Time to Move On? – Things to Consider

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employers decreased slightly from 4.2 years in January 2018 to 4.1 years in January 2020.

There are many reasons one might want to change jobs, from the work itself being too stressful or unfulfilling to the working environment, including having a horrible boss. Or perhaps simply wanting a new challenge in a new role or new field. A key issue in this decision is how long you have been in your current role coupled with your tenure in previous positions and/or organizations. The dates on your resume convey a message to hiring managers. Several short stints of 1-2 years might be viewed as “job hopping” which is concern for most hiring managers. One reason for concern is the cost of employee turnover which is both expensive to the organization and stressful for the hiring manager who has invested a lot of time in the selection and onboarding process and must now start over. In addition, when someone leaves after a short period of time it can reflect poorly on the hiring manager’s ability to effectively recruit, select, and onboard people to help her achieve the team or department’s goals. They also have to take time from their primary tasks of leading and managing to fill the open position while covering that job themselves.

When it comes to your resume is there a pattern of short stays?

Most employers seek stability in their new hires and want to see that a candidate held at least one job for 3 to 5 years. Hiring managers want people who will be long-term employees that want to grow with the company – that conveys maturity and stability. If you did change jobs a few times early in your career, take solace that most employers are more understanding than when it’s done later in one’s career when you are expected to know better what it is you really want from a job and organization. As your career progresses it’s assumed you will stay in positions longer and when changing jobs, it was because of promotion or loss of a job through no fault of your own such as a reduction in force, reorganization, office closure, acquisition, etc.

Explaining Short Stays

If you do have some short stays on your resume, you should be well prepared to speak to them with clarity and confidence. Never apologize or blame the former company or manager, that may be entirely true but comes across as negative. It is okay to explain your desire to move on, if for example, your values and theirs didn’t align or the job you were hired for morphed into something different. Explain specifically how the experience there helped you home in on your ideal career path and what skills you learned. Then redirect the discussion to the future and what you can bring to their organization to help them achieve their goals. Here is an example:

“While leaving after 14 months wasn’t ideal, I felt it was the best decision for me and my family. It also helped me define what I really wanted in my work and helped me define what I most want from my career and the organization I work for. With that in mind, can you please tell me more about the values and culture at Acme, Inc.?”

Frank Manfre www.frankmanfre.com/career-coaching