As a programmer, I feel like we are more likely to be wooed away from our jobs (for money or challenge.) Why do companies still see it as a commitment issue when it's really the company's fault of not retaining the talent?
What is often? Every year? Every 6 months?<p>I have been asked during interviews why I left job A or B, and I just explained "The company ran out of money" or "They hired me to do something but then completely changed direction", etc. If you have a reason to explain why you left I don't think anyone can see that as a problem.<p>You said it, as developers we sometimes work for unstable companies, we take a bet and sometimes we lose. So what? We move on.<p>I would hire a guy who changes jobs every year over someone who's been in the same position for 10 years.<p>However, companies try to maintain this climate of "you have to commit!" because they want to use people guilt to keep them. It always baffles me to see companies who demand loyalty from their employees but have no problem letting them go when times are tough.
Presumably there's an up-front cost to hiring a permanent employee that they count on amortising over N years - leaving after a few months means they've (probably) wasted time, money, and effort.<p>(Although I would agree that the onus is on the company to set expectations at the start and play fair. I've left permanent positions twice after 3 months due to terrible working environments that they refused to sort out.)
The companies are not the problem really, it's the people who think the company that need to solve this is really the problem. Want more challenges and the company doesn't have them or cannot give you these don't switch companies, work part-time on another project or your personal projects. I think that's the best plan, quitting jobs all the time is not going anywhere.
> Why do companies still see it as a commitment issue...<p>Multiple job-hops are a likely indicator of an individuals poor decision quality. Such a person won't put in the time required to make the work situation better. They're perceived as emotional, impatient, and poor team players.<p>Incidentally, the employer views your role as someone who can help move 'his' agenda forward. Perhaps a bit Old School; he's not there to mollycoddle and entertain your needs.
When recruiting, I do check applicants resumes for a pattern to their tenure. I am recruiting to solve a problem, and I don't want that problem to recur too quickly. I know that programmers can usually find new jobs much more easily than other professions and than spending 5+ years with one company is unusual.<p>I expect new grads to switch jobs after 12-18 months. This is a pattern that most (maybe all?) companies find hard to break. Wanderlust is natural at this stage in your career. It's not a problem.<p>It's not unusual for some people to join one workplace and leave after less than 3 months. Bad fit/dubious hiring practices/poisonous work environments happen. It's often better to leave quickly, especially if you still have irons in the fire from previous job hunting efforts. Again, not a problem.<p>However, an application with 10 years of experience across 10 different positions may have a problem. That does not mean that it will prevent you from getting an interview, but it does mean that I am going to ask you about it, so have a good explanation ready.
The older the company, the less they like it. Loyalty in some places will replace skill... Even when a VP asked me about my 6 jobs in 10 years, I replied: 'same as you, been working at a lot of startups'...although I dont think the answer was the most diplomatic.
Just to follow on with the OPs question, I don't understand it as well.<p>Given this example and considering yourself as a self-utility-maximizing-agent (just as a company considers itself), why would it be bad to walk away from 1 job to another when you are being rewarded with some financial gain that warrants it?<p>Eg. Working for a sweatshop earning $20 an hour and then getting a chance to work for a high-end firm that offers remote-working at $80 an hour?<p>Are you that bad for leaving?
As someone who has stuck with a company for four years, I am terrified that I won't be able to get another job. It seems like you are "damaged goods" if you stay at place longer than three years that isn't a huge tech company.<p>So, no. It's not that bad to switch jobs often. Maybe every 2-3 years.
A typical project where I work usually runs for 18months to 2 years. I wouldn't hire someone who changed jobs every year because IMO people who never stick around to see a project to completion have a tendency to make very short term project decisions and leave before it negatively impacts them.