AU
Last week
we told you how to structure your CV if you’re a serial job hopper. Today we take you into the interview room.
If you end up getting an interview despite your job-hopping career, you should obviously expect a good grilling. The firm you want to join will have understandable concerns that you might be disloyal, unstable and get quickly bored.
“To counter these, explain how you have a great depth of skills and experience and how these are a perfect match for the role. If you focus on your achievements and what you can offer, a potential employer will see your value, which can help offset their concerns,” advises Jane McNeill, senior regional director, Hays Banking.
Make sure you can justify each of your individual moves to the interviewer in a way that won’t hurt your candidacy.
There are certain reasons an interviewing firm might consider legitimate for a job change, including those which were out of your control, such as operations moving to a new location, or a function being absorbed elsewhere in the business, says McNeill.
Dissatisfaction with organisational culture is becoming a more acceptable excuse, although remember to research your new potential employer and explain how its culture is different, says Beth Williams, Manpower client relationship manager.
A thirst for very rapid career growth is generally not viewed favourably. But, says Kevin Jarvis, NSW director of Robert Half, a desire to “gain broader experience” might well be.
The danger of the dollar
Never state money as the only reason for leaving a role. At most, mention it as a contributing factor and demonstrate that in the previous role there was no room for salary negotiations for the foreseeable future.
“Financial motivations are still very difficult to explain, particularly coming out of the financial crisis when most companies are not in a position to raise salary levels or pay significant bonuses,” says Williams.
The “felt like a change” excuse won’t cut it anymore either, she adds. “But if you can demonstrate valid career opportunities and significant differences in each new role, there should be no cause for concern when trying to explain several job movements.”
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What a comlete load of rubbish. Do employers really expect loyalty given what they’ve done to people during the GFC???
I mean think about it seriously.
When the first sign of trouble comes what happens? They lay off people when it WAS THEIR FAULT THEIR COMPANIES WENT OUT OF BUSINESS, their fault that they did not see it coming.
Then management pay themselves huge pay packets while there are all these layed off skilled workers out there.
Then when those who were laid off try to re-enter the employment market they get looked down upon because they’ve ‘been out of the work force for too long’.
And then finally when they do come back into the workforce they’re told to stay put and be ‘loyal’??
What hypocrisy.
There are plenty more reasons other than the above.
Complete and utter rubbish. You’re completely out of touch with reality.
Loyalty cuts both ways, and don’t be surprised if a raid happens on your company a la RBS-Nomura.
You get what you give.
Any recommendations as to how to structure responses when it comes to layoffs? I’ve been laid off 4 times in the past 10 yrs all due to company downsizing, reorganizing, etc. So none of it was my fault but companies don’t want to hear simply ” I was laid off.”
Just a note on pay:
I am yet to come across a company with a transparent remuneration or succession planning process, and pay varies wildly within the same grade band. I suffered under this until i hopped around a bit and dramatically upped (doubled) my salary and my prospects. I got tired of receiving awards and letters of congratulations, and the excuse that my starting salary with a company was a valid reason for not getting what i deserved. I am a top performer and expect to be rewarded accordingly – therefore will not hesitate to make another move, as soon i I even sense that my pay is not in step with my work.
As far as I am concerned, within reason of course, a company shows how valuable to them by how much they pay you. Simple.
I am in recruitment (internal now) and there is lot of people who have hoped skiped and jumped particularly over the last 5 or so years. I suggest that you dont do it too offten at least stay in a place for 18 months, ofcouse this is easier said then done and i am looking to leave my current employer half way through my 12 month contract. Main reason is money as i know i am underpaid for the work i do.
My current employer has very high turnover of satff so i can easly explain my leaving.
anyways just make sure you can get a good reference if you are hoping from a job to a job