An Unstable Work History Might Not Always Indicate The Wrong Candidate – Here Is Why?

When it comes to selecting the right candidates for an executive job post, the recruiters tend to focus on learning about their employment history. In fact it is a common trend among recruiters to give preference to candidates with a stable work history. This is because the professionals from the top headhunting firms in China are generally of the opinion that having a stable work history is indicative of the trustworthiness and even competence of the candidates. However, this might not always be true as the candidates with an unstable work history might actually have justifiable reasons for the same and may actually prove to be the perfect fit for a specific position.

What Unstable Work History Means?

Most recruiters define unstable work history as the tendency of candidates to change jobs frequently. In some cases, candidates having a gap between jobs are also placed within this category. It is a common perception amongst recruiters that such candidates are concerned only with their own career growth and do not set much score by concepts of loyalty, team work and organizational growth. The recruiters are also of the opinion that such frequent job hoping makes the candidates untrustworthy and unsuitable for appointment a in a key executive position. Any gaps in the career of the candidates are also considered to be indicative of the careless and callous approach of the candidates towards their profession.

Reasons That Might Justify Unstable Work History

In order to assess the suitability of a candidate for a specific job role, the best executive search firms on China stress on the importance of understanding the causes of an unstable work history. It might surprise many recruiters to learn that the actual reasons might be truly justifiable and might make the candidates a perfect fit for the proposed job roles. Some such reasons are discussed in brief as follows.

Lack Of Enough Growth Opportunities

It is an established fact that that the best candidates are often self motivated and innovative. Hence, they might feel trapped working for organizations that do not offer them enough growth opportunities. This might lead them to switch jobs frequently for ensuring better growth and development on a personal and professional level.

A Toxic Work Environment

A bad boss, unsupportive colleagues and biased work culture are other reasons that might lead a good candidate to quit an organization soon after joining it. Many candidates also take the decision due to the unwillingness of the employers to fulfil the promises made by them during the hiring process.

For Health Reasons

It is not uncommon for employees to suffer from specific health issues when exposed to certain environments. In such cases, if the environment cannot be changed, the employees are left with no other alternative than to seek other job options which are more suitable for their overall health and well being.