Does shifting jobs after small periods have negative effect on career [duplicate]

Question

I would first like to mention my stats -

I am working with a company for the last 6 months and I am also placed in a more reputed company, where I am supposed to join within 3 or 4 months.

Now the query that I had is, whether changing jobs after small interval is going to harm my career in the long run?

What I think is changing jobs for better career opportunities is good, but does this also put some negative effect on my resume that I had worked in 2 or 3 companies or more in small duration of time?

Do I need to stick to my first job for more months or do I grab the opportunity to work with a more reputed company for better career growth.

Edit-

I am from IT department, more precisely Java background also would like to mention the case here is from Indian community.

Answer 1

It depends. Generally when I'm hiring you, I want you to stay at least for few years. If you've been in several companies for few months, it's a warning sign. On the other hand, when I look at your resume, I want to see your career path. If you were recruited by a bigger company, it's good sign, no matter how short was your stay at the former employer. But quitting for similar company, or quitting more then 2-3 short jobs is a warnign sign.

It also depends on your previous record - are those your first jobs, or you've been several years in a company and then made some bad career moves. If this is your first job and you left it for more reputed company after less then a year, it's actually a good career move.

Answer 2

It depends a lot on the environment or even the country you work within. Basically lots of job change puts ill effects on the resume, but if these job changes are for better companies, then these could seem quite reasonable.

But take in mind that, the company hiring you would definitely be looking for some job guarantee from your side and when they saw your lots of job change, it will definitely force them to think about it.

Answer 3

Most companies today realize that many top IT Experts tend to come from a consulting background. So the number of job changes is less important than demonstrating your ability to commit and fulfill your obligations. So when consulting finish out your contracts, demonstrate an ability to execute successfully, and get good references.

The problem becomes when you want to settle down. But if you have demonstrated you are a leader in your field with a great attitude and an ability to get things done companies will go beyond the norm to land you. The trick is not to settle for something that will do, but rather hold out for something that excites you. I have found that setting for what is available leads quickly to dissatisfaction and the desire to move on. But when you find a place that gets you excited about coming to work the opposite is true.

That said companies will use your many jobs to try and cast doubt on you. But you can turn them into a positive. Working with many companies provides you with a wide range of experience and skills that do not develop easily in a homogenous workplace. Focus on making sure you are taking new skills and ideas out of each position. In a single workplace career you have managers, and HR to try and help you build your career skills. As a contractor you are responsible for doing that yourself. Avoid taking contracts that seem easy because they want you to do something you have done many times. That does not help you grow. And many times can leave you behind. As a contractor you should have the ability to get involved with new technologies and experimental projects, seize these opportunities. Being a contractor can be just another job. But if you do it right you will have to work harder and do more. But it is a path that can lead to success.

Answer 4

One or maybe two shorter (<9 months) employments on your resume early on in your career would probably be fine, if you can give a compelling motivation as to why they were short.

More than that, then yes - it will affect your future opportunities. Especially when a company is hiring for senior or leadership positions, you really don't want a vagabond that is likely to leave at the first hint of a hurdle. And that is what it's going to look like on your resume. Employers want people they can reliably invest in for the future and that means people with a track-record of hanging in there, even when the going gets tough and people that can stay on to deliver value over longer periods.

Remember, recruiting someone, inserting them into the workplace and the team and training them up is very expensive both in time, labor and money. You don't want to have to do it every 9 or 12 months.

Answer 5

Being a contractor for most of my life, I will say yes going from job to job in short bursts will hurt you. Especially if you go from a short term job like contracting and attempt to get into full time jobs later in life. Very few HR people really care to understand that contractors jump a lot, they just see short burts and ignore the rest. At least in my experiance that is what happens.

Today's day and age someone may jump from job to job if we are talking full time employment, but it normally happens between years of time at specific places. If you look like you jump from job to job in short bursts, or constantly (between 6 months and a year) it will hurt your employment opportunities.

If you are jumping from one job to another and don't make a habit of doing so later in life, this will be a blip, and some people may ask why, but in reality as long as you show longevity in the workplace you should be fine.