How to successfully job hop

In my recent LinkedIn post about cultivating two types of networking contacts, a colleague made a comment about the unintended consequences of job-hopping from the perspective of a hiring manager. I thought it would be helpful to see our comments and explore steps you can take as an early career professional to navigate career transitions successfully. 

Comment from hiring manager: “When you know you found a truly strong candidate, through networking the confidence is surely there, but you're also stung by the recent trend of young fresh graduates switching jobs frequently, sometimes every month. The amount of training the employer provided is all gone before even it converts into a value for the company. I appreciate that young grads are growing, but I wish they had someone to guide them since it's affecting the employer. Wondering if we could write an article about it.”

My reply: “That is a really good insight to share with early-career professionals. Some amount of job-hopping is expected in the first 3-5 years of a career -- but it should be weighed against the lasting impression one is leaving with those employers (aka future mentors & advisors). I'll try to put some thoughts down for a future post.” And here is that post! 

These challenges will only get worse because (a) we have a frothy job market in tech, (b) that froth means companies are dangling lots of shiny perks to lure talented professionals away, (c) not all early career professionals know who to turn to for good, personalized advice, and (d) it is getting harder and harder to build a career arc in an industry that is ever-evolving. 

Before you decide to job hop, do these 3 things: 

1️⃣ Ask yourself Question #1: in 5 years, will you regret not taking this leap? 

• Very early in my career, I was offered the chance to move to a remote Caribbean island to serve as a live-in tutor/caretaker for a wealthy family. Surf and swim by day, tutor in evening, and my own cottage in the family compound! I had friends who said to jump at the chance while others thought it was crazy to leave NYC for that kind of work. A tiny part of me wonders what life would be like now if I had taken that gig, but most of me remembers that at that time in my life, I had other priorities I was more passionate about pursuing. No regrets (tho if that job came up today....lol). 
• Self-knowledge is critical here so that you don’t have regrets. Try to be objective in evaluating your current job situation against where you hope to be in 3-5 years. It’s a short enough time horizon to not feel overwhelming, but long enough to put today’s situation in perspective. 
• And remember, it’s still all a learning process. Asking yourself these questions now ensures that you have the information you need to look back and assess your decision & the criteria you used. Sometimes there is no clear answer -- but at least if you ask the Q now, you can review it later without judgment. There are very, very few career mistakes that you cannot recover from. 

2️⃣ Ask yourself Question 2: are you leaving now to avoid navigating an important challenge at your current job? 

• It’s also worth taking into consideration what might happen to your manager, your team, and your projects if you left -- but do not stay only because you feel guilty for leaving them. 
• Considering your work situation and your colleagues will help you evaluate whether you are avoiding a prickly team conflict or a hard upcoming project. In this case, you might be better served by asking for help or seeking out additional training. You can also check out the Designing Your Work Life book to help with improving your current situation. Then you’ll be building up your own management skills to handle these challenges and can pivot to a new role/company as a stronger candidate. 

3️⃣ Find someone you trust with an objective perspective who can discuss this career move with you. 

• If you’re not sure your manager will be receptive (and some aren’t), try to find an internal mentor who knows the company landscape to advise you -- or find an external coach or advisor to bounce ideas off of. I’ve helped many candidates discuss their situation and what makes sense for them. 

1. For example: At Google, we had a program called Gurus. As an employee, you could sign up to speak with other employees in manager-level positions, who would give promotion/career advice with strict confidentiality that they wouldn’t share with your manager. They served as knowledgeable mentors to help you navigate the often chaotic career development trajectory that is Google. If a similar program doesn’t exist, try to identify an individual who knows your work to advise you. 

• Talk to your coach or advisor about how to approach your manager to discuss career options internally. This is often something that new career professionals avoid, assuming they will get a better deal externally & use it to ask for a raise/promotion.  It rarely works that way as now your manager is unsure about your level of commitment to their team/org. Managers want to know that you can stick with projects when it’s tough, and that their investment in you (via training, mentoring) will be worth it. Having an honest conversation about your goals and how they dovetail with your manager’s priorities will only help you in the long run. 

Follow me here for more career search strategy tips & tech industry soundbites. And if you're really eager to get the goods before anyone else, subscribe to my newsletter here: tsc.digitalorchards.com

This post was originally shared on the Digital Orchards blog on August 2, 2021