7 Ways Job Hopping Can Boost Your Career

Let me start by saying this: Job hopping is absolutely worth it and will not ruin your career or reputation. It’s time you ditch this outdated mindset that is holding you back from achieving your professional goals. 

I’m speaking from experience. When I worked for corporate America, I made it a point to change jobs as often as I could (when I wasn’t pushed out or fired) and purposely used companies to help me progress in my career. I have never been employed by a company for longer than two years — and my career has taken off as a result. 

Now, I’m the CEO and founder of a successful PR and media company. My current and past clients don’t care if I switched jobs or not. In fact, most of them encouraged this pursuit as I chased my dream of working for myself. 

Job hopping is gaining popularity, especially among Millennials and Gen Z. Tenure is becoming a thing of the past and not as advantageous as it once was. If anything, it might be the reason your career is stagnating. Below are seven reasons you should do more job hopping and always be on the lookout for the next big thing. 

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You’ll Make More Money

Anyone who says that money at work doesn’t matter is lying. Every single job I held I made sure that I always made more than what I was previously making. My salary had to increase. Otherwise, what’s the point of dedicating the majority of your time to a company that isn’t even yours? 

If you live in expensive markets like I do, then this becomes an even bigger priority. You know what doesn’t matter? Titles. But your income does. When you change jobs, often you have a better chance of getting higher pay elsewhere. And if your current company counters with an offer, deny it. Nothing about your role will change and face it — they’re only making the offer because you’re opting to leave.

You Become Super Flexible

When you job hop, you constantly have to learn more skills, meet and work with new people and get used to new ways of doing things. That makes you more flexible than your peers who stay at the same company for years and it also gives you the ability to handle pretty much anything work throws your way.

This also teaches you to never be too comfortable in your position at a company, something that can be gone at any second when you think about it. This is an important skill to develop so that you are adaptable to all of the mayhem work throws your way. 

You’ll Expand Your Skills 

When I was working for corporate America, my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t be able to develop new skills because I spent so much time jumping through hoops to get things done. And, working for insecure managers, my skills couldn’t really shine.

This was probably the main reason I have constantly rotated jobs. I’ve worked for the top tech PR agencies in the world, and in-house at some of the biggest startups. I applied the experience and what I learned from each organization to my own career. It’s also worth noting that when you job hop, you also get a feel for what competitors are doing and how they operate, which only makes you more versatile.

Your Network Expands

If I were given the choice to job hop all over again, I would do it without hesitation because of the way it grew my network. All of my current and past clients have come from those I have met and worked with from job hopping. Which is a reminder that possessing incredible talent and an in-demand skill set will get you everywhere you need to be and in the room with key decision makers. 

You Get Great at Interviewing

I’ve worked for tons of companies and one of the main takeaways was that I mastered the art of interviewing. I have gone through intense interviews (or grillings, the way I see it), some lasting eight rounds and more, speaking to different execs and departments all within one company — all for one role. I’ve gotten hired even when there were thousands of applicants gunning for the same position as me. Job hopping helped me perfect my elevator pitch, refine how I summarized my resume and most importantly,  ask the right questions. 

You Learn That Work Is Just Work

Let me repeat: your job is just a job, nothing more. When you job hop, you take a lot of the pressure off yourself and recognize that the company that employs you and your role with them is temporary. Nothing lasts forever and until you accept this, you won’t find job hopping fun and enjoyable. 

I always knew that I would find something better each time I left a position. This outlook makes it easier to let things roll off your shoulders when you do decide it’s time to move on. Work is stressful enough already. Don’t add any extra to your life when it’s absolutely not worth it building someone else’s dream. 

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You Feel Free

Job hopping brings a sense of freedom and liberation that you will not experience if you stay at the same company for years. A lot of employees feel stuck in their careers and that’s because they aren’t growing in the role they’ve held, satisfied with minor promotions and raises as time goes by.

Don’t hinder your career by relying on a company that will lay you off in a heartbeat. Start to shift your focus to you and do what’s right for you. If it no longer is profiting or benefiting you, it’s time to leave. Job hopping can help you discover this. 

Sure, job hopping can be intimidating and even exhausting sometimes. But it’s one of the fastest and most efficient ways you can advance your career and position in the industry. Whether you want to climb the corporate ladder or start your own business like I did, bouncing around is never boring or dull, and will only lead you on a more fruitful career path.