25 July 2008
	FM Campus Recruitment Edition Jumping ship By Jennifer Searle Job hopping is discouraged, but it is not the career killer it is said to be

A study into job hopping by TNS Research Surveys last year found that the tendency among local professionals to change jobs frequently is driven largely by market factors including a shortage of skills. Many recruitment experts believe that exploring different avenues is not particularly problematic when you're young, "as long as you can show you made a significant, quantifiable contribution everywhere you went", says Penelope Trunk, the author of The Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success. "While job hopping is not advisable, it is not scorned upon at a junior level, provided it is only one or two moves and it can be substantiated," says Rand Merchant Bank's recruitment head, Tracey Ashington. Camilla Pennington, PricewaterhouseCoopers national recruitment manager, says the company expects a high attrition rate. "Trainee accountants see their articles as a means to an end and they are exposed to a number of commerce companies while doing their training, so they generally do want to move." The problem, says Pennington, occurs when candidates are poached by other companies after a significant investment has been made in their training. The common wisdom is that you should stay in a job for two years. Professional Assignment Group's management and business talent manager, Tanya Smith, says takes six months to a year for a person to be beneficial to a company. "If someone leaves after 18 months, it means they have been working optimally at the company for only six months, whereas if they leave after two years, it means that for 12 months, they have been working without someone holding their hand," Smith says. "It assures future employers that the candidate will show a return on investment." But opinions vary. Willem van der Post, Deloitte's national recruitment leader, for example, says the correct time to stay in a job depends on the person - but that individuals should look within the company before jumping ship. Van der Post believes individuals need to ask themselves if the job is contributing to their greater life goals. "If you have mastered the fundamental skills required to do your job efficiently and effectively and your role no longer stimulates you intellectually," he advises, "then it is time to move."