The Risks of Hiring a Job Hopper
Long-term employees are essential to a thriving business. More than just skilled professionals, they develop an in-depth knowledge of your business that can’t be replicated. Therefore, when hiring a new employee, you need to choose someone likely to be part of your team for a very long time.
It’s almost inevitable that you’ll have several qualified applicants with a history of job hopping, and wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt makes sense. The thing is, hiring a job hopper is a very risky move. History is the best indicator of future behavior, and these people have already proven they can’t be counted on to stick around.
Here’s why you might want to think twice about hiring a job hopper.
They Might Quit When the Going Gets Rough
Your company is a great place to work, but every job has its challenges. You want to hire someone willing to stick it out when the going gets rough. A job hopper has no history of loyalty, so you can’t really have confidence they’ll stay with your company through thick and thin. During a rough period, the last thing you want is to have an employee walk out the door, leaving your team short-staffed.
Inability to Gain In-Depth Expertise
Job hoppers have worked at a lot of companies, allowing them to gain a wide variety of experience. On the surface, this is great, but when you dig deeper, you realize they don’t actually have much expertise in anything. If hired, you’ll have to do a lot of training, whereas someone with a long tenure at previous jobs would be able to hit the ground running. It’s much better to choose someone who has a strong expertise in one area, than a little bit of knowledge in many.
Many Don’t Know Where They’re Headed
It’s hard to take a candidate seriously when their work history is all over the place. You want to hire someone who is so passionate about their field, they’ve dedicated their life to it. Many job hoppers have a lengthy resume because they’re still trying to find themselves. They’re truly excited about the job at your company today, but there’s no way to know if their life plan will change in a few months or a year. No matter how much you like the person, it doesn’t make sense to take a gamble on someone with a spotty track record.
They’re a Flight Risk
Clearly the most obvious issue, job hoppers haven’t been loyal to past employers, so there’s no reason to think they’ll be any different with your company. In addition to the benefits of having several long-time team members on staff, hiring is a very costly, time-intensive process. Therefore, you want to invest in someone likely to be part of your company’s fabric for a very long time.
Loyal, passionate employees are the core of a thriving business. To learn more about how we can help you find top behavioral health talent, contact us today at (513) 651-9500 or by email at info@psychpros.com.