I look like a job jumper...

[Anonymous]

How do I fix or spin this on my resume long term?

Company A: 10 Years (3 promotions) small Company
Company B: 1 1/2 Years at Name-Brand company then laid off
Company C: 11 months (1st job I could find) at failing start up then got rehired at Company B.
Company B part 2: 1 year they are talking about layoff again...I like it there but constant talk about cuts is making me anxious.

I am talking to a headhunter for a job at a small-midsize company. They came to me. Love me, offered lots more money, freedom. The downside is bad commute and I’ve found that working at a known name brand does wonders for having recruiters find you.

Do I: try to survive a layoff (or wait?) or jump ship? How do you explain job hopping... I’d be really happy to spend the next 5-10 Years somewhere. I’m not changing jobs because I’m fickle, I need a paycheck...

[Anonymous]

jump now - is there anything about company B part 2 that would insulate you from the layoffs? I doubt it. if you want to settle somewhere for 5-10 years why wouldnt you try to get started sooner ie. right away

[Anonymous]

Sounds like it is pretty typical of the climate these days. Explain it just as you did here. Most of the changes were not voluntary. A job hopper is someone who is an opportunist and will jump ship for the next best opportunity (not that there is anything wrong with that.) I always question people who wonder why someone changes jobs often. I see them as as someone confident and a risk-taker. We have to do what is best for our health and well-being and sometimes that means changing jobs.

Anonymous wrote:How do I fix or spin this on my resume long term?

Company A: 10 Years (3 promotions) small Company
Company B: 1 1/2 Years at Name-Brand company then laid off
Company C: 11 months (1st job I could find) at failing start up then got rehired at Company B.
Company B part 2: 1 year they are talking about layoff again...I like it there but constant talk about cuts is making me anxious.

I am talking to a headhunter for a job at a small-midsize company. They came to me. Love me, offered lots more money, freedom. The downside is bad commute and I’ve found that working at a known name brand does wonders for having recruiters find you.

Do I: try to survive a layoff (or wait?) or jump ship? How do you explain job hopping... I’d be really happy to spend the next 5-10 Years somewhere. I’m not changing jobs because I’m fickle, I need a paycheck...

[Anonymous]

You having been in a job for 10 years also does not make you look like a hopper

[Anonymous]

You don’t look like a job hopper.

[Anonymous]

Job hoppers answer the "why did you leave?" questions with answers like, "it wasn't a good fit," "I realized what I'd been told and what I found walking in were completely different," and any excuse that starts off with "the opportunity presented itself, so."

10 years at one job and then a layoff at another job doesn't make you even close to a job hopper. Plus, I have plenty of great candidates who just hit a patch of bad luck and will have up to 5 years of short jobs due to layoffs. It happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Job hoppers answer the "why did you leave?" questions with answers like, "it wasn't a good fit," "I realized what I'd been told and what I found walking in were completely different," and any excuse that starts off with "the opportunity presented itself, so."

10 years at one job and then a layoff at another job doesn't make you even close to a job hopper. Plus, I have plenty of great candidates who just hit a patch of bad luck and will have up to 5 years of short jobs due to layoffs. It happens.

How should you answer those questions?