Once upon a time it was not considered smart to be moving from job to job each year but in this market, it may actually be beneficial to get a taste of different jobs to broaden a skill set to remain relevant to employers. It is critical to remain aware and knowledgeable about the current tech trends and changes that are happening in the industry.

A recent study even shows that most tech professionals consider their average tenure at any given position to be between one and three years. Of course, there are benefits to either being a “lifer” somewhere or being a job hopper – we will explore both and in the end help to decipher which of these employers are really looking for.

More opportunity, more money. In today’s IT job market there are tons of jobs in a variety of different fields. One of the benefits of moving from job to job is increasing your knowledge base. Employers sometimes are weary of potential employees that have been at one or two companies for extended amounts of time – are they too settled? Is their knowledge stale? Do they know about all parts of the business? Employers are looking for you to be an expert in one thing but to also be a jack-of-all-trades that they can rely on for fresh knowledge. On a personal level, to grow and develop your career you must expose yourself to a verity of work environments and responsibilities. Changing it up will only increase what you can bring to the table for potential employers and we know what that leaders to… bigger paychecks.

Fruits of your labor. One of the biggest reasons people turn into “lifers” at companies is to see the results of their hard work. Staying at a company for an extended amount of time allows employees to see their ideas accepted, implemented and evaluated. This is valuable in developing knowledge and leadership skills. Hard work pays off and there’s nothing like seeing your ideas in action and the results appreciated. There is also something to be said for the relationships that are formed when you are at a company for years. You not only learn the system of the business but you develop relationships and trust with your peers in and out of the office.

So, who gets picked? When recruiters are assessing candidates there are many things they take into consideration with previous job experience. Some are looking for longevity to know they will get a good ROI on candidates they hire. They like the way commitment looks. However, they primarily want to know your story. Why did you leave each of these jobs? A personal or family situation? Downsizing? An acquisition? Whatever the reasons are, they want to know them and know your career story. Where have you been and where are you looking to go? Being clear about both of these is the priority. In the end, companies are looking to innovate. They want to find the right person for the right position at the right time. Whether that is a lifer that is going to serve as an anchor in the company for 10 years or a millennial that is going to come in for 2 years and bring knowledge about the latest and greatest, companies need to both to survive in the constantly evolving world of tech.