In a study released by Evolv, over 100,000 call center employees were asked about their employment history and their current tenure. The results could change how recruiters look at your rocky employment past. Recruiters try to screen out “job hoppers;” that is, employees who seem to perpetually change jobs. For companies, this type of employee is very expensive, given the recruiting costs, training, and opportunity costs. Some say a job hopper who leaves before six months can cost an organization one and a half times the employee’s annual salary. The assumption is that if your resume shows a long list of companies, with some jobs lasting six months or less, then you are a job hopper and will, therefore, leave all of your future jobs at the same frequency. Evolv’s study completely invalidates the flaky job history fallacy. Respondents were put into one of five categories when asked how many jobs they’d had for less than six months — job hopper behavior. Options were zero jobs held for less than six months, one job held for less than six month, all the way up to more than six jobs held for less than six months. Next, the study looked at the number of jobs each of these categories of employee had held in the last five years. Will the job hopper hold more jobs during the same time period than the non-job hopper? In other words, will job hopping behavior predict how long someone stays at a job? Most recruiters make this very assumption. However, the results show that non-job hoppers and job hoppers have held about the same number of jobs over the last five years, and, therefore, job hopping is not an accurate predictor of future job stability. In a chart, each color category of employee follows the same curve. This curve shows there is almost no difference in employment outcome among employees who have held short-term jobs in the past. In fact, the study found that there is just eleven days’ difference between those who have never left a job before six months and those who have. So, recruiters who see a steady resume and assume the candidate will stay for a predictable length of time are statistically incorrect. Likewise, if you have had to leave a job before six months, or have held many jobs in the last five years, don’t feel too bad. Your future jobs may fare much better for you. The challenge for you, if you’ve been a job hopper, is convincing your interviewer that hiring you involves little risk. Perhaps you can impress them with your cleverness by referencing this study when asked, “So tell me, why have you changed jobs so frequently?” Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Everyone has heard of New Year's resolutions. You know, those promises we make to ourselves about things we'll do better in the year ahead. Sometimes these resolutions work, while other times we end up with gym memberships we never use! But have you ever heard of a career resolution? It's actually the same thing as a New Year's resolution, only career-focused.
However, with something as important as a career, you don't want to break these resolutions. That's why it's important to keep these goals manageable.
Here are four simple career resolutions that are easy to stick to and achieve.
Be Self-Aware Of Where You Stand In Your Career
BigstockBeing honest and self-aware of where you are in your career is the most important step in making strong career resolutions. If your career is going nowhere and you're unhappy, then it may be time to consider a career change, which will take you down a different path entirely.
But if you're happy and in good standing with your career, it's a lot easier to set goals for the year and build out a long-term career plan.
Find A Way To Grow Your Career
BigstockCareer growth is a very broad spectrum that means something different to everyone. It could be something as simple as improving on a weakness or building on a strength. It could also be learning a new skill or taking on additional responsibilities at work.
On a larger level, it could be seeking a promotion or moving into a leadership role.
Whatever the goal is, make sure it includes growing professionally. The worst thing you can do is stay the same! If you're not growing your career, you're dying—and becoming a lot less valuable to your employer. There are always ways to upskill!
Better Serve Your Professional Network
With current colleagues, former colleagues, and other professional acquaintances, you've probably built a solid professional network through the years. A strong professional network can come in handy if you lose your job or are looking to make a career change. However, you shouldn't just rely on your network when you're in need!
It's important to find ways to offer value to your network. This could include checking in with members of your network from time to time. Exchange messages on LinkedIn to see how they're doing or share relevant content of interest. If you can help someone in your network going through a career challenge, you should!
Maintaining a strong professional network is like an investment. If you want it to pay off, you have to put some time into it and be consistent.
Take Care Of Yourself
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Working on your career is hard work! It's okay to be selfish sometimes. Whether you're working to grow your career or looking for a new job, it's important to find balance.
Your family and health always come first, so make sure your career goals don't interfere with that. If you want to set aside time during the week to work on your career that's fine, but don't miss important family events or milestones.
Don't let your career goals get in the way of your health goals. Go to the gym, take a walk, or go for a jog. Balance is key to maintaining healthy career and life goals. Sometimes you just need to adjust that balance as you go.
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.