Should You Ignore Job Hoppers?

(Original post date 9/6/11, updated 3/11/15)

For many recruiters, the knee-jerk reaction to the question of whether or not job hoppers should be overlooked is a resounding “Yes!” After all, your clients don’t want to pay you good money to place a candidate, only to have to do it all over again in a few months. But you might want to think twice before uniformly rejecting resumes that show a pattern of frequent job switching.

As De Lara mentions in her article, “In Defense of Recruiting the Job Hopper,”  relying too heavily on a candidate’s resume dates to determine whether they are qualified for a position is often a big mistake. Job hopping can actually be the sign of a high performer who thrives on challenge and is easily bored. Although these workers may not stay for a long period of time, their potential contribution could be bigger than that of a long-tenured employee who is “boxed in a comfort zone.” Rather than simply passing them over based on their resume timelines, consider giving them a chance to explain their job-hopping ways.

Times have changed. As one recruiter pointed out, “The reality [is] that with this and previous recessions, and with this slowest of all time recovery, really good people are under-employed or holding on to leaky lifeboat positions for survival.” People have had to do whatever it takes to get through the recession, including switching jobs frequently. For this reason and others, you are going to find fewer and fewer people who have spent long portions of their career with one company. Still, it’s understandable that you might shy away from job-hopping candidates for your direct placements. They are, however, perfect contract candidates for the following reasons:

• Contract assignments will give them the constant challenge they crave.
• They are quick learners who are undaunted by new, demanding situations.
• They can make an immediate impact by working on critical deadlines and projects.
• They can pad their resumes with a wealth of knowledge, skills, and references.
• They may be able to bring a competitive advantage to the table that another candidate could not provide.

So before you overlook a candidate for switching jobs too many times, consider how this perceived weakness could actually be an asset for your clients.