Columnist

Can you really judge someone by their CV?

A CV can tell us a lot about someone’s career. 

It can also reduce years of complex decisions and circumstances to a handful of dates, job titles and employer names.

One pattern that attracts particular attention is job hopping.

When someone has moved roles several times within a relatively short period, there are reasonable questions to ask. 

Will they stay? Are their expectations realistic? Will the business invest in their onboarding, development and relationships, only for them to leave as they begin making their greatest contribution?

However, recognising that risk is different from assuming every job move carries the same meaning.

It is difficult to ignore how much the world of work has changed, and with it the factors influencing career decisions. 

Many people now work against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, organisational restructuring and rapidly evolving industries. 

Traditional career ladders have become less predictable, while external moves can provide progression, broader experience and increased earnings that may not be available internally.

This does not mean every move is driven by circumstances outside someone’s control. 

Individual choices, expectations and accountability matter too. 

Nor is it an argument for ignoring a consistent pattern of short stays. 

Past behaviour may provide useful evidence, but only if we understand what was driving it.

Effective leaders tend to be curious about career decisions, rather than reductive in their interpretation of them. 

What motivated each decision? Was the person moving towards greater responsibility or repeatedly away from similar challenges? 

What did they achieve while they were there? What conditions would encourage them to stay and grow?

This matters beyond recruitment.

How we interpret career behaviour influences who we develop, promote and include in succession plans. 

It can also reveal something about our own organisations.

If people repeatedly feel they must leave to progress, we should examine whether internal opportunities, career conversations and development pathways are keeping pace with their ambitions.

Every appointment is an investment, and businesses are right to consider whether they are likely to see a return. 

But avoiding anyone with an unconventional career history carries a risk too. 

Organisations may overlook adaptable, experienced people who could bring valuable capability and fresh thinking.

Job hopping could prompt questions, but it does not answer them.

Modern careers are complex, and our interpretation of them must become more sophisticated too.

That’s often where specialist partners can add real value, bringing perspective, insight and challenge to the assumptions we make about talent and potential.

Lauren Bathan is associate director - HR Partnership at Newcastle, Teesside and Leeds-based recruitment and outsourced HR services provider Jackson Hogg

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