Job hopping?

strickland8052 · February 2015

Hey ladies! I need your advice!

My close friends and family all think I should start trying to find another job, and I kinda agree. However! I am worried that I might be becoming a "job hopper". Please tell me what you think! Below is my history:

First job - Was there for one year, because it was a 1 year assignment. The employer and myself never intended for it to be longer. I did a good job and was asked to extend my contract, but I decided not to accept. Only reason I didn't accept was because it was not in the city where I wanted to live (boyfriend, now husband lived four hours away).

Second job - Was there for nearly two years..about 20 months. This was a very small company and there was little room for growth. It was almost expected for me to leave after two years (but not wanted), and two years was about the average for all my predecessors. The only reason I left was because I received what-I-though-to-be a better job offer (higher paying , more in line with what I really want to be doing, better commute, better benefits).

Current job - Been there for a little over a year. However, I also completed two separate temporary positions there for three months each. One was an internship, and the other was a temporary assignment between the first and second job. Among the reasons I want to leave now are that there is (again) very little room for advancement. Also, I had SO much more responsibility in my previous two jobs (although this one is more in line with what I want to be doing). And there has recently been a cultural/leadership change that has led me to believe that advancement will be even less likely than what I originally thought (and beyond my control). Everything about my job is very much bearable.. I just feel like I am not using my full potential and am "stuck" in a lower level position. There are also a few other factors that I don't really want to get into, but people who know my situation (friends and family) all agree that I should be looking for other opportunities.

If I were to leave, I would want to go to a big company that has tons of room for advancement and where advancement is based on the quality of your work. This situation would also pay much more than what I'm being paid now. I'm tired of swapping jobs, and I'm ready to settle down somewhere where I can grow into new roles or move into new departments instead of leaving.

I feel like I had good reasons for moving in all of the above situations, but I'm not sure an employer will see it that way. Each of the above experiences are related to my field and were all VERY good learning experiences, so I don't regret moving around. What do you guys think? Should I start looking for other jobs? Or should I stay just to avoid being a job hopper?

Also, another thing to consider, is that H and I want to begin TTC soon. If I do change jobs, I kinda want to do it soon, so that I can get settled and established before TTC. I've thought about staying until after baby, but I think that making a change like that would be less stressful without a child.

als1982 · February 2015

How soon are you going to start TTC?

strickland8052 · February 2015

We would like to start around October, but we are willing to delay 6 months or so.

Another consideration - I can NOT leave my current job between the moths of January - April. So if I do leave, it would be after April, and preferably before next January. Everyone thinks I should just start looking/applying/interviewing now, so that I can get in practice and get my name out there for post-April.

strickland8052 · February 2015

Thanks April! Is that one year from the time you get hired until you go on maternity leave? Or is that one year before you get pregnant?

I was thinking that I would wait 3-6 months after getting a new job before TTC. Do you think that is long enough?

smbenevides1989 · February 2015

FMLA is usually 1 year from the date you start your job.

I agree. It doesn't sound like job hopping, especially in this economy.

Good luck in the job search and TTC!

hoffse · February 2015

What is your field? Are you sure a big company will offer advancement opportunities based on merit? I just ask because I've found that working for bigger is no less political than smaller. And while benefits may be better, there is often less room for negotiation regarding those benefits, salary, etc. (depending on your field). I mean, I get paid more at my current job (big firm) than my previous job (small firm). But my salary was not negotiable. My advancement rate is not negotiable. Benefits are not negotiable. I imagine some of the upper level partners they recruit can negotiate some of those things, but those of us who are in the front half of our careers are pretty much lock-stepped.

I do prefer working for bigger rather than smaller as it turns out. They are able to separate out departments more effectively, and as an employee who works in a different office I'm a bit anonymous to the HR people. I like that. Contrast that with the fact that my next door neighbor was the only HR person at my previous job... and that's just way too close. On the other hand, the whole advancing by merit thing requires rather extraordinary efforts here vs. my old place. I work a lot more than I previously did, and there is every expectation that I continue to do that. I don't get a special pat on the back for all of the extra work I've been doing. I'm not setting myself apart by doing any of it. If I had worked this much at my previous firm, I would have been the golden girl to them.

But that's just been my experience in my particular field. It doesn't hurt to circulate your resume while you are at your current job, because the worst they can do is say no. In that case, you're still in the same position you are in now. I just get the impression that you think a big company will be the best fit and the work environment will really improve. That all might be true, but go into it with your eyes open.

formerlyGDaisy09 · February 2015

It doesn't sound like job hopping to me. given the economy I think a higher number of recent jobs, especially among the younger portion of the working population is expected. My H is at risk for problems from job hopping...he's held his main PT position for almost 2 years...but in that time has also held 5 other PT postions, I do not think that another place would hire him PT as the longest he's held any of those PT postions was 4 or 5 months, you don't fall in that boat.

I've also heard (depending on the field you're in) that if you haven't seen a raise or chance for promotion as you close in on 2 years, It's time to move on and look for something else. While you've only been there a year, it sounds like opportunity for advancement is limited. I think if you can find a way to some how address that in a cover letter there shouldn't be a reason your applications would get overlooked because you haven't been at your current position for more than a year or so. I think most employers would get that as a young adult you may still be looking for a place that is a good fit for you.

als1982 · February 2015

I think you're right on the cusp.

From a hiring manager standpoint, your resume would raise some red flags, but not enough that I wouldn't be willing to offer an interview.

But frankly, I would be pretty irritated if you took a job and then told me after less than 6 months that you're pregnant.

hoffse · February 2015

als1982 said:

I think you're right on the cusp. From a hiring manager standpoint, your resume would raise some red flags, but not enough that I wouldn't be willing to offer an interview. But frankly, I would be pretty irritated if you took a job and then told me after less than 6 months that you're pregnant.

I would be as well. But then, the culture in my field (very generally) is that you don't do this if you can help it. You aren't giving yourself much time to become indispensable to them. It took about 10 months at my current firm before I felt like I was really plugged into what was happening.

My field is pretty male-dominated though. The expectations for yours may be different.

kmurphy2131 · February 2015

I think that it is okay to look, but you need to really take your time in finding something and you do not need to take the first thing that comes around. You didn't go into much about what you do/what your goal is (which is fine!) but if you do not have a well defined career path and/or a realistic understanding of what it takes to get there you may find yourself stuck in this same position in a year. Depending on those factors, it may be worth considering a career counselor or doing some research into those things.

I also agree with @Hoffse that you need to think about if a large company will really offer you what you want. I have always worked for small companies (my current job is 4 full time employees including the owner and two part-time employees - will likely be 6 full time & one part time soon) so my experience is based on that. However compared to my friends in the same field as me working for large networks/companies I have much more autonomy, negotiation power, and some degree of flexibility. Even though there may be more advancement opportunities at a large company I would rather the better pay/benefits/abilty to advocate for myself. I also may have advancement opportunities someday anyway. I also am much more valuable in a small company - if anything happened to me they would be in big trouble vs a big company that would have others to fill my shoes. That is a nice job security to have.

Sorry for the small novel, I just thought I would throw out some thoughts based on my own experiences to maybe give you more angles to look at.

strickland8052 · February 2015

Hoffse - I am in public relations, and I currently work for a government agency. My first job was at a non-profit and my second was at a small business, so I've seen a good mix. Of all the places I worked, I liked the environment of a small business most. This is mainly because, you have tangible standards that you are held accountable for and there was always a way to go above and beyond (scoring new clients). Even in non-profit work, you can always find extra stuff to do (fundraise/grant write for more money). It is hard to explain, but in my current job..due to the nature of it, there really is not a way to go that extra mile, because you are expected to do X tasks..no more and no less. I think the private sector would be more fulfilling in that way.

I feel like a big company would be better, because there are actually other positions that I could at least be considered for. In the past and now, every workplace was so small that there was not even another person who did anything similar to what I did, so I was therefore limited to only one position.

It is good to know that politics are alive and well in large corporations. Thanks for the heads up! I was under the impression that that kind of stuff would be limited so I will now definitely go into it with my eyes more open.

jtmh2012 · February 2015

strickland8052 said:

It is good to know that politics are alive and well in large corporations. Thanks for the heads up! I was under the impression that that kind of stuff would be limited so I will now definitely go into it with my eyes more open.

I've worked for big and small companies. In some ways, the politics can be worse in larger companies. More people to be political. Also, bigger companies don't necessarily mean more chances for advancement unless they value promoting from within.

strickland8052 · February 2015

Thanks guys! All of this is great advice! I'm basing my opinions of large companies, based on a couple of friends who work at large companies. They have much better pay and benefits than I do with the government, and they have been promoted/moved departments nearly every year. Wages for the state have been locked for the past 7 years, with no one receiving a pay increase in that amount of time. My friends in the private sector, on the other hand, have at least gotten a 1-2% increase every year..sometimes more. It sounds like they might not be typical experiences though?

strickland8052 · February 2015

ALS - Thanks for the honest advice about maternity leave. I will definitely keep that in mind... should probably postpone TTC even more!

strickland8052 · February 2015

AprilH81 said:

strickland8052 said:

Thanks guys! All of this is great advice! I'm basing my opinions of large companies, based on a couple of friends who work at large companies. They have much better pay and benefits than I do with the government, and they have been promoted/moved departments nearly every year. Wages for the state have been locked for the past 7 years, with no one receiving a pay increase in that amount of time. My friends in the private sector, on the other hand, have at least gotten a 1-2% increase every year..sometimes more. It sounds like they might not be typical experiences though?

This will vary greatly company to company and even position to position.

The company I work for tries to do a 3% raise every year for those who have been employed for at least 1 year AND not on a performance improvement plan. You have to be so far above the norm to get more than that unless you get a promotion. My last job was pretty much the same.

Be sure to account for government benefits in your pro/con list. Most government jobs I know of don't pay as great but the benefits (especially long term benefits) more than make up for it.

Thanks! If I do find another job, I'll do a ton of research into the company to see how that kind of stuff works.

Our benefits are not that great. The people who have been there since the early 90s have an awesome pension package and tell stories of the good ol' days when insurance was super cheap for a low deductible plan. The state cut back on a lot of that during the recession, so new employees are no longer eligible for a pension (instead we get a 3% match on 401k) and insurance isn't really that great either.

MommyLiberty5013 · February 2015

Just a suggestion: On your resume, for the first job, which was the 1 year assignment, I would note this very obviously in the start of of the job description.

For example: ABC Company - Contracted 1 Year Assigment as XYZ Job - May 2011 to May 2012. Then in the further bullet points, you could note again that it was a 1 year assigment.

Or, use whatever wording fits with your resume lingo to draw attention to the fact that the job was legitimately for 1 year - set by the employer - and therefore isn't a "hopping" instance.

vlagrl29 · February 2015

if you can wait to have a baby then I say look for another job - if you don't want to delay it especially for another year for FMLA I would stay at your current job until after baby is born.

strickland8052 · February 2015

Thanks, vlagr! I keep going back and forth on whether I should wait it out. On one hand, I do already have enough annual leave and sick leave to where I wouldn't even have to take unpaid leave.. that is real tempting!

On the other hand, I'm nervous about the idea of finding and starting a new job with a baby. That sounds stressful!

vlagrl29 · February 2015

Personally I wouldn't delay having a baby just because I needed to wait for FMLA or because I wouldn't want my new company getting pissed at me because I got pregnant too soon into the job. I do understand how it would be stressful finding a new job with a baby as well.

Wulfgar · February 2015

I would not consider what you have been doing job hopping. The way I would present your work experience is that you had a lot of contract jobs that had a set end time.

short+sassy · February 2015

I'll throw in what it is like working for a medium sized firm. My current and last two companies I have worked for have around 200 employees. They all have/had nice degrees of flexibility that you tend to see with smaller firms. Benefits are set in stone for everyone. All of them gave small annual raises. For one, it was exceedingly difficult to get a raise unless you were given a promotion...and most of the hours were billed to the client so they also had to approve an employee moving to a different category, ie bill rate. I've heard the current company I work for won't give substantial raises unless you find another job and then threaten to leave.

Haven't tried that out yet, lol .

Job hopping?

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