to hide, and having a good, clear reason for your next move can prevent any doubt from rising in the recruiter’s mind.
• Be ready to share the positive results with your prospective employer, and the impact you may have had on the team that you have previously worked with.
• Sometimes it isn’t clear to an employer whether an applicant is job-hopping or just had contracted, seasonal or temporary jobs while the market is uncertain. Make it clear to avoid unnecessary rejections.

Top tips before job-hopping:

• Do your research thoroughly before jumping. Make sure that you know exactly what you’re looking for in your next role and assess whether now is definitely the right time for you to start working towards that.
• Talk to your managers and tell them that you’re looking for a change. Understanding the direction that you would like to take your career in and how that can happen might change your perspective on an imminent move. Either that or confirming that you were right to move on in the first place.

In today’s talent-short job market the focus on job retention should no longer matter most, it’s engagement. It is quite possible to create workplaces that encourage people to be their best whether they are long or short-term workers. An agile workforce creates an agile company that is more likely to survive whatever is going to come their way next. None of us including me knows what that will be.

However here is what I know for sure from being a recruiter for over 20 years. For the most part businesses hire human beings with human feelings living in an unpredictable world (aka the Corona virus) that effects our life decisions and career choices we make. Therefore casting judgement is something all of need to make a more concerted effort to "put the brakes on". If we (hiring managers) keep that in mind this will not only expand a desperately depleted talent pool for us, but increase the skill level of the people we have to choose from.