Why have you switched jobs so many times?

Interview Preparation
#1

If you’ve switched jobs in a very short period of time (2 or more full-time positions in 1 year), the interviewer is bound to ask about it.

After all, job-hopping is one of the biggest red flags for HR managers.

True, you might have had a reasonable cause. Maybe the second company you got hired in just wasn’t a good culture fit for you.

Well, you’ll have to communicate that.

Companies tend to be skeptical because of the following reasons…

  • You might be a job hopper. Some people tend to switch jobs the moment they get a better salary offer.
  • You might be unqualified for the job and you quit because you couldn’t deliver.
  • You get bored easily and your solution to that is quitting.

So, your job here is to convince the interviewer that you don’t belong to any of those 3 categories.

You need to make them realize that you will not jump ship a few months after getting hired just because some recruiter PM’d you on LinkedIn with a better offer.

The best way to answer this question is to explain the reason you switched jobs. It could be one of the following:

  • The company culture wasn’t a good fit. This happens to the best of us - sometimes, the company just isn’t the right one.
  • The job description was misleading and you ended up doing something you either didn’t enjoy, or were not qualified for.
  • You learned that you simply didn’t enjoy the job, and are not willing to try out something different. While this isn’t the best potential answer, it’s honest and chances are, the HR manager will understand.