Job-hopping isn't a dirty word it used to be, but employers still prefer to see some stability in potential hires. What if you really hate your current job? Or love it? Career Central looks at the 'right' time to stay or go.

By Joshua Rayan

“Should I cool it or should I blow?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble.
And if I stay it will be double.”

The Clash’s 1982 hit Should I Stay or Should I Go captures the confusion not only of a lover, but of employees. Things have changed from the days when an employee was valued for being a ‘solid company man’ (or woman) and a long-service award is a universal badge of glory. Employers are moving away from wanting only loyalty and longevity, to also valuing exposure and diversity in experience.

So how long should you stay at a job you hate – or love? We hear a lot of encouraging words about “sticking it out” and persevering at a job that doesn’t excite you. What today’s experts say, though, is that you shouldn’t cling to the security blanket of a job you love.

The Jeopardy of Job-hopping
First, let’s cover the basics of why job-hopping is risky. A CV with a clear pattern of job-hopping sets off an employer’s alarm bells. Nobody wants to pour money into somebody who won’t stick around after barely completing the learning curve.

It’s understandable to go through some job changes when you’re not sure what you want. Still, while a certain (limited) amount of soul-searching is forgivable, inability to focus or commit is another matter. There may also be suspicions that you left because you didn’t perform, or did something wrong.

But Don’t Become Office Furniture
On the other hand, there is such a thing as overstaying. Unless you hope to spend your entire career with one company (and even then, you may find key promotions going to outsiders with more exposure), it’s good to know what’s out there.

Three to five years is a good yardstick, says management consultant Tan Kwang How, 58, of O D Management Consultants. “Less than three years in one job, and you haven’t really learned enough. If you stay more than five years, you risk stagnating.”

When a candidate has been at one job or even one company for a long time, employers may wonder if he isn’t interested in moving out of his comfort zone and expanding his skills aggressively enough. Or they may worry that after eight to 10 years in one company, he won’t be able to adapt to a new one.

Of course, your age, industry and profession make a difference in how others view your track record, adds Kwang How. “Employers tend to prefer longer track records in service-sector areas such as finance or accounting, but it’s different for dynamic industries like IT.”

In fact, he says, a common saying among technology workers is that, “If you don’t move, you won’t learn”.

Movin’ On Up
Age makes a difference, Kwang How says, as employers are a little more understanding of fresh graduates needing to find themselves. “When you first graduate, you’re still figuring out what you want, and you might spend six months or a year in your first couple of jobs. However, you should stabilise quickly, within a couple of years.”

After that, he says, career moves should start showing progress, in terms of seniority, responsibilities, or self-improvement.

Marina Tan, 31, agrees. The former reporter’s career path spanned different industries before she found her niche working with children. Still, she was able to show cohesiveness and progress in the kind of responsibilities she held.

“I started out writing for three years, and then moved on editing and communication-type positions,” she says. Her tenures ranged from several months to three years, with the shortest stints taking place during the volatile dotcom era.

“For my shortest stint, two months, I usually just leave it out from my CV,” she says, adding that she’s known people who left a job after two weeks, realising very quickly that the job, company or industry was not for them.

Following a year long stint at an non govermental organisation, Marina made a conscious effort to stabilise her CV. Her next job at a human resource consultancy firm lasted more than three years, during which she also pursued a part-time MBA.

Aside from career progress, advises Marina, you should learn enough to put your experience in context. “Open your eyes and don’t react emotionally. If you have to leave a job, make sure you’ve been honest with yourself about why, and you’re moving into the new job with your eyes open.”

Searching My Soul
Many employers forgive soul-searching – as long as it was in the past, and you can show that you’ve learned from your experiences and you’re now clear about what you want, that is to pursue a career with them. However, they do worry (and so should you) that job-hopping signals an inability to focus or commit to a job or career, or to accept responsibility and growth.

How do you counter this perception and reality? Do some honest self-assessment of your interests, skills and values. Then do your homework on the jobs and employers you’re interested in. Set clear career goals and don’t get distracted for petty reasons, such as small jumps in pay, or fads of ‘sexy’ industries to be in.

See you on the way up!

Oops, I’ve Understayed My Welcome!

Short stints on your CV may not kill your chances of landing your dream job. Still, you need to be able to explain why you hopped so much, and help prospective employers focus on your positive attributes.

• Show that your experiences have equipped you well.
Is versatility needed in the job you’re applying for?
Was there career progression, or a skill that you
honed to a higher level in each job?
• Include a reference from one of the ex-employers
you worked only a short time with. This will show that
you parted on good terms and you were valued as an
employee, even though the stint was short.
• Give ‘good’ reasons like “offered a better position,”
“no room for advancement,” or “company/facility
closing”.
• Do your homework and wow your prospective
employers with what you know about their industry,
their company and how they do business. Complete
and extensive preparation can help keep them
focused on your skills.

Don’t say :
• That you moved purely for the money.
• That you left because your terrible ex-boss, or
anything else negative about your former company. If
there’s a pattern, the finger will point at you, not
your ex-bosses. Besides, b****ing about your ex-
employer will only make prospective employers think
that if anything goes wrong here, you’d do the same
to them too.
• That you were just trying to learn as much as you
could. Employers want people who want to
contribute, not just take.