The irony of me advising anyone on how to craft a CV is not lost on me, but in my defence it was a different time. Startup land hadn't been over run by suits and HR and PMs. And also, this isn't advice as much as it is an observation on how your CV is being read. There is a lot to be said on this matter but in this post I want to talk about everyone's favourite topic - short stints.
I have a childhood memery of a friend of my father's who 'left his job and joined another' and it was the talk of the town for a week or so. And now here we are, flipping employers every two winters. That social contract of 'employment for life' seems like such a quaint idea now. Especially to those of you racking up multiple 15 month stints, pushing the envelope as far in the other direction as possible ;-). This post is for those of you wondering whether to stick it out in your current role or switch now.
Now before we get started, I want you to know that I know all the reasons for the job switches - toxic founders, burnout (I wrote a book on it), layoffs and wholesale company shutdown. I know this, everyone knows this. And so there is *some* tolerance for job switches, if you have a good story for it. And everyone knows what it's like to graduate from a college that doesn't give you the pick of your companies and you have to spend some time experimenting. However, there is a bare minimum below which questions about your ability to be part of a team that does long term things starts to come into question.
I recently met someone who had 5 stints in 6 years and the longest one being 18 months. This kind of profile makes your CV radioactive, and if you ask me it is not good for you either. If you switch so often, you never get to see the second order effects of the work you do. It also shows you to be the kind of person 'to whom life happens', than someone who is shaping their destiny consciously.
When Hiring Managers and HRs read your CV they are basically asking - can we invest in this person? For that to happen, they not only need to be confident about your skills, but also about the 'investment horizon'. If you're going to leave in 12 - 18 months guaranteed, they wonder if you're going to be worth it.In order to assuage this fear, you should have at least one stint approaching three years. That shows that given the right conditions, you can stick it out. Then with the other stints, the longer the better. That's basically it. Just prove that you've done it once and then you might even get away with all your short stints.
My favourite CVs are those who FAFOed straight out of college, then found a right fit and just went a long way with them. By your third job, you should be able to find some place that works for you.
I also want to say that many short stints is in general a bad idea from a long term career perspective because it marks you out as an opportunist. Far from ideal. I do also know now, after seeing so many CVs, that people who switched jobs have much higher CTCs. Yes, it's not fair. However, be careful of the trap also where you end up with a sky high CTC along with a radioactive resume. Then you're in a double bind.
In general, the advice remains the same -- follow your heart and when you find a good place don't just leave for more money or some shiny new thing. Stick it out. Deal with adversity. Build something beautiful that takes time. It will make you stronger and your CV more attractive.
I have a childhood memery of a friend of my father's who 'left his job and joined another' and it was the talk of the town for a week or so. And now here we are, flipping employers every two winters. That social contract of 'employment for life' seems like such a quaint idea now. Especially to those of you racking up multiple 15 month stints, pushing the envelope as far in the other direction as possible ;-). This post is for those of you wondering whether to stick it out in your current role or switch now.
Now before we get started, I want you to know that I know all the reasons for the job switches - toxic founders, burnout (I wrote a book on it), layoffs and wholesale company shutdown. I know this, everyone knows this. And so there is *some* tolerance for job switches, if you have a good story for it. And everyone knows what it's like to graduate from a college that doesn't give you the pick of your companies and you have to spend some time experimenting. However, there is a bare minimum below which questions about your ability to be part of a team that does long term things starts to come into question.
I recently met someone who had 5 stints in 6 years and the longest one being 18 months. This kind of profile makes your CV radioactive, and if you ask me it is not good for you either. If you switch so often, you never get to see the second order effects of the work you do. It also shows you to be the kind of person 'to whom life happens', than someone who is shaping their destiny consciously.
When Hiring Managers and HRs read your CV they are basically asking - can we invest in this person? For that to happen, they not only need to be confident about your skills, but also about the 'investment horizon'. If you're going to leave in 12 - 18 months guaranteed, they wonder if you're going to be worth it.In order to assuage this fear, you should have at least one stint approaching three years. That shows that given the right conditions, you can stick it out. Then with the other stints, the longer the better. That's basically it. Just prove that you've done it once and then you might even get away with all your short stints.
My favourite CVs are those who FAFOed straight out of college, then found a right fit and just went a long way with them. By your third job, you should be able to find some place that works for you.
I also want to say that many short stints is in general a bad idea from a long term career perspective because it marks you out as an opportunist. Far from ideal. I do also know now, after seeing so many CVs, that people who switched jobs have much higher CTCs. Yes, it's not fair. However, be careful of the trap also where you end up with a sky high CTC along with a radioactive resume. Then you're in a double bind.
In general, the advice remains the same -- follow your heart and when you find a good place don't just leave for more money or some shiny new thing. Stick it out. Deal with adversity. Build something beautiful that takes time. It will make you stronger and your CV more attractive.