Raise your hand if you’ve seen the sci-fi film, Starship Troopers. Everyone with their hands down, please find a permanent marker and write “A–hole” on your face. Thanks.
If me calling you an a–hole wasn’t enough motivation, I can certainly drop a few reasons to watch SST immediately. Watch it for ridiculously oversized alien bugs from outer space (funnier than you’d think). Watch it for large guns and weapons from the future. Watch it for Denise Richards. Lastly, watch it for the Brain Bug.
What is the Brain Bug?
For some reason, the alien bugs in SST are a billion times more intelligent than they should be. Humans learn that a certain bug, the Brain Bug, is controlling the alien community and is the most intelligent bug. This Brain Bug goes from human to human, sucking out their brains and becomes smarter with each brain it devours.
Become the Brain Bug
Very few people know what they are doing early in their career. Doctors and lawyers in training know what to expect, but everyone else goes through a learning process to understand what will make them happy in their job/career. To find out what you like, and to also become more skilled, you need to be the Brain Bug!
Some of us like working in a big company, while others would rather work in small environments. How can you know if you don’t try both? Organizations also come in a variety of cultures. Again, you won’t know what makes you happy unless you try a few on for size.
Am I advising you to suck out the brains of each employer you work for? Yes. I am.
Work hard and give your best at work, but also learn as much as possible and benefit from the talent you’ve provided. Make connections and network with colleagues, participate in available training, and leave more skilled and more knowledgeable than you were when you arrived.
What about haters?
Listen, I’m not suggesting you stay for 6 months then just peace out. Don’t do that or you’re stupid and the haters have a right to hate. Stay with each employer for at least 1.5 to 2 years, this provides enough time to soak up experience and skill. You also need to consider your resume. We don’t want it showing 8 jobs after only 5 years in the work force. Yuck.
Generation Y is already perceived as the job hopper generation, so you might as well. Also, managers I’ve worked with haven’t been surprised, or even bothered when Gen Y talent made an early exit. It’s expected of you, unless maybe you land at a dream company like Google or Apple. In that case – stay!
In the end, I don’t think job hopping is all that bad of a tradeoff. Organizations receive determined hard workers that are engaged/excited at work for a couple years, and the Gen Y employee gains valuable experience, skill, and an understanding of what they need to be happy.
My message to haters
Hate the game, but don’t hate the Brain Bug.
Great advice here.
I think too many of us may be expecting to start at the top. If we don’t get a V.P. title 3 months into the job we out of there. That is a side effect of the ‘rock star’ culture we live in. We all think we deserve to be the rock star whether or not we put in the work or not.
I agree that 1.5 to 2 years is a much better period to really gain some transferable knowledge, skills and contacts. There is a lot to learn in every company if you are willing to work. Too bad most people put in so little effort.
Hey John – I agree with a lot of your points here. People expect too much right away. VP titles are usually given to folks with 7-10 years of experience, if not much more. Even at the smallest companies, if you have those titles, the salary isn’t what you’d expect it to be.
I was recently offered a Director level position, but the job was with a small start up and it was no where near the salary that other director level positions have been.
Thanks for your thoughts!
You know, even if the brain sucker leaves an anal-esque orifice in the top of one’s head, there’s no need to tell your readers to label themselves ‘asshole.’
So please, if you tell your readers that they are assholes, please take a magic marker and write something on your own forehead. Guess what it should be.
Hey Foo Bar – Honestly, if all you got out of this is that I called people an ‘asshole’, then I’m not sure how to even respond to you on this.
I’d apologize for offending you, but I’m about 99% sure that I didn’t. Obviously, this post wasn’t to offend, and I’m pretty sure just about everyone got that part just by looking at the other comments.
Rich,
Don’t worry about it. Seems like a troll to me. Think of it as a sign of success of this site that trolls feel the need to ruin the experience of it for others.
Ah, I love trolls, the undeniable proof of great blogging.
Keep leading Rich.
haha I take it he hasnt watched Starship Troopers…
@Edward – I will take it as a good thing for sure. Hopefully “foo bar” didn’t ruin the experience for anyone
@Carlos – Thanks for the support, Carlos!
@Vinay – Doesn’t seem like he has watched it…haha
Haha I love SST!!! What a great movie. I was looking it up online and apparently there’s now 3 of them and a fourth one in planning !?!?
Anyway, I did stay 2 years in my previous job before quitting to pursue my own passions but I must say that when you start a new job, at first it’s amazing, you learn a lot in the first 3 months, then months 3-6 you master what you are doing, then you just hit cruise control from 6 out, and that happened in all the jobs I have held (finance, sales, marketing, etc).
I guess this is why many people are job hoppers now because they are looking for a new challenge. Employers should acknowledge that and keep giving new role/challenges to their younger employees.
Hey Alexandre – You stayed for 2 years, so in my opinion that is very acceptable, and maybe not even considered job hopping to some employers/recruiters. I agree, sometimes a company will load you up with thing sin the first 6 months, and then everything slows down. No good. People leave.
They should look for more challenges, or experiences that Gen Y can learn from, but that is easier said than done for some organizations. Some do this really well, but most fail.
Thanks for the comment!
Hm, after 2-1/2 years at my current job, I am *definitely* ready to job hop and be unemployed for a good month or two…. Basically to take stock of what I’ve learned (I hate sales/retail) and figure out what direction I want to go in. (Try to freelance? New blog? Starbucks barista?)
I’m certainly taking away plenty of lessons learned, some pseudo-manager experience (I’ve played manager before, for the most part, I call it “making sure the store doesn’t burn down.”) and knowing that while I can sell people if I have to, I definitely don’t want to. Or have to work full weekends. Yuck. 😉
Hey Meg – Well, honestly, I wouldn’t just leave your job and hope another one comes along. What I would do is think about what you want to do while at your current job, and then peace out once a new job comes your way.
Write down a list of everything you love and hate about your job now, and then look for something that has plenty more on the “love” side.
Rich –
As a Gen Y’er on the “old” end of the spectrum /sigh/ – I can tell you that I only got more awesome each and every time I “job hopped” and sucked the brains out of the older generations that I worked with.
Seriously its pretty simple formula & if you don’t follow it, you are wasting your time.
Get a job – kick ass at job – suck X’er and Boomers brains – move on to next job – repeat (PS. This can all be done with your current company or at another one)
Hey Sarah – thanks for providing a simple formula for us.
Get a job – Kick ass at job – suck X’er and Boomers brains – move on to next job – repeat.
Perfect.
Does anybody have a can of fava beans and a nice 5 dollar Chianti?
Well, I’m a fan of gaining as much, varied experience as possible, however if you’re clearly knoshing on the brains of yr. employer and not giving your fair share back, you’ll wind up burning bridges and that’s really not the best job hopping strategy.
You’ve really got to leverage your connections and ability to learn as much as possible wherever you are. It takes more creativity do so in certain jobs over others, but it’s important nonetheless. Who knows?
Eventually many Gen Y’ers may find their right fit and stay put longer than a year or two. I suspect we’ll still be hungry for brains though…
HA, your first line made me LOL, and I really hate writing out LOL.
I agree – you need to give back if you are going to take. You can’t leave a company on their shit list. Make solid connections, be seen as a hard working employee, and then take back some as well. Go to a training, use them for part of your masters classes reimbursements, or just use them to make bad ass connections.
Thanks for your thoughts JR!
Your advice is solid in this article. However, a point of contention about dream companies: they are but a single piece in the complex puzzle of job happiness. Even while working at the greatest companies, happiness can be elusive, especially if the people or the actual work aren’t resonating with you. If you’re not happy in your current situation, keep in mind that things might not get better given time – you may need to just tear it down.
Hey Keith – really love that you point out that dream companies aren’t always what they are hashed up to be. The idea of them is sometimes stronger than the level of happiness it brings to an employee. Great points here. Thanks for the comment.
Your first couple of lines had me r.o.l.l.i.n.g. Thank you for that!
In a former life, I worked as a recruiter. I’d like to also emphasize that, as a job seeker, you are not OBLIGATED to list every single position you’ve ever had on your resume–if you’ve done some job hopping, and maybe only were able to stay in a place for X number of months, and you don’t feel it brings much relevance to the position you’re applying for…leave it off! That way, you won’t seem like a job hopper on paper, which will ensure you get in the door for an interview, at which point you can go into more detail if you so choose. Resumes aren’t hard, fast, set-in-stone I-must-include-everything-I’ve-ever-done-or-even-thought-about-doing-or-I’m-a-liar. Not true. Your resume is to showcase, not inundate.
Hey Ash – glad you found some giggles in this.
You make great points, but I always worry about the gap in employment BS that recruiters and managers bring up in interviews. Some people are crazy about that, even when it is a few months of unexplained missing work. Maybe this works if someone stays less than 6 months, then they can leave it off, but when its close to a year, it should always be there…. yes???
What is your cut off for advising people to leave a job off a resume?
Hehe – depending on how deceitful you want to be, you can fill gaps like this with many things. Travel, sports training, started a business, fixed the house etc…
But make sure the agency doesn’t get hold of two completely different copies of your resume. Thats when you’re up the creek.
Vinay – good point. Completing a Masters Degree can always be helpful in this area! 😉
You are absolutely right – large gaps in employment are a red flag. I didn’t mean to imply skipping a whole year–certainly not–and would tend to agree with your estimate of 6 month or less…but only if it was that short term, isn’t relevant (maybe you just took a job because you needed the money, but it didn’t provide you with any professional job skills)…and, worse, on top of it you were fired from that position. That said, its not necessarily bad to include those things, but just be prepared to explain what your motivations were. A resume gets you in the door, but it doesn’t get you the job. You get you the job. So no matter what your past reveals, sit down and think critically about how you can best present yourself and talk about why you’ve done what you have. Be proactive and don’t hesitate to point out good points about yourself – you don’t have to sit and only passively answer the interviewers questions. Be excited. Show it. And mean it – because if you don’t mean it, you shouldn’t be applying in the first place.
One other note: The bureaucracy that manifests itself here and we are forced to abide by –the job seeking process–irritates me. The fact that there are people out there who don’t want to take time off to take risks, have adventures or develop themselves in other ways besides professionally because they are scared to have a gap on their resume and/or be left behind in their career, really sucks. Yet, doing so would, in all likelihood, make a candidate significantly more valuable. Yet, the way our system is set up, instead people are punished for it. There is so much more to a person than can be determined by one sheet of paper, and I’m fairly certain that many HR managers are sorely missing out on some really great employees because they’re making a lot of the calls based on that paper…and whether or not someone has a freaking gap in the consecutive time they’ve spent in the rat race. But I guess that’s exactly why….its not called a race for nothing.
Know what I mean, dawg?
Woah Ash – talk about a tangent.
I agree in that people are punished for doing what they want in life at time. The resume can be unfair and prove to not show the whole person. So much more goes into who someone is that can’t be on the resume.
Thanks for this, Dawg!
There seems to be something mythical about the one year mark of employment. I’ve heard from several sources that you should try to stay with an employer for at least a year, because under a year looks bad on a resume. It just seems odd to me that 12 months looks so much better than 11 months.
I have a friend who almost gave himself an ulcer because of the stress level of his job that he wouldn’t leave until he had put in a year. (His last day on the job was 368 days after starting). After starting as a driver for family services, he got co-opted into being a social worker. He didn’t like it, and really didn’t get much useful out of the job after being there for a couple months. But he wouldn’t quit until he had a year in because he feared that less than that would be a poor reflection on him.
I see no difference in 11 months, than 12 months, but some people go to stupid levels to make it a big deal. Really pointless. Thanks for bringing this up, Edward.
Hey Rich,
Another great post!
I totally agree with this method. I’ve kinda done it naturally because I be a brain sponge and get bored once my learning curve stops..
Although when I prep people for interview I make sure they display the exact opposite – ie complete loyalty and offer to bring more value to the business than they take 😛
But when giving career advice, I say the same thing you do. You tend to see people progress quicker in their careers if they do change companies every few years. You learn more and earn more.
Gone are the days of starting in the mail room and finishing in the board room.
Hey Vinay – as always, thanks for your comments!
I agree, people still need to come off as someone that will bring value and stay committed, but in the end that probably won’t happen.
When you are with a few different organizations you can see how everything works, and how it is different for each company. It’s pretty valuable to understand a few different business models, and learn how a couple different roles can affect those models.
What do suggest to people about recruiters/managers complaining about their job-hopping?
Man there are lots of things you can do, but here are a few suggestions:
– Have specific explanations prepared for each job on why you left – “I wanted a change/new challenge” is not specific.
– Spin your explanations so they sound less self centred. “I got a better offer” – self centred. “I out grew the company” – less self centred
– Focus on what you achieved, learned and why those skills will make you a more valuable employee for this job.
– Hold your frame and back your decisions. Be proud of the job changes you’ve had, they got you to where you are. Be confident and it will shine through in an interview.
– If you made bad decisions in the past – fake it until you make it.
“Fake it until you make it” – perfect.
These are good suggestions, and ones I’ve seen candidates use all the time. Always be proud of the decisions made, and be confident that it was the right decision. A company can smell if you are weary you made the wrong decision, which may turn into a rejection letter.
I loved SST when I saw it, but that’s been awhile. I might have to dig up a copy and invite some friends over this weekend for a refresher!
This advice applies not only to work, but also to any position you hold: work as volunteer, being a student, member of club/fraternity, etc. No matter where you are, be sure and put in the effort and time, you can always learn something new. At the very least, you will make some new connections, and everyone knows that networking is key in today’s world.
Hey Matthew – good advice. Not just work, but every other area in life. Networking is surely key to building yourself and gaining opportunity. Continue to experience new things and you’ll experience reward.
Thanks for the comment.
You bring up a great point Rich. I wrote a paper last semester about gen-Y work cultures. The research I found was amazing. Gen-Y is an ambitious group of individuals and willing to find new opportunities as they come. I think what makes gen-yers job hop is that most organizations haven’t made the switch to adapt to the wave of gen-y. Gen-y demands a important role in to company and are willing to work hard if their promotions are based off their performance instead of climbing the corporate ladder.
Hey Tony – would love to see your paper! Maybe we can talk offline about it…?
I don’t care much about the corporate ladder. As long as I have a job that is valuable to me, and one that is flexible and rewarding, then I’m happy. Also, when I feel stuck, consider me gone.
Thanks for bringing up your research paper!
Definitely Rich!! I sent you my paper to the email on your blog. I’m always open to chat.
Tony – I’ll definitely be checking that out this week. We should chat sometime this week….
This is a good thought process. I think that no recruiter, especially in these economic times should hold a short stint at a company against any candidate. It does get difficult when you want to progress to a true leadership role within a company (C-Level, Operations, VP, etc.). I am all for sucking up as much knowledge as you can dependent on the context, for some areas it may be difficult especially if each role you transition to is significantly different or does not connect to the other – that is where people can run into career trouble!
Good one again
Thanks for offering your thoughts Benjamin. I do agree with you on your comment about progressing to a leadership role, but my thought is that unless you know you love the company and culture, why would you want to be a leader there? That doesn’t make sense to me.
The first 5-6 years of a Gen Y career should be spent learning about the company they’d like to work for and to gain experience and skills to help them in their long-term career. Then once they know what makes them happy they should set out to attain their goals, and if becoming a C-level employee is a goal, then commit and stay as long as possible to attain that goal.
Thanks!
Mmm when someone is made redundant, I always ask the question “why you?”
Unless the whole company shut down, there is probably someone better than you left in that company. And that person is probably nervous about their job security. Id prefer to give them a call before hiring you unless you have a dam good reason why I shouldn’t. But thanks for letting me know they exist 🙂
I like that you take the “Why you?” approach, instead of just glorifying them, making them feel that they were “the one”.
There is always someone else, but for whatever reason they weren’t found. In some cases that person can be the best fit, but probably more times than not there is someone else who would have been best.
Agreed on book vs movie but I love the point of this post – Don’t leave empty handed. Don’t take the staplers and pens, but take the knowledge and experience with you. I’ve seen so many people come in and out of the jobs I worked at that left with no changes from when they came in. What’s the point?
Chris, I laughed when you said “Don’t take staplers and pens”. LOL. Some people actually would rather leave with cool SWAG and shit than actual career boosting skills. Pretty sad, and kind of lame that people do it.
Why go someplace, and not make the most of it? Even if the job sucks, there are probably things you can learn that will help later.
Thanks for this comment and your insight
Love the link to starship troopers! Although I guess I have to write asshole on my forehead…..
Hey Lindsey – I’ll let it slide. Go grab a pen, instead of a marker and write it out. Then watch the movie, and go wash it off. So simple!
Thanks for the comment, my friend, and seriously check out the film.
I wasn’t quite sure how you were going to pull off a SST comparison to Gen Y job search, but you did manage to pull it off quite well, actually!
Hi Melissa – I’m not quite sure why SST came to mind, but it did, and I went with it. Thanks for the comment on this. Hope all is well!
My brothers and I were huge SST fans when we were younger…might have been too young to get the big picture stuff, but anything that eats brains is kinda awesome. The sponge approach to life is huge. Even if it isn’t in a job, but somewhere in your community, you can try out all kinds of roles and responsibilities.
Thanks to this post, I guess I’m expanding my zombie kick to include bugs this week…
Hey Emily, here is my favorite part about what you said:
“but anything that eats brains is kinda awesome” Awesome!
Looks like you are definitely on a zombie kick, but toss in some SST and you have yourself a party. Life is about experiences and learning IMO. I suggest people try to soak up as much as possible so that they are more prepared for their next experience, or know what makes them tick.
First of all, I have seen SST which is good because I can’t find my permanent marker! As a friendly amendment to your video recommendation, I would suggest everyone READ SST – the book by Robert Heinlein – it’s much better than the movie!
Second, when doing career coaching with Gen Y, I stress how important it is for each to manage their own career and not rely on the company where you work to do it for you. Specifically, in the job interview, ask “what skills and competencies will I be able to learn in the first 6, 12, and 18 months in the position and how will that learning occur?” And then work with your boss to assure that learning occurs.
DrJohn
Hey John – thanks for the comments here. I’ve heard a lot about the book, but I haven’t read it!
Bring up a great point about trying to figure out what you can learn in the first 18 months. The first few jobs a new Gen Y workers takes on are so critical to their career. Not only in the learned skills, but also financially. Making moves early on, will set them up in the future.
I agree. As good as the movie is, the book is 100 times better. But I’m also biased. Heinlein is my favorite author. I’ve never been quite able to figure out if the movie is supposed to be a serious adaptation, or just makes fun of the book. Just like the book DUNE is more about ecology than trying to control the universe’s supply of worm droppings, Heinlein wrote SST as a treatise about a different kind of political system.
Ok, enough of my literary rant. This is good advice. Also, I would recommend, while at a job, to get to know your supervisor and have conversations with them. At one time, they were entry level workers, too. If they feel like you are interested in them and that they are helping you, they will have no problem sharing their knowledge.
At my last job, I was a greenhouse grower, and my boss and I talked about plants so much that, if it was condensed into a series of lectures, would have been enough credits for a minor in ag science.
Hi Edward, well another person suggests the book. I need to get on that. Definitely talk to supervisors as much as possible. If you can bond with them early on, they will be more understanding when it is time to move on. They understand that at some point you might have nothing else to learn, or no where else to go in the company. My first supervisor was my mentor, and my friend, and when I decided to leave after 2 years, he supported my decision. That was extremely helpful.
What I’ve never been able to understand is the job-hopping mentality without soaking up the information / mentoring opportunities that many employers offer. I’ve seen a lot of folks mention that they kept moving on because they weren’t getting the training / validation that they wanted, yet at the same time they wouldn’t stay long enough to actually GET it.
It is kind of frustrating sometimes to hear of folks complaining about things like that. You will never gain anything in the first 6 months from a company. The serious training initiatives come after a year usually, and that is when you can start learning a great deal. Thanks for the comment, Norcross!