Q: I don't seem to be able to get a job interview. I am an honest, successful, hard-working employee who has switched jobs four times in the last five years. I never have been fired or laid off, and every job change was for a good reason.
But now I'm not getting any responses to my resume. Recruiters say it is because I have "job-hopped," but, honestly, I have not found the right fit. After one year with my current employer, I am absolutely miserable. What am I to do?
A: When reviewing resumes, employers try to predict which applicants are most likely to become happy, productive contributors to their organizations. Because the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, one look at your job history convinces them that you are not a good long-term risk. So they decide not to waste time talking to you.
Instead of worrying about your lack of interviews, you should be worrying about why you've had five jobs that failed to work out. When an event keeps repeating, there is usually an underlying cause.
For example, if a guy gets divorced three times, odds are he has a problem with either spouse selection or marital adjustment. Until he understands how he's creating this problem, more botched relationships lie ahead.
Because you are contemplating your fifth job change in as many years, something clearly is wrong with either your work selection process or your work adjustment process. So, before switching jobs again, you need to take a long, hard look in the mirror.
Here are a few reasons why people change jobs repeatedly. They don't really enjoy their chosen professions. They get bored once the novelty of new jobs wears off. They have unrealistic expectations about pay or promotions. They resent authority and have trouble getting along with management.
Does any of those sound like you?
To identify your pattern, list all your "good reasons" for changing jobs and see if you can find a common thread. Try to figure out why you either pick jobs that are a bad fit or have trouble adjusting once you are there. Unless you diagnose the underlying cause of your constant dissatisfaction, this job-hopping pattern is likely to continue.
- Marie G. McIntyre is an Atlanta-based workplace coach. Her weekly column is syndicated by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. Send questions at www.yourofficecoach.com.