When sales hiring managers see a “Forrest Gump” resume (different job every couple years, i.e. shrimp boat captain, army, runner, ping pong, etc), they’re gonna dig into the lack of tenure in the interview.

And while there are advantages to job hopping (10% bump in base, more responsibility sooner (are you ready for it?)), here’s some feedback as to how it can be perceived to hiring managers:

First, when a resume comes across with four or five stints of less than 2 years, there is an immediate question of “Why haven’t they succeeded?” It’s impossible to sustain success in such a short time period, and the assumption is likely that the candidate never got “over the hump” in a role that didn’t hit two years. If the candidate talks about the amazing success they had there, why leave? The easiest way to retain sales employees is to cut them that big check every quarter, but that only happens when they’re hitting numbers.

Second, ‘cheats with you, cheats on you’. The candidate has established themselves as someone who will quickly jump at the next shiny object, so there’s a higher level of risk with bringing this candidate on. The reasons for the transitions may all be legitimate, and the candidate will likely have the opportunity to address them. It doesn’t change the fact that there is now an established track record, and it’s absolutely in the back of the mind of the hiring manager.

To be clear, job hopping doesn’t make a candidate a bad person, it just lowers the perception of the quality of the candidate, in the eyes of experienced hiring managers.

The metrics behind sales employee retention and sales organization success are so critical, that this fact will be a consideration during the hiring process.

I realize this is a tough balance, and a few instances of jumping are fine, but when you find the right organization, buckle down, and commit to success. Building a network in the space, having your options vest, getting repetitions.

Trust me, it pays off.