It’s the last thing you expected to hear during the first few moments of Friday morning

Taking Care of Business

Job hopping has its benefits

It’s the last thing you expected to hear during the first few moments of Friday morning. The message has become all too familiar. This is the fourth time in seven years of an unsteady career pilgrimage filled with lateral moves, salary reductions, employment voids and restarts. The methods vary though the outcome is always the same. You can practically lip sync the words flowing from your manager’s mouth as you prepare for another pink slip meeting.

“Due to circumstances beyond our control, I’m afraid we’ve had to eliminate your position.” Congratulations! You’ve just become a card carrying member of the ‘involuntary job hoppers’ club…again! One of the methods of choice is ‘job elimination’ with the full range of salaried workforce continuing to endure their share of the load. Unlike being fired, which can be paralyzing or being laid off, which leaves the hopeful possibility of being recalled, the involuntary job hopper can’t argue to save face or rationalize that events within the organization will get better real soon.

2005 experienced the continuance global restructuring of people and resources as traditionally high employment industries (i.e. automotive, textile, airline) continue their bone trimming efforts to survive. The closing of a plant, a mill or a hub, doesn’t mean just the elimination of union jobs, but also supervisors, managers and directors are being told that there services are no longer needed within the organization. For many of these involuntary job hoppers, this is their second or third bite at the apple. Their safety net has been the comfort of staying within the industry. Unlike their 1990’s, dot.com counterparts who job hopped for added compensation, further advancement and greater challenges, this group wasn’t looking for greener pastures, but liked grazing where they were. What’s left is the belief that, hopefully, the mid to upper level professional skills they’ve learned within their industry are transferable to another industry.

Audrey White of Southfield Michigan has walked this path more times than she thought would be possible in her chosen career as a computer/network administrator. “The biggest shock came the first time it happened. I’d spent seven years with a computer company providing systems support. When the company decided to move its headquarters to another state, our support service was consolidated and moved to another location. Other than the few who were relocated with the company, the rest of us were given a severance package and outplacement services. I had no idea that it would be six months before I found another job.”

It started a trend that found her spending shortened time periods with companies working jobs that seemed stable at the time. Having worked as a network administrator, a Director of a Center, Consultant and Instructor, Audrey now wrestles with whether or not she should refocus her career by jumping into another industry. She knows that finding employment in other industries means competing with people who have a knowledge and skill advantage over her years of multiple experiences. She expressed concern as to how it will play out when her resume crosses the desks of Human Resource Professionals.

Tina Marie Wohlfield, a Human Resource Administrator with USA Credit Union in Auburn Hills Michigan, has observed the shift in qualified candidates seeking employment in the Financial Services industry. “Finding candidates who have a long tenure with a single employer has moved outside the norm.” She notes that involuntary job hoppers should not be discredited, but given an opportunity to explain the unique circumstances that led to their unusual employment pattern. “I use a phone interview to resolve any concerns on job tenure. I’ve learned that in some cases, the diverse experiences this person has may actually benefit the organization.”

The on-line newsletter, Recruiters World in Review, conducted a survey to see ‘How do Job Hoppers Fair in Your Company’s Hiring Process?’ The results showed that 41% of the respondents believed they would be ‘Considered with Reservation’ and that another 35% believed they would ‘Automatically Eliminated’. Monica Gilewski, Vice President of Human Resources for Quicken Loans in Livonia Michigan, understands the concerns generated by this kind of survey and advises involuntary job hoppers to know the numbers of employees involved in the corporate restructuring and how many people from their specific team/area were involved.

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 2005 will see a surge in new hiring health services, social assistance, computer design, engineering, management and consulting services. For many of the involuntary job hoppers, the creation of new jobs will be a welcome professional and financial relief. However, as they prepare to pound the pavement, they are facing fewer opportunities within their chosen industry. The bitter pill being swallowed is that these new jobs represent a chance for thousands of experienced mid and upper level professionals to get their foot in the door to start over again at the bottom of the work pyramid.

For Audrey White, this latest career setback raises a number of questions for which the answers aren’t quite as clear. “What’s wrong with me?” she wonders as someone raised with a strong work ethic. “What’s the next move? Am I doing the right thing, Should I become trained in another field? After so many times, nothing seems stable and I know that desperation is not the right criteria for making a choice.”

Tina Wholfield recommends that involuntary job hoppers spend less time worrying about how Human Resource professionals perceive the shortened employment times. “I can’t imagine anyone in our profession who hasn’t been directly or indirectly impacted by the mergers, downsizing and restructuring taking place across industries. We know that for a number of people it has meant having a number of different jobs. That is the reality of today’s job market and we have to adjust accordingly.”

Monica Gilewski advises candidates to keep their skills sharp, which might mean acquiring more training and education. “I know it’s particularly hard on seasoned professionals to change jobs due to circumstances beyond their control and sometimes it may require taking a job that is a slight step back in income or position.”

“The real irony,” Audrey adds,” Is that I didn’t job hop because the grass was greener on the other side, but because that browned out section of the lawn wasn’t going to be reseeded.”

Sources:

Audrey White of Southfield Michigan can be reached at 248-569-4799 (home number)

Tina Marie Wholfield, Human Resource Administrator with USA Credit in Auburn Hills Michigan can be reached at 248-322-9800 ext 1022

Monica Gilewski, Vice President for Human Resources for Quicken Loans in Livonia Michigan can be reached at 734-805-7182

Recruiters World in Review http://www.recruitersworld.com/survey/surveyresults.asp?id=13

Bureau of Labor and Statistics http://www.bls.gov/news.release/jec.nr0.htm