In today’s competitive job market, applicants usually face a decision: should they stay loyal to a single business and build their career over time, or should they embrace more rapid package growth by transferring regularly when the opportunity arises?
This subject has ignited intense debate on social media, with many claiming that the era of devotion to a single company has passed, and it’s now everyone for themselves in the business world.
However, it is not that straightforward, and both employers and applicants must consider many criteria when dealing with jumpy resumes, according to a leadership expert.
“Moving to a new role in a new company often comes with a financial boost. Negotiating a competitive package becomes easier when you’re in demand, and the allure of exponential financial gains can be hard to resist,” said Africa MD at Jack Hammer, Advaita Naidoo.
“But while job hopping may seem advantageous initially, there’s a tipping point, and you can soon find that too many frequent moves have made you un-hireable, and unattractive for the important roles. Essentially, after too many short-lived tenures, you could find yourself running out of road.”
She said that moving to a new job at a new firm typically results in a salary increase.
Negotiating a competitive deal gets simpler when you’re in demand, and the attraction of exponential cash increases might be difficult to pass up.
However, while job hopping may appear helpful at first, there is a tipping point at which you may discover that too many frequent changes have rendered you un-hireable and undesirable for key positions. Simply said, if you have too many short-lived tenures, you may run out of road.
Lizwi Dweku, 28, from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal disagrees with this idea. Dweku who works in finance said he changes jobs at least two times a year.
“Being loyal to a company is archaic at this point. I am not going to be foolish and pass over great opportunities just because of the company I work for. My loyalty lies with whoever lines my pockets the best,” he said.
Naidoo went on to say that it is absolutely reasonable that in our current economic situation, people would want to select financially favourable choices whenever they present themselves, but doing so without examining the wider picture is not an ideal and probably not a sustainable long-term career plan.
One of the biggest worries an organisation might have about recruiting a candidate with a CV that shows too many movements from one employer to another is the cost of on-boarding.
“Companies invest significant time and resources in searching, signing and on-boarding new hires. When a candidate has a history of quick departures, employers will rightly be concerned about whether their investment in a candidate will ultimately be futile if the chances are good that the employee may leave after a short stint,” said Naidoo.
IOL
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