What is considered "job hopping?"

Sour Lemon · Aug 24, 2016

It's easier to tell you what I don't consider job-hopping:

-Moving up to a higher position with more responsibility and increased pay.

-Moving to a completely different location.

-Moving to a different specialty.

"Hopping" would be going job to job with little observable, concrete incentive ....pay and benefits are about the same, location is the same, etc. It's not so much a set length of time, IMO.

Jemama · Aug 24, 2016

I'm curious what others think too. I worked for my organization for approx 13 years prior to becoming an RN and then stayed for 3 years as an RN. In those three years I internally transferred 3 times. (Med surg to hospice to home health). I just recently left the organization all together for another home health agency. I didn't feel it was excessive but my husband who is also an RN thought it was.

OscarTheOwl · Aug 25, 2016

I've had 4 jobs in 5 years

1st job: 1 year

2nd job: 2 months (left for full time gig)

3rd job: 3 years, still prn

4th job: 6 months or so

I think I would consider myself a job hopper

Have always left for better conditions/pay. First change got a 10 dollar raise, second a 4 dollar raise, and third a 1 dollar raise and great benefits. I'm OK with it.

Husband and husbands family say things like "are you actually going to stick with one job ever in your life?" And I usually say probably not if I get better pay/incentives.

Erythropoiesis · Aug 25, 2016

Some of the highest earning RNs I know are self-proclaimed "job hoppers". I don't believe it should be viewed as a character flaw to go from one job to the other due to worthwhile offers. Most employers don't give raises and, when they do, it's hardly worth it. I'm still a student but I myself even job hop. I'll stay at one job for around 10 months usually and then hop myself to the next employer who has offered me more pay, more perks, and more flexibility. I love my job right now and I'm paid well. If I'd have stayed with my other employer I'd probably still be making the same puny rate of pay.

klone, MSN, RN · Aug 25, 2016

My resume looks a bit job hoppy to me, something I'm sensitive to/of. I've worked for three different facilities in the past 6 years (15 months, 2 years, and 3+ years, respectively). It has come up a few times in interviews, but has not prevented me from being offered the position. It has also afforded me greater salary each time, as well as different experiences that have made me a valuable and well-rounded candidate.

But yes, it's not something I'm happy with. I have what a friend of mine calls "Restless Life Syndrome". I can't promise ANYONE that I won't want to move on or up after 2-3 years at a job.

elkpark · Aug 25, 2016

Some of the highest earning RNs I know are self-proclaimed "job hoppers". I don't believe it should be viewed as a character flaw to go from one job to the other due to worthwhile offers.

You may not believe it should be viewed negatively, but most employers do.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Aug 25, 2016

It depends on why you are leaving jobs. If it's with well respected employers, you may look that way. It costs a company a lot of money to train a new employee. That's why it is viewed negatively.

Generally, it's leaving multiple employers in under a year. That one year is the golden time marker it seems for everything.

I went through a period period on my life where I job hopped. I couldn't figure out exactly what I want to do. But I had a couple of employers that i stayed with for over 5 years which helps me clean up my resume.

If i ever decide I want to leave my employer, it won't be until I have a solid 3 years in. I think that would be a good time frame.

AutumnApple · Aug 25, 2016

Job hopping has little to do with time, a lot to do with motive.

Understand too that the views on this practice are heavily influenced by the very institutions who can't get their employee retention where they want it.

If being labeled a job hopper concerns you (I personally wouldn't care), learning how to feel out jobs before accepting them is of great benefit. Often we leap into positions with our head in the sky expecting everything to be heavenly. Then after a few months, we find out we are not where we thought we were going. Sometimes we even discover we fell into a new pocket of hell.

At this point, you would obviously be looking to go elsewhere. But this puts another short term employment niche on the resume!

So, the problem as a whole could have been avoided by identifying the workplace for what it is before accepting the position.

Never let anyone make you feel like you should stay in a bad place just to avoid the job hopper label. I've seen people do this and they get frustrated, do things they regret more than looking like a job hopper.

We as nurses are given little say in things by big corporations. The most powerful way we can make ourselves be heard is by voting with our feet. So, if your feet feel like walking, do so, in a professional manner.

But enter your next position with eyes wide open.

ottersloveoysters · Aug 25, 2016

To some extent I agree with the other posters that said it's more about motive, than time. If you are working PT but after 5 months have an offer elsewhere for a FT gig, it makes sense to leave. If after 6 months at a job you discover this is not the specialty for you, it makes sense to change. However, if you need a story to explain job after job change on your resume, things might be fishy. I interview nurses and other employees at my current job. If there are employment gaps on the resume without an explanation (in school; caring for a sick relative, whatever) or the candidate has never stayed at any job for at least a year we shy away from that candidate. I also think that it is a good thing to hone your skills in an area and that takes more than a few months to do.

Caffeine_IV · Aug 25, 2016

In general I think moving on before a year would be hopping BUT whether it has a negative impact lies with your future employers.

If you have the right set of skills and experience, it tends not to matter.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 25, 2016

I am a certified job hopper. My first RN job (at a SNF) isn't listed on my resume and I didn't even stay long enough to earn a paycheck. My second RN job (med-surg adult)I stayed full-time for eight months before going to prn status (which I still am almost six months later). Now I am on my third nursing job in a level three NICU. Today marks my seventh month anniversary. I plan to stay for another eight or so months before moving onto a NICU with better benefits.

Job hoppers understand the game. Employers don't care about you so why be loyal to them?