The truth about job hopping

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Delve deeper into this material with Professors Hollister and St-Denis on the McGill Delve podcast! Listen to the full interview in our podcast feed.

During World War II, media mogul Walt Disney produced a government-sponsored ad campaign discouraging workers from switching jobs. With labour shortages giving workers unusual freedom to move, Disney’s “Don’t Be a Job Hopper” poster framed mobility as unpatriotic. More than 80 years later, job hopping remains a contentious issue for workers.

Job hopping – the practice of switching jobs frequently in pursuit of career advancement – is a popular approach to career development, especially among younger workers. These individuals might be looking to quickly increase their salary or gain experience. There’s also a popular sentiment that company loyalty is no longer rewarded, giving job hoppers little incentive to stay in their current role.

But are there negative consequences for applicants with a record of job hopping on their resumes?

Professors Matissa Hollister and Xavier St-Denis set out to answer exactly this. Hollister, an Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Organisational Behaviour at McGill University, and St-Denis, an Associate Professor at Institut national de la recherche scientifique, worked with Nicole Denier, Associate Professor of Sociology at Colby College, to examine how job hopping impacts and shapes employability.

Their research reveals a central insight: job hopping isn’t universally rewarded or punished. Instead, expectations about job mobility vary dramatically from occupation to occupation.

“Employers seem to perceive job hopping differently depending on who the job hopper is,” said St-Denis on the McGill Delve podcast.

“Both tech and non-tech companies are now applying very different standards for different types of jobs they are hiring for,” said Hollister.

Same applicants, different pathways

To test whether job hopping hurts or helps candidates, the researchers conducted a résumé-audit experiment. They created fictitious résumés that were identical in credentials, but varied the applicant’s work-history pattern. Some showed frequent moves between employers; others showed longer, steadier tenures.

“We made what we call the ‘job hopper’ somebody who changed approximately every two years,” said Hollister. “We didn’t make it exactly two years, but anywhere from 20 months to 28 months.”

These résumés were then submitted to real job postings across five occupations spanning both tech and non-tech fields. The researchers tracked which applicants employers chose to contact.

The results challenge the popular beliefs that job hopping is either universally accepted or universally reviled.

In traditional or non-tech roles, such as HR, marketing, and financial reporting, candidates with high mobility received fewer callbacks.

But in software-testing roles, the opposite is often true, according to the study. Candidates with stable career histories were less likely to hear back.

In short, the meaning of job mobility depends far more on occupational norms than on general cultural trends.

Know thy occupation

While it may be tempting to follow broad advice and social trends to stay put, move often, be loyal or be agile, the study shows there is no universal strategy. Career success depends on understanding the norms within your specific occupation.

“Chances are that your occupation might actually swing more in favour of stability or more in favour of dynamic, which might be better than just sticking with moderate mobility,” said Hollister.

For job seekers, here’s what the study suggests: research your field, know its hiring norms, and tailor your career moves accordingly.