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their own areas and share their skills
throughout the organization.
“I’ve seen many young professionals
actually get exposure to senior leaders
and other opportunities through
volunteer efforts or supporting a
passion area that also was a key
initiative for the business,” Harrison
said. “Don’t let the current job
description define or limit you in terms
of how you deliver or behave.”
Ultimately, you may end up finding
that your first job isn’t for you. But the
decision to make the most of it—to learn,
to grow and to experience—is entirely
up to you. Make the choice to never
limit yourself no matter where you may
find yourself and to accept every
opportunity as a new adventure.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
BEFORE HOPPING
What am I
MISSING
in my current
role that I want in the next one?
Does this really require a career
move or am I able to seek
ADJUSTMENTS?
Have I
LEARNED
everything I
can from this role? Have I
ACCOMPLISHED
all that I
wanted to in this role?
Is this new role I’m considering the
best role for me
AT THIS TIME?
Does this new role help me achieve
my personal
GOALS?
JOB-HOPPING
If you are not familiar with the term
“job-hopping,” it is best defined as
spending a short amount of time in
one position before taking a new one.
Often, those who are considered serial
job-hoppers will take more than four
different jobs in ten years. While this
trend has been around for decades,
neither Struck nor Harrison are
concerned by it.
“I think we’ve instead tried to focus
on creating the right experiences and
opportunities that stimulate this desire
to do something different more
frequently while contributing in a
meaningful way,” Harrison said. “When
you are able to do this well, you satisfy
the desire for a job change within your
own four walls.”
Job-hopping allows an individual to
be exposed to multiple opportunities
but it can also create headaches for
your employer left to pick up the pieces
once you’ve left. More so, you could be
cheating yourself out of learning all that
you could from a short employment.
“The bigger challenge is when a
person hops from job to job with no
semblance of reason,” Struck said. “It
could be company to company, or into
various areas. This can have a negative
impact on the candidate as companies
may think they are not going to be
dedicated to the organization or role
long term.”
Both Harrison and Struck agreed
that between two and three years is a
good time-frame to experience a career
before considering a change. The first
year is a learning experience in which
you are able to fully understand your
role.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR CHOICE
You can look at salary figures, health
care, or workplace perks, but all
companies are ultimately going to offer
you a solid package. Struck insists that
the culture of the company, the team
you will be working with, and other
non-monetary components are more
important when considering a new role.
“You will be spending a significant
amount of time with the people you
work with and the company, so it’s
important a student considers whether
the organization is one they would
be proud to work for and would refer
friends,” Struck said.
Beyond the culture, also consider
how the organization could help you
achieve your professional goals. Like all
things, your goals will likely change, but
it’s beneficial to go into a new role with
aspirations in mind and how this new
role could aid in achieving them.
“The opportunity to learn and grow
represent the intangibles that can
really make a difference in regards to a
person’s career trajectory,” Harrison said.
“Career development has been a huge
focus for us at Bayer and we see the
return in our engagement scores and
retention of great talent.”
Harrison said that she has seen good
working environments “springboard”
employees into involvement outside of
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