Too many jobs on your resume?

CAMMIERN · Apr 20, 2004

hello cricket, i have about 7 diff places ive worked since 1997, i worked as a cna, ma, phlebotomy, and lpn, i have 4 med. degrees and some ppl like the varoety on my resume, others dont, i also have alot of skills and experience, i guess its all about whos looking t it and what they think, as long as you have good refernces from them, it shouldnt matter.

llg, PhD, RN · Apr 20, 2004

It depends on a lot of things.

For example ... If you stay at these jobs long enough to get through their orientation programs, but leave soon after finishing orientation, it can look bad. It can look as though you are taking advantage of the free education and then not staying long enough to be worth the emmployer's investment in you. If you are applying for a job that will require that your new employer invest in a substantial orientation for you, that history may make them hesitate.

On the other hand, if you are applying for a job for which you already have the skills and will need only a minimal orientation, your "job hopping" history probably won't matter as much becuase the employer is looking for someone who can jump in right away and is not planning to invest a lot in your training.

Also, does the job hopping so a reasonable pattern or progression. For example, going from general med/surg floor to an ICU at the same hospital can appear as though you were deemed sufficiently skilled to progress to a higher level of acuity. In fact, any transfers within the same hospital tend to look better on a resume than moving from institution to institution. One assumes that in an in-house transfer, the Nurse Managers talked to each other to assure that you were an OK employee before the new unit hired you.

These are just a few examples. In general, a few job changes are routine ... but more than 2 or 3 in a 5-year period raises red flags to someone reviewing your record to possibly hire you. If you have several job changes, be prepared to explain them in such a way that will reassure your potential employer that you will stay long enough in the new job to be worth whatever they will be investing in you.

llg

Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN · Apr 20, 2004

It depends on a lot of things.
For example ... If you stay at these jobs long enough to get through their orientation programs, but leave soon after finishing orientation, it can look bad. It can look as though you are taking advantage of the free education and then not staying long enough to be worth the emmployer's investment in you. If you are applying for a job that will require that your new employer invest in a substantial orientation for you, that history may make them hesitate...
Also, does the job hopping so a reasonable pattern or progression. For example, going from general med/surg floor to an ICU at the same hospital can appear as though you were deemed sufficiently skilled to progress to a higher level of acuity. In fact, any transfers within the same hospital tend to look better on a resume than moving from institution to institution. One assumes that in an in-house transfer, the Nurse Managers talked to each other to assure that you were an OK employee before the new unit hired you.
These are just a few examples. In general, a few job changes are routine ... but more than 2 or 3 in a 5-year period raises red flags to someone reviewing your record to possibly hire you. If you have several job changes, be prepared to explain them in such a way that will reassure your potential employer that you will stay long enough in the new job to be worth whatever they will be investing in you.
llg

Agree with the above.

Trauma Columnist · Apr 20, 2004

I think the above poster gave a good reason and justification to the question. I've been a nurse for 10 years and have worked at two institutions in two different states, but have been with this employer for 8 years - just changed units in Jan 04.

elkpark · Apr 20, 2004

I've always heard that you should either leave a job v. early on (within the first six months) or stay at least two years, to avoid looking like an undependable employment candidate. If you leave early, you can always explain that you figured out early on that the job was not right for you, and you cut both your and the facility's losses. If you stay at least two years, you have shown that you can stick to something and are not "flighty."

That said, I have a long CV of many jobs, most of which I stayed just a little over two years. There is only one time in my career that I believe I didn't get a job because of what the interviewing supervisor perceived as my "job-hopping." Usually I am considered to have a wide variety of experience in a wide variety of settings, which is a GOOD thing! If needed, I can account for the good reasons why I left each of the previous jobs -- it's not just that I get bored and want a change ... :chuckle

One of the advantages of nursing as a career is the job flexibility --

nursecrickett · Apr 20, 2004

It sure looks like the concensus is pretty even.

Yikes!

Crickett