Over a year into his pandemic work as a paralegal, Lorenz Gonzalo is again planning to resign from his job -- the fifth he's held at age 28, this time, for a new venture.
Gonzalo has worked in the academe, in the corporate world, and is currently in the legal industry. Never mind being labeled as a job-hopper. For him, leaving one job for another is not his choice, attributing his decisions to "uncontrolled circumstances."
"There’s always this feeling that I can do more. I can have more. I can earn more," he told reportr. "I can't find my passion in one field."
While some view job-hopping as a lack of commitment, for the likes of Gonzalo, the move is a way to have more control over one's career path.
"It benefited my career in terms of the people I’m constantly meeting and the tasks being assigned to me...It helped me be a more people-centric player in the corporate field," he said.
Millennial and Gen Z employees have shown more interest in switching jobs at a faster rate to advance their career than any other generation.
Some 52% of millennials and Gen Zs said they are "extremely likely" to consider a job change in the coming year, with the younger generation switching jobs at a higher rate of 134% compared to the pre-pandemic year 2019 according to LinkedIn data.
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While there are different views about job-hopping, the move offers both advantages and disadvantages to one's life and career according to life coach and psychologist Beverly Denice Ongson of professional consulting firm Dear Future Self PH.
"If you’re hopping between career shifts, then don’t be hindered by what you have started already. You can be bold but not impulsive when it comes to gearing your direction. Do not settle, and the earliest time to shift is now," Ongson told reportr in an email interview.
When is job-hopping okay?
Dear Future Self PH listed down the following reasons when job-hopping is okay and not for one's life and career.
Okay
- If you feel stagnant in your current job with no growth already
- If you feel that you're already too good for your current company and you want to look for more challenges to reach your potential
- If you feel that changing careers can be a good avenue to level up your position or salary rang
- If your previous work environment was not good for your mental health as it became uncontrollable
Not Okay
- If you're chronic job-hopping with no professional, financial, or personal developments
- If you transfer jobs every time you make a mistake or have a bad relationship with your colleagues
- If you still can’t decide what direction to go despite various explorations and numerous trial-and-error.
READ:
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How can job-hopping benefit, damage my career?
Job-hopping can both benefit and damage a person's career that's why it's necessary to thoroughly think about the move first before making any drastic changes.
Here are ways that job-hopping can benefit and damage your career according to Ongson:
How can it benefit?
- A fresh, new work environment with new people in a new place
- A new learning ground
- Professional growth and gathering of experiences
- Another chance to start a new leaf with a clean slate
- An opportunity to discover personal strengths, weaknesses, preferences
How can it damage?
- Your commitment and loyalty may be questioned
- You may be viewed as flaky and impulsive
- You may find job-hopping as an "easy way out" to escape challenges instead of facing them
- You may begin to question your life choices
- Your self-esteem and confidence can be damaged
- You might keep job-hopping to go with the flow or out of peer pressure
What should I consider before job-hopping?
If you're planning to quit your current job to transfer to another one, it's important to consider first what you want to achieve with job-hopping in the long run.
"Take a pause and go deeper into what you want or need to achieve. Set long-term goals with timelines," Ongson said.
Consider also the possibility that contentment in your career is not solely dependent on your full-time job and that you can have hobbies or sidelines, the professional consulting firm added.
And for those who want to transfer jobs but are too afraid to do so, here's a piece of advice from Ongson: "Job-hopping is okay rather than sulking with regrets. Just be cautious of why you’re doing it and look if it will benefit or damage your life."
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