You have probably seen resumes like them: lots of jobs in not so many years. The job candidate whose resume you are holding in your hands has carefully explained that they were not let go from any position, but rather chose to pursue new opportunities. You need new talent and the candidate’s skills are top notch, but you may be feeling a little uneasy about this hire. Will they stay? After all, the hiring process drains money and resources. You don’t want to be doing this again in another year or two. However, you may not have to worry if you understand these things about “job hoppers”.
They Left for a Reason
Not all job candidates who move quickly from one job to the next are going to fit in at your company, but if you can understand why the person moved around, you may be
able to hire some amazing talent.
An article in Payscale showcased the key reasons that people rapidly change jobs. One of the main reasons is that employees are investing in their own training by leaving. Many companies are failing to provide training or other challenging opportunities to their workers, and this is hitting their bottom line through higher turnover rates. Many employees who leave their current position for a new one are trying to engage with new technologies and approaches. If you would like to keep your best people (and attract top talent), an investment in their training is definitely one that can pay off. Ensuring that there are challenging projects and other types of learning opportunities are also ways to promote employee retention.
The unfortunate fact about job hopping is that it can definitely increase your salary. Forbes writer Cameron Keng shined the spotlight on the fact that employees will typically get a yearly increase of 3%, but if someone finds a new job, that increase bounces up to 10% a year—or even more. Paying employees fairly and giving yearly increases that match market conditions can ensure that your company will be valued by top employees.
Company culture has a tremendous impact on employee retention, and a LinkedIn survey showed that employees who are dissatisfied with the culture at work will quickly move on. Building a positive, engaging, and supportive company culture is an economical way to help your company move more rapidly towards its goals while retaining high-quality employees. There are a number of ways to make your company’s culture very attractive to job seekers and current team members. For example, offering volunteer opportunities or considering details like job titles can help build your company culture. For more insights, please see our post on the 5 Secrets of Creating, and Keeping, Loyal Employees.
Job hopping is currently more acceptable than it was a decade ago. However, the reasons that people rapidly change jobs can be addressed at the company level. After all, a great business that values all employees, pays them fairly, and helps them evolve in their careers is going to attract, and keep, the very best talent.