Reader Graham has moved roles so much in the last decade, he’s starting to think it might put recruiters off. Our Jobs Guru James Innes is here with some advice
I’ve changed jobs several times over the past ten years and, at the time, each move seemed perfectly sensible. One company was going nowhere, another role offered more money, and, once, I was head-hunted.
But now that I’m looking again, I’m worried my CV may make me look somewhat restless. I’ve never walked out after a few weeks or left under a cloud or anything, but I haven’t stayed anywhere for years on end either.
At what point do employers start thinking: “This person won’t stick around”?
Graham, Liverpool
Well, now, Graham. A few moves over ten years is not automatically a problem. These days, plenty of people change jobs every two or three years and nobody bats an eyelid.
What makes employers nervous is not the number on its own. It’s the pattern.
If every move brought more responsibility, better pay, a bigger team or some other sensible step forward, recruiters will understand it. People do change jobs. Companies restructure. Contracts end. Sometimes a decent opportunity comes along and you would be foolish not to take it.
But… if your CV shows six short stays, all at roughly the same level, with no obvious reason for any of them, people may start wondering whether you get bored quickly, fall out with managers or leave the moment things become difficult.
Unfair? Perhaps. But those questions will occur to them.
So don’t become defensive and start writing a long explanation beside every job. That can make matters worse. Give clear dates, show what you achieved, and be ready to explain the moves calmly at interview.
A ‘chequered’ career is not fatal – but looking as though you are unable settle anywhere can be.
Top Tip:
Don’t apologise for every move. Explain the pattern calmly – what drew you to each role, what you achieved there, and why the next move made sense.
Spotlight On: Job-hopping
There’s no magic number after which a candidate suddenly becomes a ‘job-hopper’.
A 25-year-old with four short roles may simply have been taking temporary contracts and finding their feet. But a 45-year-old who has left every permanent job after nine months may prompt rather more questions!
Recruiters also notice the difference between movement and drift. If each role has added something – responsibility, pay, specialist knowledge, a tougher brief – the changes can look perfectly sensible.
What worries them is a row of brief jobs with nothing much to show for any of them. Then they start wondering whether you will be gone before the office has learned how you take your tea.
Give them a reason to see progress, not restlessness.
Get a head start in your job hunt with James’ new book, The Job You’ve Always Wanted – out now from Pearson at £16.99.
Our Jobs Guru, James Innes, is a best-selling careers author and founder of the world’s leading group of professional CV and resume writers .