How Good It Is To Shift Jobs Frequently?

[varalu 0]

Its a forward and not my views. Thought few might like it. So... Here it is for you to participate in it.

 

This is more related to a person in India and companies in India. This scenario may or may not work/ suit in other companies. So, I expect the reader to keep that in mind when reading this topic and expect the same when replying to this. Some, rather most organizations reject his CV today because he has changed jobs frequently (10 in 14 years). My friend, the ‘job hopper’ (referred here as Mr. Johnson), does not mind it…. well he does not need to mind it at all. Having worked full-time with 10 employer companies in just 14 years gives Mr. Johnson the relaxing edge that most of the ‘company loyal’ employees are struggling for today. Today, Mr. Johnson too is laid off like some other 14-15 year experienced guys – the difference being the latter have just worked in 2-3 organizations in the same number of years. Here are the excerpts of an interview with Mr. Johnson:

Q: Why have you changed 10 jobs in 14 years?

A: To get financially sound and stable before getting laid off the second time.

 

Q: So you knew you would be laid off in the year 2009?

A: Well I was laid off first in the year 2002 due to the first global economic slowdown. I had not got a full-time job before January 2003 when the economy started looking up; so I had struggled for almost a year without job and with compromises.

 

Q: Which number of job was that?

A: That was my third job.

 

Q: So from Jan 2003 to Jan 2009, in 6 years, you have changed 8 jobs to make the count as 10 jobs in 14 years?

A: I had no other option. In my first 8 years of professional life, I had worked only for 2 organizations thinking that jobs are deserved after lot of hard work and one should stay with an employer company to justify the saying ‘employer loyalty’. But I was an idiot.

 

Q: Why do you say so?

A: My salary in the first 8 years went up only marginally. I could not save enough and also, I had thought that I had a ‘permanent’ job, so I need not worry about ‘what will I do if I lose my job’. I could never imagine losing a job because of economic slowdown and not because of my performance. That was January 2002.

 

Q: Can you brief on what happened between January 2003 and 2009.

A: Well, I had learnt my lessons of being ‘company loyal’ and not ‘money earning and saving loyal’. But then you can save enough only when you earn enough. So I shifted my loyalty towards money making and saving – I changed 8 jobs in 6 years assuring all my interviewers about my stability.

 

Q: So you lied to your interviewers; you had already planned to change the job for which you were being interviewed on a particular day?

A: Yes, you can change jobs only when the market is up and companies are hiring. You tell me – can I get a job now because of the slowdown? No. So one should change jobs for higher salaries only when the market is up because that is the only time when companies hire and can afford the expected salaries.

 

Q: What have you gained by shifting many companies ?

A: That’s the question I was waiting for. In Jan 2003, I had a fixed salary (without variables) of say Rs. X p.a. In January 2009, my salary was 8X. So assuming my salary was Rs.3 lakh p.a. in Jan 2003, my last drawn salary in Jan 2009 was Rs.24 lakh p.a. (without variable). I never bothered about variable as I had no intention to stay for 1 year and go through the appraisal process to wait for the

company to give me a hike.

 

Q: So you decided on your own hike by shifting companies?

A: Yes, in 2003, I could see the slowdown coming again in future like it had happened in 2001-02. Though I was not sure by when the next slowdown would come, I was pretty sure I wanted a ‘debt-free’ life before being laid off again. So I planned my hike targets on a yearly basis without waiting for the year to complete.

 

Q: So are you debt-free at this moment?

A: Yes, I earned so much by virtue of job changes for money and spent so little that today I have a loan free 2 BR flat (1200 sq. feet) plus a loan free big car without bothering about any EMIs. I am laid off too but I do not complain at all. If I have laid off companies for money, it is OK if a company lays me off because of lack of money.

 

Q: Who do you think is complaining about this?

A: All those guys who are not getting a job to pay their EMIs off are complaining. They had made fun of me saying I am a job hopper and do not have any company loyalty. Now I ask them what they gained by their company loyalty; they too are laid off like me and pass comments to me – why will you bother about us, you are already debt-free. They were still in the bracket of 12-14 lakh p.a. when they were laid off.

 

Q: What is your advice to professionals?

A: Like Narayana Murthy (If you do not know him, he was the CEO of Infosys.) had said – love your job and not your company because you never know when your company will stop loving you. In the same lines, love yourself and your family needs more than the company’s needs. Companies can keep coming and going; family will always remain the same. Make money for yourself first and simultaneously make money for the company, not the other way around.

 

Q: What is your biggest pain point with companies, when it comes to jobs and treating employees?

A: When a company does very well, its CEO etc will address the entire company saying, ‘well done guys, it is YOUR company, keep up the hard work, I am with you.” But when the slowdown happens and the company does not do so well, the same CEO etc will say, “It is MY company and to save the company, I have to take tough decisions including asking people to go.” So think about your financial stability first; when you get laid off, your kids will complain to you and not your boss.

Your thoughts on this?

Notice from jlhaslip:

quote tags added to non-original material

[webishqiptar 0]

very helpful article, but I doubt if changing work places very often will lead you to anywhere. It's better to focus on something and concentrate on it so you get the best from it, unless you don't have talent on doing that thing. There are poeple who can do lots of things in the same time, but this will keep them unconcentrated and they will not be leaders on a particular thing.The best way in opinion is to finish school, check for a stable job, or concentrate for some job or some profession and become a professional so if something happens to your company you can find another job in easy way. Sure , experience is the key to success.

[varalu 0]

Yeah true. But there are instances where this is true and happens. I happen to have friends who do this and are prosperous. :lol:Say for example, One of my friends has shifted 3 jobs in 1 year and have survived and is being well paid for what he does... But I have to agree with you that shifting jobs is not fruitful on a long run.

[nol 0]

You should probably add quote tags for the things you didn't write, but anyways I think the basically people won't like it to change jobs that often in that alloted amount of time, it just doesn't send a good message to your employer, they could assume 1, you are not a very trust worthy employee and can't keep your job for very long, or that 2, you just aren't very good at long-term commitments and can't settle down. They could be ok for summer jobs, but for something like that, that is just insane.

[mm22 0]

they could assume 1, you are not a very trust worthy employee and can't keep your job for very long, or that 2, you just aren't very good at long-term commitments and can't settle down. They could be ok for summer jobs, but for something like that, that is just insane.

Insane or not that guy managed to get hired from one company after another even though his CV clearly spoke of him not being a "loyal employee". So apparently there are companies out there ready to hire someone by just looking at his past job performances and considering how much they (the company) can benefit from this guy. They don't think he will go in less than a year time because they think they don't have to teach anything to this guy but just "exploit" him until he decides to leave, or they decide to let him go. Under the right circumstances I think the process is beneficial to both parties, I can think of enthusiasm as a leading force for the newly hired employee and yet another advantage for the employer.

Can the same thing be done by all employees? I don't think so, at least not for all types of jobs, it would be interested to see which industry this guy was working in. But after all you have to look at your own good, and what you can learn from a job, then if your employer gives you enough reasons to stay with him you don't have any reason to leave. But if the only reason you stay for is loyalty or fear of change then you should look elsewhere.

[k_nitin_r 8]

Hi!When you are starting off your career, it's okay to change your job about once a year for 2 years. If you've got 4 years of experience at 4 different firms, it certainly would show that you were a job-hopper. 10 different jobs in 14 years definitely looks bad on a resume.If you are getting a significant increase in salary, then your job-change is justified but if you switch jobs for a mere sum, it just isn't worth it.Regards,Nitin Reddy

[mm22 0]

Hi!
When you are starting off your career, it's okay to change your job about once a year for 2 years. If you've got 4 years of experience at 4 different firms, it certainly would show that you were a job-hopper. 10 different jobs in 14 years definitely looks bad on a resume.

If you are getting a significant increase in salary, then your job-change is justified but if you switch jobs for a mere sum, it just isn't worth it.

Regards,
Nitin Reddy

Yes I think you are right, moderation and common sense are always a good thing. But what if the job-hopping follows a career path like for example narrowing down your job description and becoming more specialized in some area of your industry? I am just thinking sometimes your current company could not offer you the chance to develop your skills in one particular area in which you discover being more interested than others.

[k_nitin_r 8]

Hi!@mm22You do draw an interesting perspective there - changing jobs to do what you do best. When you do change jobs, it would take you time to learn what your new work environment and job have to offer. Developing your skills to reach a competent level and practicing your skills would take at least a year or two.If you do feel the need to switch firms very often for developing your skills, you could join a consultancy firm that would put you on different projects and have you working with different clients. You get the benefit without really having to cast a shadow of doubt over your resume.Regards,Nitin Reddy

[mm22 0]

Hi!
@mm22

You do draw an interesting perspective there - changing jobs to do what you do best. When you do change jobs, it would take you time to learn what your new work environment and job have to offer. Developing your skills to reach a competent level and practicing your skills would take at least a year or two.

If you do feel the need to switch firms very often for developing your skills, you could join a consultancy firm that would put you on different projects and have you working with different clients. You get the benefit without really having to cast a shadow of doubt over your resume.

Regards,
Nitin Reddy

I agree one or two years is the minimum time required to really take advantage of a working experience, in most cases at least. This is what I had in mind when i said change jobs frequently, as opposed to stay 10-15 years in the same firm. Less than one year I wouldn't even consider, unless it's an internship or a temporary transfer within the same company.

You are right consultancy firms might be the only chance we have to experience different types of responsibilities and work on something new all the time. I think it's something everyone should try for some time if he or she is interested in many things.

[rpgsearcherz 5]

We learned in my careers class that most people go through 15-20 jobs in their lifetime (including 5-10 of which are "careers").I think it's a good idea to try out various things solely because you may find something you like more than you currently do (and obviously, happiness should be above the monetary compensation), but there is also the possibility of overdoing it.For example, if you keep job skipping it is going to look bad on your future resumes. People will look at it as if either you are incapable of holding down a job or you just quit because you dislike working (after you quit enough jobs, this turns into "you just quit because you dislike working in general") which can have a huge detrimental effect.Really it's all up to whoever you are attempting to work for, in the end.Personally I would suggest shadowing various jobs before deciding on one. It will help gain helpful insight as to what the job is about, what it requires, etc. Having this knowledge will greatly help you determine which one is best for you.