No manager wants to hire someone who is going to quit after a year on the job. But how can you tell whether a candidate is going to stick around, especially if they have a history of job hopping? Start by taking a closer look at their resume and noticing when the short stints occurred. There were massive layoffs in nearly every part of the economy from 2007 to 2010. So when you look at the resumes of people whose short stints fall in those years, focus on what they did to rebuild their careers. Then, when the candidate comes in for an interview, dig deeper. For each job, ask two questions: Why did they leave the position, and why did they take the next one? Listen for patterns. Is she consistently negative about the places she worked? Or her bosses? Or colleagues? If the person always leaves for more responsibility and your organization has room for growth, you may have found the perfect hire.
Adapted from "How to Interview and Assess a Serial Job Hopper," by Priscilla Claman
