“If a candidate moves jobs every couple of years, it will be usually be a red flag for me,” says Carrie Heller, of legal recruitment firm The Heller Group. Job-hopping can leave the perception that you are “overly opportunistic,” according to Heller, and with a track record of not staying anywhere for a reasonable amount of time.
“Others may view your moves as not your choice, but that you have had to move because your employers were unhappy with your work or ability to fit with their team,” she argues.
So, how many jobs are too many? And over what period of time?
A recent survey of more than 300 HR managers in Canadian companies found that an average of six job changes over a decade can lead to someone being viewed as a job-hopper. The survey was developed by Robert Half Canada, which bills itself as the world’s largest specialized staffing firm, and did not focus on the legal world. The overall sense is that organizations are looking for prospective employees who will help them reach short and mid-term goals, Robert Half concluded, which requires a certain level of commitment on the part of the job applicant. Click here to view the entire article.