Adulting 101: People around me are job-hopping. Am I missing out by not doing the same?

SINGAPORE — I have a friend who is earning at least 30 per cent more than me, even though we work in the same industry.
We catch up once or twice a year, and every time we do, I can’t help but wonder: How did that happen? 
I suspect it has a lot to do with the fact that he has changed jobs many times since we both graduated. Almost every time I meet him, he has a new job, and each time he moves to a new company, he negotiates a higher salary.
Job-hopping is quite common among people my age, with many advocates saying it is a good way to quickly raise your salary and pick up new skills.
But the truth is that I find the practice mystifying. For starters, how do job-hoppers find the confidence to jump to a new company, or even industry, every year or so? Are there risks or consequences they are ignoring?
And am I missing out by not job-hopping too?
To find some answers to my questions, I began by speaking to some job-hoppers. 
Mr Jorden Tan, 34, a programme lead at fintech company Tenity, told me he was unsure of what he wanted to do in his early 20s after graduating with a degree in biomedical engineering.
“Biotechnology was the hottest thing back then, so I joined a government agency where I was involved in cancer research,” he said. “But it got too morbid for me because I was killing mice almost every day.” 
So, he decided to try something new — sales and marketing. He eventually joined a medical sales company while studying for a part-time degree, but he only worked there for several months before leaving, because he said it had a toxic work environment. 
Meanwhile, Mr Kenneth Chan, 36, now an assistant director for integrated marketing, saw the opportunity to job-hop after accumulating S$100,000 in savings when he was 28. 
With such a neat sum of money saved up, he felt he could try different roles to find what best suited him.
He took up roles in direct-to-consumer and business-to-business sales, then became a project manager at an education and training provider, and later a senior executive at two local universities. 
These varied experiences gave him a better idea of what he needed to feel fulfilled in his career.
“Being in the education sector was more relaxing compared with sales, but I didn’t enjoy it because I realised I needed something with higher stakes, like back when I had to chase sales targets,” he said. 
Eventually, Mr Chan found a sweet spot in the marketing role he has now.
Mr Tan and Mr Chan’s experiences align with what several human resource experts told me: Job-hopping is not always driven by a desire for more money.
Mr Richard Bradshaw, the chief executive of recruitment consultancy Ethos BeathChapman Asia, said job-hopping can be unavoidable when some seemingly well-informed decisions turns sour. 
This should not affect the hiring process as long as candidates are transparent about their work history, he added. 
Mr Kenji Naito, the chief executive officer of recruitment agency Reeracoen agreed, saying that a candidate should be able to show that his or her job changes were strategic moves.
Otherwise, they may be perceived as being uncommitted and unreliable, he said.
With that in mind, he added, it is wise not to job-hop excessively.
“Excessively frequent job changes, such as three times in a year, may not align with a sustainable career development approach.”
Most employers I spoke to also said they do not automatically reject candidates whose resumes show a track record of job-hopping, though they feel commitment is an asset especially for more senior roles.
Mr He Ruiming, co-founder of content company The Woke Salaryman, said that before jumping to conclusions, it’s important to understand the motivations behind the candidate’s history of job hopping. 
“I’ve been a job-hopper myself. So, I don’t think it’s an immediate red flag, but it does affect how I might view a candidate,” he said.
“For example, I believe in reciprocity. If most of your roles are under one year. I might still hire you, but I’ll note that you might not stay more than a year in my company, too. I might also consider you for a freelance role.”
But when hiring for a senior position, Mr He said he would likely consider someone who has put in a good number of years at each company they have worked at, and who has long-term experience in affecting change and managing teams.
Mr Adam Piperdy, founder of event management firm Unearthed, said recent manpower shifts in the company, which became more common after Covid-19, have compelled him to change his mindset when it comes to hiring. 
“There’s an upside to employees changing jobs every couple of years. They get experience working in different companies and are exposed to other business models,” he said.
“They could bring a higher impact than someone who worked 10 years in one company. Maybe this person is resistant to change.”
Likewise, Ms Elayne Soh, chief executive officer of healthcare group Beyond Medical, said job-hopping in her field of work could indicate a deliberate effort to broaden expertise.
“(This) can be beneficial… For example, exposure to various fields like operations, corporate communications, sales and marketing could improve skills and adaptability, ultimately benefiting our team and patients.” 
As for Mr Iman Yusoff, managing director of cargo and freight company IndoBox Asia, he said his team does not usually entertain candidates with resumes indicative of consistent job-hopping. 
“We feel they are just there to get the next (pay bump), and after some time, they get another offer, and they will hop again,” he said.
“I’m concerned with the cost of training new hires because it takes time and resources that can be channelled to something more productive for the company.”
Another question I had was how job-hoppers manage to jump across different industries with seeming ease, despite the very different skillsets sometimes required.
Mr Tan’s response: “You need a common denominator skill that’s transferable.”
For example, if someone is good at research in medicine, they can sell themselves as being able to write research papers for a tech company, he said.
“The content is different, but the skill is the same,” he noted.
He added: “If you have no complementary skillset, for example, you want to be a content writer one day but now work in retail, you can start a blog and publish some of your work online in your free time.”
Similarly, Mr Chan said he has had to constantly build and update his portfolio. 
“I had to be strategic by identifying the industries suited for me and upskill myself in my own time based on the needs of certain roles or sectors.” 
This is admirable, and although I cherish stability in life, I see that it can be necessary to shake things up a little when the time calls for it.
But I am also more assured that I am not necessarily missing out by not being a job-hopper: It is a process that requires a lot of forethought and long-term strategic planning for your career, not to mention a lot of physical and mental energy to go through a job interview process every year or so.
Sure, when I heard how much my job-hopping friend was earning in his newest job, I was a little envious and started regretting my life decisions.
But when I look back at my contributions in my previous roles, as few as they may be compared with my friend’s, I feel an immense sense of achievement. 
And as someone who values quality over quantity — and sometimes, passion over reason — I would not have done it any other way. 
Amanda Yeap is a senior journalist at TODAY who writes about careers and workplaces, sustainability and animal welfare.