Does a CV full of multiple roles at various companies suggest an unstable job-hopper or an experienced worker seeking growth?
It seems that the difference is just a matter of perception - one which is rapidly changing.
As millennials, who are frequently cited as serial job-hoppers, begin to progress into management roles, their tendency towards jumping ship appears to be changing perceptions in the workplace.
Whilst HR has traditionally been skeptical of candidates with a history of leaving jobs quickly, new research shows that the stigma around short-term roles is dwindling.
Nearly 80% of recruiters in the US are more willing than they were a decade ago to consider executive prospects who stay in a company for less than three years, a survey of recruiters by the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants for
The Wall Street Journal found.
As employees increasingly focus on personal growth and look for roles that provide fresh challenges, HR faces a climate of decreasing employee loyalty.
And it seems that millennials, who are set to make up 50% of the
global workforce by 2020, are holding onto their title as notoriously disloyal to employers.
In 2014, workers aged 25 to 34 years old had worked a median of three years for their current employer, findings from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed - compared to 5.5 years for all employees 25 and over.
Some management theories suggest that employers should take a more direct approach to addressing staff turnover.
The Alliance, a book co-written by Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder, suggests a model of ‘mutual expectations’ for employer-employee relationships, in which the possibility of the worker leaving is openly discussed.
But in recruiting future candidates, it seems employers are becoming less fearful of a history of short-lived roles.
The change in attitude among recruiters suggests that hirers increasingly perceive a varied history of roles as a set of diverse experiences that can bring fresh insight; the stigma of the job-hopper may be dying out.
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