It’s common for people to have a few jobs early on in their marketing career as they get their footing and etch their niche in the industry – especially millennials.
It’s no secret that millennials are willing to move from job to job at the beginning of their careers. They are not content with staying in the same position long term and are more willing to roll the dice and make things happen.
Millennials Are Perennial Job Hoppers – But Is This Good for Their Marketing Careers?
According to a Gallup report, 60% of millennials are open to new job opportunities and 21% say they have changed jobs within the last year – which is three times higher than non-millennials.
However, this willingness to job hop early on in their career could actually be doing millennials and other marketing professionals more harm than good says Sharon Napier, CEO of Partners + Napier:
“Don’t go for a pit stop, because you’ve got to go and learn,” Napier says to CNBC. “You’ve got to be committed.”
“Like I tell my kids now, do not go anywhere unless you think you’re going to stay for three years and be all in.”
“If life creates opportunities, take them,” she says. “But I just hate this transient [mentality], ‘I’m gonna go for a few months or a year and I’m going to take the next job that’s going to make me $10,000 more.”
The Repercussions of Job Hopping
Having diverse marketing experience is important, but not at the expense of being labeled a job hopper by recruiters and hiring managers. It could hurt your chances of getting hired by companies looking for a long-term solution.
Even though 55% of companies have hired a job-hopper in the past, an increasing number of people consider job hopping (62%) as damaging to long-term career goals.
Repercussions of job hopping include:
- Not establishing an area of specialization
- Lack of training
- Failure to build up seniority
- A lack of loyalty and reliability (in the eyes of employers)
- No job security
- Burning bridges and failure to establish a strong professional network
While it’s exciting to chase new opportunities, when considering a new marketing job or opportunity, you need to weigh the pros and cons of making a move. While an increase in pay, a new role, a new title, and other things are attractive, you also need to think long term before you decide to make a career move.
Get More Marketing Career Advice
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