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Jobs are now as changeable as fashion, a trend the recession accelerated, reducing the average time of employment with any one company to 4.4 years.
This represents an emerging nightmare for HR professionals and recruiters, with skill-specific experience being eroded, especially amongst those in their twenties and thirties. Out of this, a new skill is gaining currency: adaptability.
Job hopping shouldn’t be viewed as a weakness, unless candidates have a history of being fired by their last employers. Then it’s a different story. But for those who move voluntarily we need to examine what this means for employers and how you can benefit from candidates with interesting stories to tell.
“Not all those who wander are lost.”
– J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of The Rings
We should also consider that job hopping, or mixing part time with freelance work, has demand and supply side causes. During the recession, millions lost their jobs. Stable careers vanished, entry level jobs were lost beyond measure, graduates were up against over 80 candidates for every one vacancy.
Self-employment and new business startups increased accordingly. Economic uncertainty pushed people down unexpected career paths.
At the same time, as Henry Farber, a Princeton economist pointed out, “employers seem to value having long-term employees less than they used to.”
Adapting To Change Being The New Normal
Candidates with atypical resumes – which don’t display a well-defined career progression (like three profiled in Fast Company) need to be good at selling their narrative and clearly stating the benefits of their experiences to potential employers.
The challenge for employers is identifying those who have wandered with purpose, which could be an asset, compared to those who are still searching for a purpose. They are more likely to leave, using your business as another hit-and-run line on the resume.
How to spot a strong job hopping candidate?
• Does their narrative make sense? When writing a story or an article there has to be a strong narrative thread. It has to hold together, from beginning to end. A candidate who has pursued a particular theme – e.g. gaining more marketing skills – is in a stronger position than someone who has armed themselves with a multitude of skills without a clear purpose. Ask them why: why they took a certain role; making sense of their reasoning can give you insight into what they ultimately want.
• Do they buy-in to your company values and vision? Unlike previous generations, millennials need to understand why they are doing something. They need to feel committed and connected to a company. Getting buy-in means understanding the best way to communicate and show them what your company is all about. Candidates who have clearly taken an interest in this before an interview, and ask questions about value and vision, should be carefully considered for vacancies.
• Clocking time isn’t as valuable as experience. Penelope Trunk, author of The Brazen Careerist says that candidates should keep their résumé age neutral; wiping specific dates off anything more than ten years old. Skilled job hoppers should be able to sell the benefits of their experiences to your business, which is why the best candidates should come armed with a strong narrative arc.
Spotting candidates with the right kind of experience for your business is key to avoiding those who only want the job as another line on their resume.
To do this you need to focus on the story, the reasons behind each career leap and whether they have the right character to fit in with your company culture and values.
Social Paul
A recruiter who knows how to convert talent by using various tactics on Social Media. Follow Paul here! If you are interested to learn more about Candarine contact us today!
