It’s my goal as someone with a passion for a little wage job improvement, to provide resources and solutions to those who are stuck in that situation. As I searched for ways to help those who feel trapped in a low-wage job I am reminded of a friend that was a job hopper. According to this article and plenty of others online and even more advice from career specialists, job hopping isn’t looked upon favorably. The idea comes from the hiring managers and higher officials Within a business. It is said that when a hiring manager looks at your resume and only sees a couple of months or even one year of work history at a particular place, it will impact you negatively because they think that you won’t stay at their place of business longer than the time that you have on your resume. They also say that in the long run it will hurt you because you’ll never build a track record of what you can achieve. I wholeheartedly disagree, here’s why.
My friend worked in retail and when we meet, she had worked in three different stores within a year as an associate, finally making it to an assistant manager. Each job she worked at gave her retail experience and higher pay. She is proof that job hopping works. Job specialists believe that eventually she will plateau in salary and no one will want her as an employee because if what they’ll have to pay her. That could be true, however, for someone who works a minimum wage job, an increase in salary is the ultimate goal (along with healthcare and benefits such as sick time). If that was me, then once I reached the highest salary I could get, then I’ll work on building my track record as an associate. I wouldn’t worry about having to learn obsolete skills at one job if you’re moving to another next year. Either way, I’ll have to learn new skills all over again.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I’d become so consumed with making a higher salary that I wouldn’t work hard to accomplish company goals. In fact, sometimes when you’re a hard worker, the company realizes it and you can receive a promotion. This definitely wasn’t the case for me when I worked as a dishwasher. However, when you find an employer that values your hard work, think about sticking around if there’s a chance for improved salary, benefits, or healthcare. Of course, you want to try finding reviews on Indeed.com or glassdoor.com to make sure you won’t be overworked for your higher pay.
In the article, there’s one thing I agree with and that’s trying to figure out who you are and what you want in life regarding your career. Although for someone with a low wage job, the immediate goal is finding higher pay because no one can afford life on that type of salary. However, it may be a bit too late to figure out what you want once you reach your salary goal. You may also miss opportunities while job hopping if you are unsure of your career goals. You may find that you have to start over once you’ve climbed the ladder. My advice is to always keep in mind where you really want to end up in life. You can always explain your job hopping concerns by telling hiring managers that, “you’ve been on a journey with purpose, in pursuit of a bigger goal.” (J.T O’Donnell).
Lastly, make sure to never quit without finding a new job first. Also, giving a two-week notice can benefit you when a job calls for a reference. Job hopping can be beneficial if you do it correctly. Remember to think about your goals when moving to a new job and making sure the new job isn’t extremely labor intensive. Minimum wage workers have to fight back and correctly job hopping is just one victory.