You might remember that post back in April with interesting data about job-hoppers. Dan Enthoven argued that there is “zero correlation between the number of positions employees have had in the recent past and how long they’ll last on their next job. A candidate who’s had five jobs in five years is no more likely to quit than someone who’s had one job for five years.”
Apparently, employers aren’t yet convinced, says a new survey from Bullhorn.
The recruiting-software company’s survey of 1,500 hiring managers and recruiters (in-house but mainly agency recruiters) shows that 39 percent of recruiters say “the single biggest obstacle for an unemployed candidate in regaining employment is having a history of ‘hopping jobs,’ or leaving a company before one year of tenure.”
Fewer — 31 percent — say that being out of work for more than a year is the greatest challenge. Gaps in employment history came in third at 28 percent.
One variable is how long you’ve been unemployed.
Recruiters and managers say that after about six months to a year, it becomes difficult for a recruiter to place someone. Under six months, it’s not as bad.
Interestingly, and sadly, Bullhorn finds that “that it’s easier for recruiters to place someone with a criminal record (non-felony) in a new job than it is to place someone who has been unemployed for two years.”