Résumé Question
 

In your opinion (professional or otherwise), does bouncing between jobs look bad on a résumé? I was in the same position for about 4 years during undergrad. I got a real world job in September of '12, took a higher position in the same department in July of '13, and am potentially taking yet another position in the coming weeks.

Does 3 different positions in <2 years look bad? I did not leave any of those positions for any reason other than I was movin' up in the world.

Just wondering.

All for same company and promotions with more responsibility? If so looks good.
For different companies? Not so good.

Well, they have all been at the University of New Mexico. Two different departments, potentially three if I am offered this position.

Unless they're being really thorough they won't examine precise dates...you could merge the Sept 12/July 13 job into one?

Everyone cheats or at least bends the rules, honest people can get left behind in the world of job interviews and HR.

No. Assuming you are in the same company, you actually don't have 3 different jobs. You have a history of excellence that was rewarded by promotion.

EX:
Pricewaterhouse Coopers Sept 2012 - Present

Account Rep. Sept 2012 - Jun 2013
I did shit

Account Manager June 2013 - Dec 2013
I was given more shit to do with a new title

Customer Relations Lead Dec 2013 - Present
I was so badass I'm head of department


This looks a lot better than:

Gas Station ARCO - Teller Sept 2012 -Jun 2013

Retail Sales Person Jun 2013 - Dec 2013

McDonalds Manager Dec 2013 - Present


It's all about context. Getting promoted inside the company is never bad. If you're moving companies with a frequency less than 2 years, then yes, this looks bad.

Source: I'm a professional.

What August said, I think you've gotten some good advice in this thread. All that matters for a resume is getting the interview then you sell yourself.

Interview is tomorrow. I am very, very confident and quite qualified for the position. Pretty excited! Would be a huge pay bump, too. Liiiiike, $13k/year more.

Don't just be over-qualified. There are tons of people that are over qualified. Very few truly show effort which is what every employer seeks.

KNOW more about their company than they do about you. Do your research on them and have a set of questions for them showing so.

Go to Linkedin and find the person you are interviewing w/ now and connect with them. Make sure your profile there matches your resume too.

Go get'em girl.

I do a lot of hiring (and firing :( ) and it really depends on the job you are looking at and what their needs are.

On the one hand, if I'm interviewing candidates for a position that I need to have someone stay in for an extended period of time, I would probably pass over your resume. Not that it's a general negative on your resume that you changed your positions that quickly, but I would assume you either get bored and move on or you are a motivated individual looking for rapid advancement. Now, if I was interviewing for a position that I knew would eventually open an opportunity to something your resume seems fit for (based usually on skill sets), I would look at it as a positive. Most of the time I'm looking for highly driven individuals that are self-motivated and have excellent organization and computer skills. Generally, when I start the process, I am looking for a specific set of criteria as a base starting point, and seeing position changes within an institution like that would not disqualify you if you met the base criteria.

I would definitely ask about the job changes during the interviewing process. I would ask something like 'what prompted or motivated the changes in position during your time at the University?'. Your answer there would be key.

I hope they ask this because my answers are very legitimate, I think. . .

-Left my four year job because it was a student job, moved up and into the real world
-Left my 9/12-7/13 position because it was an administrative job, moved on to a managerial position (much more in line with what I was qualified for and capable of)
-Interested in moving positions again (to the job I am interviewing for tomorrow) because I am not really challenged in my current position. I'm very good at what I do now, but I would like more engaging work. (and better pay, obvs.)