Article: Kabelo Collis from True Love The saying 'You really don't know what you'll like until you try it' is a popular one in the job-hopping world.
Take Fezi Khuzwayo, for instance. She's young, intelligent, ambitious and really wants to make a mark for herself in the business world.
As a qualified marketer and sports manager, there's no doubt she could have that high paying job she's dreamed about for years.
But for this 26-year-old Gauteng born job-hopper, it's not mainly about the money that comes with a big title but rather being valued as an employee.
"I want to wake up every morning and feel I have to go to work, not because I need the cash but because my abilities and expertise are valued by the company," she says.
"Once that happens, commitment to one job for at least a year will come naturally."
Fezi is one of many young career women who feel that a job is not all about getting the job done – but rather a win-win situation for both the employee and employer.
The job-hopping debate
"Many companies only have their employees best interests at heart. It's all about having a high production rate, and of course, the profit. It's never about Fezi at the bottom end of the company ladder.
"A lot of employees need to realise their worth in a company and stop settling for less." Fezi adds that her job-hopping syndrome is all about being seen as an important individual by her employers, but that there are also many other reasons, good or bad, for people to job-hop.
Media24 magazine division Human Resource practitioner Latoya Mokotto agrees with Fezi that people have different reasons for job-hopping, especially in the creative environment.
"The magazine world is full of young creatives who are always looking to expand their skills in the media world. The money factor is another aspect that makes these young professionals decide to jump ship," she explains.
As one of the top decision-makers at Media24 on who and how an employee is hired, Latoya admits that a job-hopping pattern in your career history might have a negative reflection on your CV.
"Reasons for leaving one employment for another should purely be based on career and personal advancement, nothing else.
"Money does, however, play an important role but as an HR practitioner I look at someone's commitment and from there I can make my decision on whether or not to employ her," she explains.
"When you enter that boardroom with a hope of employment, it's never about your abilities as an employee, but rather your integrity. This will be a winning factor for any job you apply for."
Brand expert Dr Nikolaus Eberl adds that a lot of people job-hop because of lack of growth within the organisation, as well as not finding what they do challenging and fulfilling.
"This results in people losing the edge for what they do and they opt to leave for what they think will be exciting and intriguing job shifts," he says.
Before you flip the career switch...
"You are a brand and your personal brand is reflected on your CV. But, in some cases HR departments look more at your ability to fit into the business culture more than anything.
The trick for people who want to job-hop is to first position themselves as specialists in a certain field. Only then will one have the perfect reason to jump ship."
Valerie Wolmarans, the managing member at Emakhosini Management, a highly ranked recruitment agency, stresses that job-hopping has become a serious issue in South Africa's job market.
"There is a great deal of skills shortage. Many young qualified people are quick to jump at the opportunity to relocate and work overseas for better packages.
"This creates a lot of headhunting within the recruitment industry, and candidates getting counter offers from potential employers, resulting in a seesaw in the job-hopping department," she says.
The package vs the responsibility
"In reality, people look more at the package that comes with the job rather than the responsibility. The passion for a particular job is mainly influenced by the salary bracket."
Valerie adds that equity issues also mean that many companies are searching even more for candidates, who've been in the job market for a lengthy period of time and as a result this puts other candidates at a disadvantage.
"As recruiters we find that candidates who move for better career prospects in terms of more responsibility rather than those who move prematurely, based on other reasons, tend to make it in their careers.
"Those who stick it out in the market for at least three years are the ones ready for new career challenges," she advises.
Dr Nikolaus agrees with Valerie's three year commitment period. "If you want to be a leader in a certain organisation you need at least three years of experience in that company's cultural environment.
"However,in today's world of ever changing trends and markets, people find themselves launching into different careers replacing job-hopping with what can be called career-hopping, as a ripple-like effect to be part of the new professional age," he explains.
"It's all about clever job-hopping," says Valerie. "That's deciding to grow within one's identified industry, academically investing in yourself and sticking to a position or company for three years."
When the job-hopping bug bites, duration plays an important role. If you're an excessive job-hopper then this, says Dr Nikolaus, will hamper your chances of being one of the top leaders at certain companies.
However, he adds that staying in one position for a long period of time might put you at a disadvantage when the time for change arises.
"We no longer live in the stone age where you studied towards a teaching diploma and were a teacher until retirement.
"Our world is a fast one, with fast lives and it is advisable to change careers at least twice or three times in your life to avoid being seen as stagnant," Dr Nikolaus says.
Fezi's desire to be seen as a valuable employee is one that fascinates Dr Nikolaus and one that he thinks should play an important role when that job-hopping opportunity arises.
When is the right time to switch careers?
"It's all about emotional satisfaction. Does your job and company make you feel significant and valued? If it doesn't, change is good – your emotional stability is what enhances your ultimate personal and professional branding."
Fezi agrees with the experts that job-hopping is not always the answer to one's problems. "It's become an addiction to many people and the obsession to constantly try out new opportunities may give you a bad image," she adds.
"Passion for a job and being valued as an employee doesn't come from crystal balls. To find what's emotionally fulfilling for me I need to explore. I haven't and I believe that job-hopping will get me there."
Whichever way you look at it job-hopping today is all about personal advancement, whether it be financial or career development. No-one wants to be labelled apathetic, and at the same time no one wants to be seen as having commitment phobia.
"It's all about what you gain emotionally and professionally in your move. Considerate thinking and weighing up the pros and cons are a must.
So whatever seems likely to work for you, stick to your guns and hopefully you will be able to reap the benefits," concludes Dr Nikolaus
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