Job hopping, or the act of consistently leaving numerous jobs after short periods of time, is typically frowned upon in the working sphere. If a hiring manager or recruiter notices that a candidate is a “job hopper,” they take it as a sign that he or she is either pursuing the wrong career, or has a poor decision-making process when it comes to finding employment.  It can reflect a lack of commitment, staying power and seeing things through to the end.

But there are other factors that contribute to a person being a “job hopper” that go beyond his or her control. Just a note, job hopping does not include contract jobs or freelance-based work. It also does not refer to cases in which a company folds, or in which a person declines to relocate when their company moves to another place. But it DOES refer to voluntarily leaving a job—for reasons that vary. For instance, many jobs turn out not to be what they were portrayed during the interview process, causing employees to quickly depart. In other cases, employees get laid off not because of their work ethic or productivity, but because of high salaries that force the company into money-saving moves. Sometimes, there just isn’t enough work to keep the employee busy, in which case their tenure is not extended beyond their contract.  More...