Job Searches, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners

Alternative-Fact April: The Myth Of The Job Hopper

Are the negative stereotypes about job hoppers justified?

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lateral lawyer partner minority woman diverse diversityWelcome to Alternative-Fact April. This month, I will write about some of the myths that are circulating about job searches and job seekers. Today, let’s look at job hoppers.

Job hoppers are people who – for one reason or another – have a history of moving from one job to another after working only for a short period of time.

In some industries, it is not unusual for employees to switch jobs frequently. Even in the legal profession, job changes occur fairly regularly, although for partner-track positions, most are expected to stay at least a year or two.

Job hoppers are viewed negatively by employers. They are believed to be unfocused (meaning that they don’t know what they want), unreliable, disloyal, or all of the above. Job applicants will have explanations for their moves but they are taken with skepticism.

Employers are wary of job hoppers because they claim to invest substantial time to get new hires up to speed on training and adjusting to the firm’s culture and expectations. Understandably, they don’t want their investment to go to waste when the employee leaves a short time later. They also claim that it is expensive to train new hires. I’m not sure if the latter argument works too well in the legal field because most law firms don’t want to train and hire accordingly. Also, if the firm pays new hires $200 per hour but bills them out at $400, the firm should at least break even despite substantial time write-offs. Sure, the new hires won’t be profitable for a while, but they won’t be major financial liability.

But from the employee’s perspective, job hopping might be the only way to advance their careers quickly. There is no more job security. Pay raises, bonuses, and layoffs are unpredictable in non-Biglaw. Working for multiple employers over a short period of time is probably the only way they can determine their objective worth in the labor market.

Let’s take a closer look at the negative stereotypes about job hoppers I mentioned above. As for reliability, verifying it is easy. Just contact past employers and other people the applicant has worked with in the past. While most will end up being testimonials, others will not mince words if they had a bad experience with the applicant.

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As for focus, that is harder to detect. If the applicant’s job history shows a track record of promotions and greater responsibilities with each new position, that could be a good indicator that the applicant is focused on advancing their career. But on the other hand, if the applicant shows a number of short-term stints in various fields, that may require an explanation.

Finally, a few thoughts about employee loyalty. Perhaps employers should not count on employee loyalty anymore. Just as employers have to be mindful of their business’s costs, employees also have to be mindful of their career path and their pay. If good employees are constantly leaving, then the business should either make changes to incentivize good employees to stay or develop a system where replacements can be easily found and trained.

Also, employers and recruiters who hire only people already employed in peer firms have no business talking about the importance of loyalty. You are hiring legal mercenaries, so treat them well or they will leave as quickly as they came. Second, employers won’t get much loyalty from their employees by telling them that “they are lucky to have a job.” The “culture of fear” mentality is so 2008. Even though the legal job market is still tough for those with non-elite degrees, they often have other options available to them.

Not all job hoppers are incompetent or flight risks. While some are deplorable duds, most just haven’t found the right fit. While employers have every right to be suspicious of an applicant’s spotty job history, applicants should be allowed to explain themselves. Sometimes due to circumstances beyond their control, they had to do whatever they had to do put food on the table.

Older employers should be more understanding. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a large number of baby boomers were also job hoppers. So maybe this isn’t just a millennial fad.

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Shannon Achimalbe was a former solo practitioner for five years before deciding to sell out and get back on the corporate ladder. Shannon can be reached by email at sachimalbe@excite.com and via Twitter: @ShanonAchimalbe.

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