In these economic times….
Yeah yeah yeah, I know everyone is tired of hearing that phrase. But it’s true, the economy is keeping a lot of good people out of work and keeping a lot of good people tied down to a job or company they don’t like.
For those that do choose to play Russian roulette with their jobs, their resumes might be longer than what we normally see as acceptable. I know you’ve seen these people; six months here, eight months there, a year and half over there.
So how do you determine if these people are go getters looking for the right place or your worst hiring nightmare come to life?
Ask.
Shocking right? Back to the top and that dreaded statement, in these economic times some good people are going to be job hopping. Companies are closing and downsizing. I’ve picked up some really great hires from local companies that have closed or moved their business to another state.
It’s usually easy to find the liar that uses a “I left because they closed” statement, use the internets to find out if the company did close and when. The harder ones are the “I left because of downsizing {laid off}”. You can try the internets but often times companies aren’t prone to publishing that particular press release.
When I start seeing a trend of “I was laid off” from this position and that position, I start getting skeptical and dig a little deeper with questions. Often times those people will give up something leading you to the determination the alleged layoff wasn’t as innocent as they say. A trend of “The company closed” is just a bad omen, those people bring company death with them! 
So what about the rest of the HR world, how do you determine when too many job hops is one too many? How do you feel about a lay off repeat offender?
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I think this depends on the industry. The banking, insurance and advertising industries have had an unfortunate series of bad luck over the past eight years. If people worked primarily for those kinds of companies, I’d give them a pass.
@Laurie I got out of the finance industry just before the bottom fell out last year. I talked to a friend the other day that’s still in the industry and their turnover is at its highest. I’ve got another friend that just got laid off because the financial institution she worked for was shut down. Point for me for getting out early but I feel bad for those still there that want out but have no where to go.
I’m with you, adowling. I start asking questions, reading body language to see if they are telling the truth about being “laid off” or “company folding” too many jobs in a row. Are they a jinx? or, Do they have bad luck? or, Can they not make good decisions which could mean they are lazy about researching the company or position to see if the company is stable and growing? or, Are they job hopping to increase their salary, which always leads to them getting fired because the employer suddenly realizes the new employee can’t do what they said they could or what you assume they could based on their previous title/salary.
And then the big one: Are they really that incompetent that they can’t hold a job? And then you have to ask yourself why? Are they a troublemaker? Are they lazy? Are they unreliable? Do they always come in late and leave early? Is their personal life just too dramatic/traumatic and takes precedence over the job?
It’s rare that I find job hoppers who are just testing out jobs and industries to see if they like the field. I wouldn’t mind that as long as they are up front with me.
Now, in this economy, there are exceptions as laurie (above) stated but I’d do a little research to be certain. It’s a tough call and you have to do your due diligence before deciding to take a chance on someone who has a new job every 3,6, or 8 months.
@Lisa Seriously, I couldnt have said it better myself. Its as if you’ve been inside my head when I read a job hopping resume. I always do a little research on the excessive job hopping and the laid off repeat offender. The jinx, they scare me.
I was never afraid to ask, and then ask again. If I didn’t think the answer was complete, or felt me wondering about the sincerity, I either went back to it later in the discussion or asked one of my peers to ask the question from a different angle later in the interview.
You actually have a tougher time (I think) when times are good and people tell you they are looking for a better opportunity. “Why do you think you deserve a better opportunity” I used to ask. I good candidate has thought about that and should be able to answer without a “they just don’t understand me at my current workplace” kind of answer.
I never thought I’d say this, but I kind of miss the interview process.
@Tim – I havent tried the “why do you think you deserve a better opportunity” question. Do you get good answers or blank stares? I would think thats a fall back answer for people that are unhappy with their current situation and dont want to bad mouth their current employer.
Job hoppers – one or two short stints are understandable. Sometimes it doesn’t work out and there is no need to stay in a bad situation. Some industries are having trouble, which leads to lay-offs, etc. The problem enters when it’s rampant throughout the person’s career. It’s 1-2 years or less at 5 or more jobs. Then, it’s a pattern and clearly something just isn’t right. I agree though with the above – in-depth probing usually tells you what you want to know.
@Jennifer – I had a phone interview with a candidate today that a lay off repeat offender. What always concerns me with these people is most companies lay off the bottom x% of performers first so if these people are repeat offenders, how good is there performance?