How long do I need to wait so I don't look like a job hopper?

[1984isnow]

I have been in my (LA) job for less than a year, and I am not enjoying it for various reasons. The overall area I work in is loosley related to my background, but the actual job is not what I thought it would be, and for the most part my role is not something I'm suited for. My team/structure is small so there aren't any 'sideways' moves I can make to something better suited.

The issue is, my CV makes me look flakey. In the last 5 years I left a job following redundancies, had a FTC come to an end, and then took the first job I was offered so I could just about cover bills amd not much else.That job was part time and NMW, no prospect to increase hours. I stayed there for less than a year until I was offered my current job.

So I know 4 jobs in 5 years is shit, and even though there was a 'valid' reason not just a lack of commitment, I think I will still look like a risk based on my CV, if I start applying for new jobs now.

My last few jobs have all been similar and in related industries, so on the plus point I guess you can see that I like the type of work.

I am hoping to get others perspectives (especially those involved in recruitment) on how long I will need to endure my current role, to make my employment look a bit more stable, particularly if I apply for internal/other LA roles.

Apart from the job changes, do you have useful skills?

If so, use your CV to showcase your desirable skills and how they benefited you and the organisations you worked in. I don't mean a long laundry list of tasks, but a summarised bullet point list of where your value add was, in as few words as possible.

FTC ending - valid reason, it was fixed term.
Redundancies - not your fault
Show how your NMW job to your current job was an advantageous move for you.

Ensure your qualifications, skills and experience on your CV are a reasonable match to the job role you're applying for.

That's the best you can do.

Iv done this, 4 jobs in 4 years, with sensible reasons for leaving each and I start my 5th job on Monday.

It does help that I had 7 years in one job before I think though.

The thing is, with the job I am starting, the 6-12 months of experience in the last 4 jobs actually helped, as I now have a wider range of skills and knowledge (although at a basic level) of lots of different things, all relevant to the new post. I told them in the interview, I know a little bit about a lot of things, backed it up with evidence, and was offered what I see as the perfect job for me. Although time will tell I guess, it is just a combination of the good bits of each of the last jobs.

So I wouldn't count yourself out.

Personally I think the barest of bare minimums is a year.. at least two is the more accepted level of time to have on your CV for a perm role IMHO.

Make sure you indicate fixed term contract on your CV
I know how easy it is to get in the horrible cycle of taking the wrong job then leaving to take another port in a storm

Also employers sometimes seem to think you have the pick of the market and a crystal ball, when they ask why you took x job or left y job. If only!

Well, mine is:
Current job
1 year
7 months (temporary)
1 year and 4 months
1 year (fixed term)
2 years
3 years (NHS and 2 different employers but I lump it under NHS as same job title)
2 years

Thanks for the replies.

I do believe I have useful/transferrable skills. Previous jobs were similar but varied in terms of what I did. So each job was kind of an expansion of the previous, in terms of responsibilty (even the part time job, I took on a lot more as the only manager left but was just a small business and owner made it clear he couldn't afford to pay for a manager again, even in the future).

This job, on paper is transferrable but in terms of what I actually do, I am not really developing my skills in any way. I am not even really putting my previous experience to use, just sort of existing.

But I can make it work in an interview or on CV (generic things like tight deadlines, accountability etc)

I think I can last for a year, or atleast close to before I start applying. I am still currently working from home so that makes it slightly more bearable!

I am glad there are a couple of posters in a similar position, it makes me feel a bit more hopeful!

I'm in a similar boat @1984isnow, and was active on the market before the pandemic struck.

Things are pretty grim out there right now so I've decided to stay put where I am, it helps that I am on part time furlough, and just see my job as a pay cheque. At least I am getting more time on my CV there - I was determined to leave as soon as I'd served a year but looks like it will be at least two now.

I'm just hoping I won't be too old to progress my career once the economy recovers... they are predicting a four year recovery now (eek!)

I would split your CV into sections so you have a personal statement first followed by bullet-pointed key skills and then bullet-pointed key achievements , then underneath have jobs listed with titles & dates & just a couple of lines on each to explain the job - so it doesn’t look like you’re trying to make out you changed the world in the job you did for a year or less. I would also add a line for each job “reason for leaving” so that you can state redundancy & FTC. That way if you haven’t stayed that long in the couple of jobs after that then instinctively people will recognise that you may have taken less than ideal jobs to keep employed, which is why you haven’t stayed long.

In your personal statement, make it applicable to your situation but write something along the lines of: following a period in my career where I have taken on fixed term contracts to continue to build on my breath of experience during turbulent times in the industry, I am now looking for a role where I can add value over the longer term.

Complement this statement with a paragraph in the covering letter where you specify why the company you’re applying to is somewhere you feel you would be able to add long term value - why them, what you offer etc. Research the company’s values etc so you can be specific.

Apply for jobs that you feel could be right for you in the long term, and make sure you interview them as much as they interview you. You’re in employment now so if a couple of recruiters are turned off by 4 jobs in 5 years then they won’t give you an interview and you can just keep looking.

I was in one job 2 weeks before I started looking again as it was not the job for me!! I felt embarrassed contacting recruitment agencies etc but they were fine with it. I tried to be as confident as I could be that the next one would work out but it was hard to hold out as I was just so desperate to leave!!

Good luck!

I have the opposite problem. I've been with my current employer for 17 years which I worry makes me look like I do not have enough experience and makes it glaringly obvious I'm leaving due to something happening (discrimination and bullying). I have no idea how to sell myself better either although I'm trying to highlight that I've had various roles with my current employer

@britINscotland in your situation I would highlight your different positions/roles to demonstrate breadth of experience, and settle on 1 reason you can always use, so it comes across as authentic.

For example you had quite a long commute which was eroding your work-life balance, so you decided that now is the time to make a change in your career. If you make it bland and something unrelated to the job itself, it will sound credible and it's highly unlikely you'll be quizzed about it further.