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In past generations, workers were expected to stay in the same job for 10, 20 or 30 years, and not doing so was seen as being “unable to hold down a job.”

But these days, with workforce downsizings and changing job markets around the country, workers are forgiven for having a few jobs over the course of a decade. In fact, workers should now see so-called “job hopping” as a good thing.

A variety of work environments

Holding many different jobs exposes you to many different managerial styles. The old saying goes, “People don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses,” and if you’ve left a job or two because of a supervisor, the experience has likely taught something you about undesirable qualities in a leader.

Job hopping also exposes you to a number of different work environments and workplace cultures. A company is defined by its people and seeing how different cultures impact services or products is an invaluable experience.

Experience with different resources and systems

In addition to being exposed to different work environments, job hopping also allows a person to use a wide range of technology, company assets, and computer systems. For instance, industrial workers might be able to get experience working on different machines, or office workers can work with different software.

When walking into a job interview after job hopping, be sure to emphasize all the different technologies you’ve worked with in the past.

Learning about yourself

If you’ve gone from job to job, hopefully, you honestly reflected on why each job ended.

This insight could lead you to realize that you need to change careers. If all of those jobs were in one industry, consider the possibility that this industry is not for you. This may be a difficult conclusion to reach if you’ve grown up thinking about a career in that industry, but ignoring warning signs could result in long-term unhappiness.

You might also realize that you aren’t cut out for certain roles. For instance, if you have difficultly taking orders you disagree with, you may have more success in a role where you have minimal supervision.

A larger professional network

If you’ve been job hopping, hopefully, you left each job on good terms. If so, that means you have a much larger professional network than if you had just stayed at one job.

It used to be that you typically lost touch with people once you stopped working with them. But now, with Facebook and LinkedIn, it’s easier than ever to stay in touch with former co-workers and reach out to them for professional reasons.

The chance to find the right fit

Job security can be a great thing, but staying in a bad situation just because it offers some kind of stability will make you miserable. Through job hopping, you have the chance to find a place where you can truly be happy.

At Cornerstone, we work with people who are interested in both long-term stability and those looking for short-term temporary positions. Feel free to contact us through our website or browse our open positions today!


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