|Ms
Debi Neogy, Manager,
Business Communication & Placement
(Rai Business School) ON
Does Merit and Scorecard help in Achieving Corporate Goals? ...More
Is Job-hopping really that bad? (Gaurav Laghate) Freelance Journalist
Jobs today do not last as they
used to a generation before. No more do you hear
of a person who entered an organization at an entry
level, dedicated the entire career life, growing
with the organization and finally retiring from
the same organization.
In the past few years job-hopping has become so
rampant across the industries that even a four Year
stint is considered a stable job. The front-runners
of this phenomenon are IT industry where often job
seekers change their jobs every year. It's a common
thing to be on your 5th job within the first five
years after graduating. Thanks to the booming job
market, they get placed back into the industry very
easily.
All said and done, is job-hopping really bad? There
is a divided opinion here. Many recruiters now do
not automatically chuck your resume away if you
are a job hopper. They feel that job hoppers are
not what have been propagated as branded "slackers."
Both organizations and individuals look for a fit
when it comes to recruiting. It is only that the
fit here does not match. More than ever before,
young graduates do not understand their career aspirations
and land into jobs they are not suited for. Employee-loyalty
has touched the lowest and they easily shift to
another job instead of contemplating the reasons
behind their short-lived stint. With such aimless
job-hopping, they tend to lose their shine and many
recruiters turn them down. These recruiters have
a strong reason behind this harsh decision. They
do not want to waste their time and money to train
someone who has a tendency of leaving the job. Ankit
Kohli, a Senior Manager with a well known recruiting
company adds, "Most recruiters want to know whether
the jobseeker has a good story to tell or not. As
in why they left the previous job. Until they have
a logical answer to it, they stand a chance of becoming
a part of the organization."
In some professions like retail or creative fields
like advertising, job-hopping is un-avoidable. It
is often also possible that the job a job seeker
joined may be different from the job advertised
for. But Ankit suggests here that no matter what,
a job seeker should try to stick to one job for
a full year. A performance review from the company
you wish to leave may help you in reasoning your
leaving the job. This will even provide ample time
for both you and your organization to solve the
current problems you are facing.
Ankit adds that the best way to avoid job-hopping
behavior is to refrain from taking rash decisions.
Generally a graduate does not do the homework necessary
before joining the job. Due to their lack of understanding
of the job offer, they soon realize that their current
job is not gratifying enough as they had expected.
Anupama, a recruitment agent agrees with Ankit and
feels that you might not be able to figure out the
whole picture of the organization you are interested
in working with, and where you fit in. But you can
always take time to understand the organizational
goals and affirm that your goals fit, if not exactly
to the organization you wish to choose to work with.
Somya, an HR consultant feels that when it comes
to saving the day for a job hopper, the best way
out is to target the first job. It is difficult
to compare the benefits of having a long tenure
at one's first job, if you have a good start you
probably have a reason to rejoice. She explains
that in India we follow an Inventory Model when
we talk about measuring the knowledge quotient in
a person. According to this model, knowledge is
added through higher studies, storing and applying
this knowledge once you start working. Thus, the
first job becomes important as it reflects the knowledge
you gained in the area of your specialization. The
multiplicity in terms of the quality and quantity
of work you lay your hands on during the first job
is beyond comparison. As you move towards specializing
in your career pursuits, your first job remains
the only time when you actually do a lot of non-specialized
work. She adds that successful first jobs often
lead to successful careers. First jobs are great
teachers. The first job is a crucial factor when
we discuss a prospective job seeker for our clients;
a two to five year stint is an ideal match for us.
So make the most of your first job, as this time
spent might as well help you in your future prospects.
At the same time, organizations can also take steps
in reducing or avoiding job-hopping by employees.
After all you can't just see one side of the coin.
Organizations are as much to blame if their employees
quit. As has been already mentioned before, one
of the main reasons for job-quitting or job-hopping
is failed expectations and undefined job profiles.
Clearly, at the time of joining or even before that
(at the time of interview), prospective employees
are informed about their job profile. It is only
natural for the employee then to form expectations
regarding his/her role in the organization. However,
when he/she is given assignments/jobs that are clearly
not in his/her direct purview, the employee is bound
to feel disillusioned. There exists a good deal
of difference between a specialist and a generalist.
All employees cannot be both. The point here is
that when a specialist is hired, the hiring company
should adhere to the stipulated job profile for
which he/she has been hired in the first place and
not expect him/her to be a generalist who handles
anything and everything.
If this discrepancy can be rectified, companies
can be rest assured that employees would feel satisfied.
This in turn will lead to a sense of belongingness
on the part of the employees and will generate employee
loyalty substantially.
To conclude, we could see a clear vision that it
is not just the employees who need to rectify their
job-hopping behavior but also the companies need
to be more sensitive to employee needs and aspirations.