Is it bad to job hop?
Efri · 1 min readNot anymore, within reason.
The idea that changing jobs looks disloyal is a leftover from a time when companies were loyal back. That trade doesn't exist now, and most people hiring know it.
What's still true:
- Two years is enough to have done something
- One short stint is nothing
- A pattern needs a story
Two years is enough to have done something. Under a year, repeatedly, does start to raise a question. Not because it's disloyal, but because people wonder whether you stay long enough to see the consequences of your own decisions.
One short stint is nothing. Nobody cares. Bad fits happen. Companies collapse. You don't need to explain it beyond a sentence.
A pattern needs a story. If your last four were under eighteen months, have a clean explanation and don't be defensive about it.
And the thing nobody mentions: moving is still the fastest way to get paid more. Internal raises rarely keep pace with what you'd get by leaving. That's not a strategy anyone should be proud of on the employer side, but it's the reality you're operating in.
Stay when you're learning or building something. Leave when you've stopped.