Everyone talks about switching companies for TC and coming back or switching again after 1-2 years. Does this look bad on your resume? Or is this the norm now? Is 2 years the norm or is it 1?
FWIW, I’m junior and I’ve already had short stints (6 mo, 1 year) in the past. Looking to leave after 1 year since G isnt the place for me).
Edit: I mentioned TC as common motivation on Blind, but I am personally looking for a startup with more learning and growth opportunities.
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While it may help you in the short term with TC increases, it will hurt you in the long term since it makes you look undependable.
But if you find yourself in a streak oh 4-6 "shit companies" might be worthwhile to look inside and see if you are the cause and not the companies.
Until n unless you can explain your work and reason to come out, should be fine
It takes nearly 6 months to understand the ins and outs of the project. I'm just an l4 but even the l5s with 6 to 8 yoe who join my team take time to get a grasp of the systems before starting to meaningfully contribute. They might have a thorough understanding of the tech stack but it takes times to understand what other engineers have built.
But to that comment about M&A sucking the life out of tech...
Agree.
150% agree.
Also agree on when you land a great company with great benefits & comp - it's foolish to leave unless you stagnate professionally.
You're either crazy, in which case I don't want to work with you, or you can't take feedback or work well with others, in which case I definitely don't want to work with you.
In any case, if someone can't keep a job for a year, every time I've given them a shot I can see why pretty fast.
I think the more important factors are (1) the amount of impact you’ll have had (and whether you completed complex projects), and (2) whether this signals that you will not stay long in the next role.
(1) is not particularly important if you are a fast learner, or already ramped up. I see some engineers make a lot of impact on a team and move on. Neither factors are very important at a startup I’d guess. Recruiters similarly only care if you stay one year.
5 years is long enough. 3 years is good duration for first 10 years of your career.
Next 1 year to establish one self in organization. Next 1 year is the payback time.
That's why, I said 3 years is the appropriate time. Fair for everyone.
Who sit in same company for years and years in the same role are unskilled. If you’re growing and is proud about the work you are doing then is a exception.
Are you one of them?
Working in same company for years in same level.
Just asking.
But hopping has allowed me to network enough to understand my place in the hierarchical structure, at least where my niche expertise is concerned.
For my part, you're not likely to find anyone better unless they've been doing it way longer. In 5 years, I have attained strong credentials by designing and building really cool shit in the realm of Cisco Unified Communications.
I'm not the best, but I'm at least in the upper-80s/low-90-something percentile.
Maybe the people who job hop all the time are unskilled at making lasting contributions to their teams such that they get promoted to higher levels.
IMO, staying in one role puts you at a high risk of being stuck in the same position at the same comp long-term.
Please note that this is what I've observed in non-SWE IT. SWE is probably different.
While applying/interviewing for my fourth job, there was one company that claimed to have a problem with my job hopping (after having me go through 2 phone interviews and interviewing with 5 people on-site. 🙄)
I’m happy I did the job hopping though; it allowed me to more than double the salary that I was earning from my first job.
Everyone who is confident enough to negociate and make TC knows switching jobs when you have the opportunity to get much more and still like your work participates in the hopping system.
Companies these days reward you for that. Heck even IBM fires you if you don't (re: news story about them letting older employees go).
Could have been a confused recruiter, but that's how she explained it and I bounced over it.