Job-Hopping: Is It Worth It?

Bob Weinstein is a journalist who covers technology, project management, the workplace and career development.

  Career Development  

What do you do if a headhunter calls and says he has a job that's perfect for you? In fact, the hiring company's CEO was so impressed with your resume that she wants to meet you. There's nothing to lose. Three lengthy interviews later you are offered the job. And, what a job! It sounded like job utopia, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A 25 percent salary increase, incredible retirement plan, a hefty raise after one year and five weeks of vacation. It sounds too good to be true. Do you take it?

It's a tough decision. Putting all the enticements aside, you need to decide if it is a smart career move. When the job offer is that seductive, trying to make the right decision can trigger an immobilizing anxiety attack. It's especially hard when you've job-hopped repeatedly. The following story presents the pros and cons of job hopping. Is it prudent or imprudent, and what are the compelling considerations for making a move?

Contingent upon market conditions, new thinking about job hopping surfaces every decade. In this still-uncertain job market that has just begun to stage a strong turnaround, most employers frown upon it, according to Norman Rankis, chancellor of Gibbs College in Livingston, NJ.

Employers didn't think too much of job hopping in the 1970s, either. If you listed several jobs on your resume, employers branded you as "unstable." …

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