I changed jobs quite often. I worked 6 jobs for the past 8 years. 5 jobs last one year and a half. one is 6 month, the other is 2 and a half years. I was just grilled by a HR. And my answer is: " I didn’t mean it happen but unfortunately it happend." then I gave explanation: layoffs, things didn’t work out, family situation etc. I don’t think she liked it. What should I do next time to have a shot with a position? Thanks,
How old r u? explain to them that you are too old to be jumpy now
The best reason to give is positive career progression. HR didn’t like it because maybe you sounded like you were making excuses. I mean, I guess there’s not much else you can do if that’s what really happened to you, but try to put a positive spin on things. I myself have never held the same job for more than two years and even though HR has asked me about it, I’ve never thought it was a problem. The one time where a firm actually thought I was “too flighty” or whatever, I thought the person that worked HR was just a complete idiot anyway so it wasn’t a big deal.
But don’t you think HR could reject you if they think your resume is too jumpy? if that happens, it sucks right?
They could, but that’s life. Every time I left a job, it’s because I was offered a more senior position or more pay elsewhere, and it was easily explainable. If they wanted to dock me for doing what was best for my career, then that’s not the kind of firm I’d want to work for anyway. Not a big deal to me.
But what I worried is: the boss and the team are great. But just the HR brought this up as an issue. And HR excercised veto power. Doesn’t it suck big time? Or boss may be able to overwrite HR decision?
Boss > HR.
HR is a joke of a profession
HR doesn’t have any “veto rights” in relation to recruiting of exeprienced investment professionals. So as long as your future boss (and maybe his boss) are Ok with the situation, HR opinion won’t change anything
Since you were invited for an interview, I doubt that job hopping was the sole reason they didn’t hire you. Many people are thrown back and forth by the job market, even during quieter times. For HR the question is: “If I hire this guy despite weaknesses in the resume, can that fall back on me negatively?” HR people are rarely risk takers, so your job is to SELL yourself to them. What would have happened, if you would have looked them straight in the eye and said: I wanted it that way. It broadened my mind, it broadened my experience, and NOW I know what I want and what I don’t want." Tell them you learned a lot by switching between jobs and give them the impression you were always in charge.
“I would very much like to stay on and develop with the same employer for a substantial time. I’m disappointed that my career to date hasn’t allowed me to do that. I do like what I see here, and talking to you, I’m excited about the possibility that this is where I can stay for a substantial time and add value with the experience I’ve brought from other places.”
I feel like it’s a negative for sure, and how they react is going to depend on a person by person, firm by firm basis. I agree with Numi in that you need to have a positive spin planned, even if it’s not the whole truth…they don’t need to know every reason why you left. For example, I left my first job out of undergrad after six months. The main reason I left was because I truly hated my manager, and I could not take it. But I didn’t say that, I said it was because I discovered that it wasn’t the kind of work I wanted to be doing so I wanted to find I position that better utilized my skill set - which was true. I’ve been in my current position for about 2.5 years now, so I’m hoping that by the time I’m ready to look for my next job the six month stint looks like a fluke.
I’ve worked for the same firm for 8 years before they went bankrupt and was taken over by the brits. I plan on continuing at the new firm for a much longer duration, if possible.
Say they were fixed-term or contract positions. Make it sound like you were doing project work as a consultant. Once the work is done, you’re out. I don’t advocate lying but… you gotta eat
bchadwick Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > “I would very much like to stay on and develop > with the same employer for a substantial time. > I’m disappointed that my career to date hasn’t > allowed me to do that. I do like what I see here, > and talking to you, I’m excited about the > possibility that this is where I can stay for a > substantial time and add value with the experience > I’ve brought from other places.” Not a bad thing to say, but sounds a little political in my view and also doesn’t address the issue of bouncing around in the past. You have to make sure you tackle the issue of job switches/previous unemployment. Plus, I tend to abstain from using words like “disappointed” or other words with negative connotations - I believe that it is as much of a privilege for a firm to potentially have someone like me working for them, as it is for me to be working for a particular firm.
My boss John Thain has held like 12 different jobs in the last 5 years and was accused of putting a million dollar commode in his office at his firm’s expense, I’m sure it won’t stop him from landing another CEO job with a crumbling bank.
numi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > bchadwick Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > “I would very much like to stay on and develop > > with the same employer for a substantial time. > > I’m disappointed that my career to date hasn’t > > allowed me to do that. I do like what I see > here, > > and talking to you, I’m excited about the > > possibility that this is where I can stay for a > > substantial time and add value with the > experience > > I’ve brought from other places.” > > > Not a bad thing to say, but sounds a little > political in my view and also doesn’t address the > issue of bouncing around in the past. You have to > make sure you tackle the issue of job > switches/previous unemployment. Plus, I tend to > abstain from using words like “disappointed” or > other words with negative connotations - I believe > that it is as much of a privilege for a firm to > potentially have someone like me working for them, > as it is for me to be working for a particular > firm. I agree with you on a lot of points. When I originally wrote it, I actually wrote “a bit disappointed,” and then figured that my understatement might not be best for this crowd. I think that saying you’ve been “a bit disappointed” at things in the past and see exciting potential at this place in the future communicates a reason why you are motivated to work there and stay. But when I use words like “disappointed,” I do tend to soften them with little diminutives. As for addressing previous short-term positions, I am comfortable with how I address any of mine, but I don’t know what the OP’s reasons are. Mostly you want to assure your employer that you weren’t fired, that you aren’t habitually difficult to work with, and that you’re motivated to stay at this firm. If you’ve gotten to the interview stage, they’re giving you a chance to communicate that, so make sure you do. Really they’re asking you “give us a reason that this should not worry us,” and the best reason is “because THIS is where I want to be.” “Where have you been all my life?” 
If you had had your own consultancy business it would not have been strange to have 5 different projects in a year and a half, but it would have been covered by you saying you had had your own firm. You sound not too confident with the situation, but it is what you is, so you must change how you view it and talk about it.
you got the interview which means the job hopping was not a problem initially. I definitely would not have said layoffs, family issues, or anything negative. I would say something like career advancement, no growth potential in current job, salary bump, etc… Also, I would remove a few of the jobs on the resume… esp the 6 month one… 8 jobs is a lot.
HR can screw you over if it’s a first-round screening. if you’re already talking to the hiring manager, HR’s *veto* means nothing