How Much is Too Much Movement in My Career?

Reviewing applications is a recruiters’ daily task. According to studies and anecdotal evidence, the average time hiring managers take to review a resume is six seconds. That’s an incredibly short amount of time for you to shine, so making sure you stand out can be a challenge.

Suppose you have been in a position for 6 months and don’t enjoy it, what do you do? There are many resumes I have reviewed throughout my career where people have been in multiple positions within one year; a recent applicant had more than 5 permanent positions within 12 months! The risk of not being selected for the next stage in a recruitment process due to having multiple employers within a short period of time, can be a big factor. Lots of employer movement on your resume maybe perceived as a lack of commitment, dedication, poor decision making and most importantly for prospective hiring managers, no return on their investment.

So you’ve ended up in a role you don’t like and want to leave. What should you do? First of all, let’s go back to the initial interview. Did you find out everything you needed to about this position? Did you identify what was important to you? Did you ask “what tasks are important in this role” and did you find out what their plans were for the future? If the answer to these questions is NO, then please keep reading!

When you start your new role, make sure you plan your day, failing to plan means you’re planning to fail. Give it your all and you may change your mind. Have an adaptable mind. I see a lot of people who don’t have the patience to give things a chance anymore, which results in a reduction of self-achievements. With persistence and hard work, you can make a change with your employer. Not only you will feel a sense of accomplishment and reward, you will have gained so much experience and knowledge.

So how much movement is too much? If you have moved from 5 positions within a year, I would strongly suggest you take my advice. Movement can be a positive change when you have had progression and promotion in your career. You will gain a lot more respect from an employer when you have given your all for 12 – 18 months in a tough role.