Normalizing Job-hopping: What Works and What's a Work in Progress

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Reflecting on Job-hopping Do’s And Don’ts by Mark Anthony Dyson

This year, Millennials and Gen Z professionals in the tech industry found soft landing spots by using “job-hopping” to advance their careers and get salary bumps. Most job hoppers can get 10% bumps or better by taking lateral jobs without negotiating. The others are dealing and getting promotions, landing in more prominent companies, and showing value resulting in more significant increases.

Here are some do’s:

Successful professionals remain proactive by staying engaged in their job search and keeping a stream of opportunities available often.
They are networking consistently through their connections on LinkedIn, industry organizations, and coworkers (past and present).
They create career assurance by taking their new career development learnings and finding places to use it for additional experience as the next step.
Job-hoppers are creating endless opportunities and not settling for bosses showing little interest in their development. Some are finding mentors and advocates elsewhere.
They are taking feedback from bosses, trainers, and mentors and investing in themselves aggressively.
They’re creating options by controlling career and lifestyle choices and how they work as motivation to drive constant change.

Some job-hoppers miscalculated their moves, and few returned to their old companies, and others used the experience to find better-fitting employers.

Here are some don’ts or lessons learned:

Some got caught up in “The Great Resignation” movement initially. Job-hopping continues as a part of it, but it’s here to stay. Those who were more patient, not pressured by the moves of their peers, landed with both feet.
They job-hopped blindly without knowing anything about their new company and manager. Some of it was due to badly posted job descriptions being misleading and misrepresented advertised positions. Others were not good choices where the job-hopper just wanted to escape their bad boss rather than deploying patience.
Some job-hoppers misrepresent their experience and skills and land in unwanted places.
Others were regrettably unsuccessful in creating momentum with their move. They didn’t strategize by researching the company resulting in a wrong move. You can successfully go through an interview process blindly and ignore red flags.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.