YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
EXPERIENCED DARREN BUCHANAN MANAGING DIRECTOR, HAYS QUEENSLAND
In the long term it will not come back to bite them, provided they go on to demonstrate stability and commitment to their current and future employers. Many young people change jobs regularly. When it comes time to make their next move, your son/daughter could include in their CV a career goal that expresses their wish to develop a long-term career in their current field. Many people today also work in temporary or contract roles and employers understand these roles are short term.
MID-CAREER ANDREA DAVEY CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, EMPLOYMENT OFFICE
No, not at all. Job-hopping among millennials in the workplace is becoming increasingly common, with a number of reports showing that the average millennial chooses to change jobs every two years. Often a millennial will move to a new role because they saw a stronger career path or bigger opportunity with the new organisation. Most Australian employers no longer view job-hopping as a red flag on a candidate’s application, this is expected behaviour of digital natives.
UP & COMING JULIE FORD SENIOR EXECUTIVE CONSULTANT, McARTHUR
The question should be what is their ultimate goal? Does your young adult have a goal and changing jobs is part of the overall strategy to gain broader experience or are they without a purpose and hopping from one job to the next with no thought for the future? It’s generational, with recent studies showing more than 26 per cent of millennials believe they should only wait one year or less before looking for another role. An important point is to make it clear in applications why they have changed jobs.
THE EXPERT DR NERIDA HILLBERG DIRECTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, FERRIS MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
Job-hopping is very common in this demographic. Your child’s sporadic work history won’t be unique. However, our clients look unfavourably on jobhopping because the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. If you job-hopped into their organisation, they have every right to be concerned you’ll job-hop out again. I recommend devoting two to three years with the one employer as evidence of commitment and loyalty. Otherwise you risk being labelled as too high-risk.