I'm on my fourth job in four years. First company was a startup that went under, other two I immediately realized I wasn't a good fit but I stayed for about a year each, gave it my all, then resigned with peace of mind. Salary was never an issue. Now I'm at a startup again -- I'm happier than ever, wouldn't leave this job for the world, but we're on shaky ground and the recession might sink us despite our best efforts. So in 2023 that might be 5 jobs in 5 years.
I don't think I'm the outlier. I've only met one person that does legitimate "job hopping", and you can tell from talking to them that something's off. Most of the time people switch jobs for good reason. Disqualifying someone based on that means you're either an Ivy League kid that never got their hands dirty, or you just think you're a rare enough exception that the rule still holds.
I've been unlucky enough to have 'unintentional' job hopping, the gaps of which I think make me look like a poor candidate. If someone looked at my LinkedIn or resume, they might automatically move on because of a 4 month gap here or there. If I actually received an interview I could explain "Well, this was a small company and they couldn't pay me on time so let me go" or something similar. When you've been stuck towards the bottom end of the economy with companies that may not be run that well, it can make you look worse than you are vs circumstances beyond your control.
I'm due to interview someone tomorrow who has had 20 jobs in 25 years... a few 6-month contract positions but mostly 12-18 months in 'permanent' roles. I'd estimate that most of the roles would have been on project-based work of >2yrs duration.
I'm keeping an open mind - this person isn't ruled out but it's difficult not to read something into the possibility that they've never seen through a project.
I'm on my fourth job in four years. First company was a startup that went under, other two I immediately realized I wasn't a good fit but I stayed for about a year each, gave it my all, then resigned with peace of mind. Salary was never an issue. Now I'm at a startup again -- I'm happier than ever, wouldn't leave this job for the world, but we're on shaky ground and the recession might sink us despite our best efforts. So in 2023 that might be 5 jobs in 5 years.
I don't think I'm the outlier. I've only met one person that does legitimate "job hopping", and you can tell from talking to them that something's off. Most of the time people switch jobs for good reason. Disqualifying someone based on that means you're either an Ivy League kid that never got their hands dirty, or you just think you're a rare enough exception that the rule still holds.