Career Corner - Job Jumping

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

"One thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize." (Philippians 3:13-14)

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." (Romans 12:6)

"I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future."
(Jeremiah 29:11)

Job Jumping

If you have been caught up in downsizing or outsourcing, believe me when I say you are not alone.

You should address each situation with confidence, and be truthful about surrounding circumstances (never lie) and try to resist the urge to over explain yourself.
You should rehearse and practice exactly what you are going to say in advance to deliver your statement without hesitation.
Humor can be injected depending on the comfort level of the interview, if delivered correctly it could break the ice a bit, but don’t over use it, as they could question whether to take you seriously or not.
It’s always good to try to turn a difficult situation into a positive, such as,
I was laid off from my previous employer because of a lack of work or,
I survived several cuts, but eventually they caught up to me as well. I think your position sounds like an even better match for me.

Job stability is important to most employers, but most employers are educated as to what the soft job market has been like in the recent years and are a bit more emphatic to those involved, as where others will not budge. Typically during the selection process I look for candidates that have had no more then 3 jobs in the past 5 years. This however can change depending on other relevant factors such as long term employment previously, gaps in employment, temp jobs just to name a few.

If you have had multiple temp positions over a period of time, try to group them together as an employer, and list some of the companies that you have been assigned to along with the type of work you were doing for them. Here is an example:

ABC Temp services 01/05-present
Jesse’s Wildlife Tours - admin assist (list responsibilities)
Jamie’s Sleep Clinics – receptionist/clerical (list responsibilities)
J & J’s Dog Shop – Accounting clerk (list responsibilities)

If you have left several jobs because of better opportunities, this is explainable as long as you are progressing. If you have taken a pay cut to secure work at a different place this gets a bit trickier, make sure you have a well rehearsed explanation of why this occurred, same thing goes for a change of direction in responsibilities or different career path altogether.

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