Job hopping: What it is and what advantages it has

There is no doubt that the hiring and personnel selection process has become increasingly complicated in recent years, regardless of economic fluctuations.

The newer generations of workers, although it is important not to generalize, seem to prefer a career full of experiences rather than the traditional model of staying with one company for a lifetime. The average length of these experiences is around two years. In fact, human resources specialists say that the perception of "job hopping" has changed recently and has become more common among many workers.

"Job hopping" is an increasingly popular trend among millennials, a generation that is hard to attract and retain in a single job, since it seeks new challenges and better working conditions. Although historically it has been seen as something negative for a worker to change jobs frequently, hiring a "job hopper" can have multiple advantages.

In the following lines, we will explain what this trend consists of, how to detect the professionals who follow it, and the advantages that having them on your team can bring.

What is job hopping?

"Job hopping" is a growing trend in the workplace that refers to a new generation of professionals, generally young people with highly sought-after digital skills, who change jobs frequently. These workers, known in the human resources field as "job hoppers" or "job jumpers," have a strong desire to improve themselves and constantly seek new challenges.

The term "job hopping" refers to those professionals who change jobs voluntarily and frequently. These workers are known as "job hoppers" or "job jumpers," which in Spanish would be translated as "saltamontes de trabajos" ("job grasshoppers") or "cambiadores de trabajo" ("job changers"), respectively.

The profile of a job hopper.

There is no doubt that those who decide to advance in their professional careers see the working world differently. Although they change jobs frequently, they carefully plan their next move. Millennials have skills and competencies that set them apart from other generations. Although some more traditional employers may disagree with the practice of "job hopping" by these newer generations, even they admit that these professionals have the courage to take a leap into the unknown. The common characteristics of these profiles are the following:

• They are curious people: they look for answers to the "whys" of problems, acquire detailed knowledge about practices and concepts, and learn to develop different skills thanks to their experiences.

• They are tireless: they never run out of energy and have an incredible capacity for work, which allows them to achieve satisfactory results.

• Passion for what they do is fundamental: they look for a job that lets them be authentic and share their enthusiasm with others, and they do not settle for a job they are not passionate about.

• They are characterized by a risk-taking personality: they enjoy taking risks and venturing into the unknown.

• They show great personal motivation: They are ambitious and focused on their own professional development and growth, so they look to keep learning. They are known as "knowmads," since they change jobs to improve their knowledge.

• They have a great capacity to adapt to change: They do not resist change and, in fact, actively seek it out, adapting effectively.

• They are creative: They bring innovative ideas to solve complex problems.

• They are technology lovers and are up to date with the latest digital collaboration tools, which allows them to organize their tasks effectively and achieve successful self-management at work.

How can we identify a job hopper?

Detecting a job hopper is easy if you examine their work history and pay attention to how long they stayed at each company. If you see that their average stay is two years, they are probably one. However, to confirm this and evaluate whether their profile is suitable for the position, it is advisable to conduct a personal interview. In the interview, you can ask key questions such as:

• How long were you in your last job and in the one before it?

• Why did you decide to leave?

• Was it your own decision, or were you dismissed?

• What aspects of your previous job did you dislike?

With these questions, you can obtain valuable information to evaluate the candidate and make an informed decision about whether they are right for the company.

Advantages and disadvantages of having a JOB HOPPER.

Hiring a job hopper can have both advantages and disadvantages for a company. Among the advantages are:

• It is easier to attract these professionals, since they are generally the ones looking for the job opportunity, not the other way around, which speeds up the hiring process.

• They are generally highly productive, since they are working where they want to be and stay motivated as long as they feel they are presented with a challenge.

• They have broader and more diverse experience than other profiles, which allows them to know different business models, internal processes, products, and brands.

• They tend to have communication and team management skills, since they do not enter into conflicts of interest with their colleagues because they do not intend to stay at the company for a long time.

• They adapt easily to change, since they are used to facing new challenges, roles, and projects, fostering a good work environment.

• They have a broad network of contacts that they have been building throughout their careers, which can be very valuable for a company.

As for the drawbacks, we could point out the following negative aspects: a lack of commitment because they do not feel a bond with the company, a lack of specialization due to the lack of time in each job and the lack of focus on a single area, a lack of long-term vision that can make it difficult to plan and execute future projects, and a lack of security for the company since it does not know for how long it will be able to count on the employee.