The job market offers a wide variety of career opportunities. For this reason, it’s more common now than ever before to change jobs every few years and try new things. Still, hiring managers may get suspicious if they see too many short-lived job titles on your resume (less than two years). You want to make yourself as attractive to a potential employer as possible and explain away any job hopping you may have done. So what can you say?

Maybe you were laid off, maybe your spouse got a new job and you needed to relocate, or maybe you decided a position just wasn’t for you. During your interview, you can spin your frequent job moves in a positive way. Here’s how.

  1. Be honest. During an interview, as with most things in life, honesty is the best policy. Some reasons for changing jobs are out of your control; for example, company downsizing. But for changes that were within your control, be prepared to give a reasonable explanation for your jumps. If you can frame frequent job moves in terms of career growth, this will help your cause tremendously. For example, maybe you quickly moved from one job to another because you were promoted. Or maybe you decided you needed to acquire a skill hands-on and your current position simply could not provide this experience. Hiring managers like to hear about how you took initiative—not about how you’re picky.
  2. List the skills you acquired. We have the unique opportunity in today’s world to be and do just about anything we can dream of. Rather than spike out years of tenure at each position, it can help to frame your experience as just that: As you moved from job to job, describe to the hiring manager all the new things you learned and how you were able to get better in your career. This can include specific education and training, or soft skills, such as good communication or project management.
  3. Explain you want to settle down. We all reach a point when we’ve found what we’re looking for—and hiring managers want to be that pinnacle. The best hires are ready to be loyal and stick with a company. So during your interview, be prepared to state you’re ready to commit and why. Maybe this is just the job you’ve been looking for; it’s important to say so.

Be ready to talk about you!

During an interview, it’s all about you. So be prepared to tell the hiring manager how your wide array of experience will help you contribute to this particular position. Highlighting your value is key to any interview.

Looking for a job you can get excited about?

Maybe you’ve been job hunting and you haven’t yet found the role you want to commit to. Let Clinical Resources help! We’ll work with you to understand your career goals and find a position you love. To learn more, contact us today!