What is a Jumpy Resume?
It’s completely normal to want to change jobs. The days when people stayed at the same company for years are over – no one and I mean NO ONE expects that anymore. Investment Banking has always been a super frothy hiring market where candidates tend to change jobs every few years. In today’s market, you would be considered a solid candidate if you have been at your firm for more than three years or you were an analyst or associate promote.
With all this job switching, employees don’t develop the same kind of loyalty that comes with working at the same firm for 15 years. Again, that’s OK. What’s not OK is bouncing around from position to position, leaving the job the second you get bored, pissed off or feel undervalued. Why? Because you’ll earn a reputation as a job hopper, and after you hop one too many times, employers may start to look at you sideways.
Let’s take a deeper dive into what candidates and employers need to understand about “jumpy resumes”.
Candidates
One big red flag that a “jumpy resume” raises is whether the candidate is capable of keeping a job. This may sound brutal, and although as a recruiter I try and give candidates the benefit of the doubt, I also know that not all candidates are truthful about their performance struggles. When I see a jumpy resume, I often wonder if there is an underlying performance or personality issue.
Technical skills are not the only factor that employers consider when letting a candidate go. There are others, such as personality, interpersonal skills, and even your intentions to stay at a company. Recruiters and hiring managers have ways of figuring out the “real story”. Often times recruiters and hiring managers will back channel to learn what really happened from former colleagues at the old firm. Might as well tell the truth. I can’t tell you how many offers I have had pulled when candidates have not been forthright.
Take a good, hard look at your track record: have you switched jobs often? What are the real reasons you left? Example, were you impacted by Covid-related RIFs? Are you invested in the new firm, or are you going to change jobs as soon as somebody offers you a salary that’s slightly higher than your current compensation package? Are you looking to constantly uptier?
Employers
Resumes can be misleading. There are many reasons why you shouldn’t immediately discount a candidate who’s had three jobs in two years. With the recent trend of companies restructuring and downsizing, many good candidates have had to leave their companies due to no fault of their own – again, not because of their abilities. Even more unfortunate, some of these candidates move to another job, only to go through the same thing again. While it may be easier to hire someone who has a track record of solid performance and commitment to an organization, it may be worthwhile to listen to someone’s story to better evaluate their potential.
Sometimes candidates take time off to take care of their families, or simply want to take a break after being with a company for such a long time. Sometimes their Managing Director is toxic. Although recruiters and employers need a critical mindset, it is unfair to simply assume that such candidates are lazy, inept or do not take their careers seriously. It takes a good recruiter to dig deeper than a candidate’s surface value and understand their personalities and priorities. In fact, candidates with a well-balanced lifestyle may be better equipped emotionally to be a higher-performing employee.
5 Strategies to Downplay Job Hopping
Your resume is your best opportunity to tell a story about your career, so make sure you’re telling a good story, one that makes you look like a loyal, dependable employee. Here are some ideas for ways to have your resume deemphasize frequent job switches.
Have a Strong Summary
At the top of the page, your summary or objective is a great—and prominent—way to tell your story. You can say things like “X years of experience as an investment banker” or “looking for a long-term position where I can grow” to emphasize your length of experience and desire to stay in a position for a long time.
Don’t Include All Your Roles
If you worked for two years at one job, two months at the next, and then two years at the next job, it’s totally acceptable to leave off the position where you only worked for a few months. That way, you won’t have to discuss it during interviews, and hiring managers won’t see the potential red flag while reviewing your resume. Consider omitting jobs that aren’t relevant to the title you want next, or positions held many years ago. Be prepared to explain the gaps. A 2-month stint looks far worse than being unemployed.
Make It Clear When the Job Hopping Was Involuntary
An employer may look upon job hoppers who leave positions for more money or a better title negatively. That’s not generally true for people who leave involuntarily because of layoffs, restructuring, or a company that goes out of business. Let them know what happened. Be straightforward and honest about why and then move on. I have said this before. Own it.
Leave Off the Months
Often, resumes make dates very prominent. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The eye sees what’s called out, so rather than emphasizing dates by aligning them in an easily scannable column, move them to the end of the job description. Consider using the years worked only, which can make it seem as though you’ve had longer stints. This is a good strategy if the layoffs occurred in a while ago. If you have been recently laid off, make sure you have an end date. Interviewers do not like to be surprised. They should know that you are no longer employed. Be prepared to answer the question.
Add a Deal List
One of the main concerns about job hoppers is that they leave before they make the company’s investment worth it. Hiring a new person isn’t cheap. Consider formatting your resume to include an accomplishments section; this will put the focus on your achievements, and off of the time you spent at positions.
How Can PRP Help?
We understand the financial recruiting landscape and have extensive experience working with hiring managers at Bulge bracket banks, Elite Boutiques and Private Equity firms. We can help you pinpoint what went wrong and help you course correct so that it doesn’t happen again.
PRP Services
- Clean-up, reformat and retarget your resume so that you can secure more interviews
- Linkedin profile analysis
- Sample mock interview questions
- Sample technical interview questions
- How to Break into Banking Networking Tips and Tricks
- Target Company recommendations
- Target Company Prep Exercises
- Mock-interviews
- Develop a customized networking strategy
- General guidance and support
We know the banks and know what they are looking for. With our guidance and support we will help you navigate this ultra-competitive job market and land your dream role.
