Latest / Job Hopping with Fexingo: Tenure, Loyalty, and the Modern Career Resume / How Job Hoppers Can Turn Short Tenures Into a Networking Goldmine
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, I was looking at a study from LinkedIn a while back that found the average professional now changes jobs every four years. But for someone listening to this show, that number's probably closer to eighteen months. Luna: Eighteen months feels about right for our crowd. And that always gets framed as a weakness — the resume looks patchy, the recruiter raises an eyebrow. Lucas: Right, and we've talked on this show about how to explain those short stints, how to structure your resume around them. But there's one asset that job hoppers consistently undervalue, and it's not your skills or your personal brand. It's your network. Luna: Interesting. Because on paper, job hopping means you've got more contacts scattered across more companies than someone who's stayed put for a decade. Lucas: Exactly. And here's the thing — most people treat short tenures as a liability in interviews, but they never stop to think about the network dividend. Every time you switch jobs, you're not just collecting a paycheck and a line on your resume. You're adding a whole new cluster of professional relationships: your manager, your teammates, the people in adjacent departments, even the external vendors you worked with. Luna: So it's like compound interest on your career graph. Each move adds new nodes, and those nodes can pay off later. Lucas: Exactly. But most job hoppers never cash in on that interest. They leave a company, close the door, and never look back. And that's a massive missed opportunity. Luna: Before we dive deeper — and I know this is a bit of a tangent — but if today's episode gives you one useful idea, that's worth a coffee to us. If you're feeling it, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to keep this show ad-free and independent. Lucas: Yeah, genuinely, it helps us keep doing this. And honestly, every little bit goes toward research and guest bookings. We appreciate anyone who does that. Luna: Alright, back to the network dividend. So how do you actually turn a short stint into a lasting connection? Like, what's the practical first step? Lucas: Well, the first step is to shift your mindset. When you join a new company, you should already be thinking about the 'alumni network' you're going to leave behind. Not in a cynical way — but as a deliberate professional strategy. You're there to do great work, but you're also there to build relationships that outlast your tenure. Luna: So you're saying the exit conversation starts on day one, not the day you hand in your notice. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a really important reframe. Because if you treat every job as a temporary chapter, you naturally invest in people more deeply — you don't just coast. You become the person who's known for making connections, for bringing the team together, for being helpful. And that reputation travels with you. Luna: But there's a practical problem. When you leave after a year, people forget about you quickly. Out of sight, out of mind. Lucas: Right, and that's where the 'tenure dividend' gets interesting. It's not automatic. You have to actively harvest it. So let me give you a framework. Think of it as your personal alumni network map. For every past employer, you make a list of the top ten people you genuinely connected with — not just the people you worked with daily, but also the ones who impressed you, or who you had a great conversation with at a lunch or a meetup. Luna: Ten per company. That's a manageable list. Lucas: And then you set a reminder to touch base with each of them every four to six months. Not with a transactional 'do you have any job openings?' but with something of value. Maybe you share an article that reminded you of a project you worked on together. Or you ask for their opinion on something relevant to their industry. Or you simply congratulate them on a recent achievement you spotted on LinkedIn. Luna: So it's like a low-key, reciprocal relationship, not a one-way ask. Lucas: Exactly. And the beauty is, you have more of these relationships than the average professional, because you've been at more companies. Each one gives you a window into a different industry, a different function, a different culture. That's a genuinely powerful resource. Luna: I remember leaving my first job after just fourteen months, and I was so embarrassed about the short stint that I basically ghosted everyone. Now I realize I left behind a whole network of smart people who knew my work ethic. Reaching out years later felt weird, but once I did, they were actually glad to hear from me. Lucas: That's a great point, and it addresses a fear a lot of listeners probably have: the awkwardness of reconnecting after leaving quickly. But here's the thing — people remember competence and personality more than they remember your exact start and end date. If you were a good person to work with, they'll be happy to hear from you. Luna: So how do you get over that initial awkwardness? Any scripts for the first reconnection message? Lucas: Sure. The key is to be genuine and specific. Instead of 'Hey, long time no talk,' you say something like, 'Hi Sarah, I was just thinking about our work on the Q3 launch and how you always had a knack for simplifying the messaging. I came across this article and thought of you. Hope all is well.' That gives her a reason to respond, and it's not about you asking for anything. Luna: And then, when you do need a favor down the line, the door is already open. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the real power of the network dividend. When you do need a reference for a job application, or you want an insider's take on a company you're interviewing with, you have a warm contact who can vouch for you — not a cold connection you haven't spoken to in three years. Luna: You mentioned exit conversations earlier. They feel like a natural place to solidify relationships, but most people just do the HR script and leave. What's the opportunity there? Lucas: Big opportunity. Look, the exit interview is usually a formality, but the real conversations happen in the hallway after you hand in your notice. That's when you have genuine one-on-ones with the people you actually worked with. Instead of just saying goodbye, you can say, 'Hey, I really valued working with you on X, and I'd love to stay in touch. Here's my personal email.' That's a low-friction way to seed the relationship for the long term. Luna: And it's not just your direct team. What about cross-functional colleagues? Like, if you worked with someone in marketing, or a data analyst, or a recruiter — they're all potential conduits to other opportunities. Lucas: Absolutely. And that's why the map is so important. When you leave, you might naturally stay in touch with your two or three closest work friends. But the people you had a great project with in finance, or that vendor who was always responsive — those are the ones who'll actually remember you when a relevant role opens up. So before you leave, make a point to grab coffee with those people or send them a LinkedIn request with a personal note. Luna: So it's not just about who you're close to; it's about the diversity of the network. Each company you leave adds a different flavor of contact. Lucas: Right. And that's where the compound interest really kicks in. Let's say you've had three jobs in five years. You might have thirty people on that alumni map, spread across three different companies, in different industries. When you're job hunting, you can reach out to any one of them and say, 'Hey, do you know if your company is hiring for a project manager?' and you're not a stranger — you're a former colleague. Luna: And that's way more effective than cold-applying on LinkedIn. Lucas: Way more effective. I read a stat that referrals are four times more likely to land an interview than a cold application. So your network isn't just a nice to have; it's a strategic advantage. Luna: But what if you're the kind of person who left a job on bad terms? Like, you quit because of a toxic manager or a messy project. How do you salvage the network from that situation? Lucas: That's a really good question. And the honest answer is, you can't salvage every relationship. But you don't need all ten people from that company. You just need one or two who saw you doing your best work, even when things were chaotic. That's why the map is useful — you identify the people who genuinely appreciated your contribution, separate from the noise of the organization. Luna: So you're not forcing it. You're being selective about who you invest in. Lucas: Exactly. And there's a really interesting analogy here. Think of your career as a graph, with each job as a node and each relationship as an edge. A person who stays at one company for fifteen years has a deep but narrow graph — maybe a hundred strong connections, but all within one organization. A job hopper has a wider graph — maybe fifty strong connections, but across five different companies, five different industries. Which one is more resilient when the economy shifts? I'd argue the second one. Luna: Because if one industry tanks, you've got connections elsewhere. Lucas: Right. And that's the hidden value of job hopping that we don't talk about enough. It's not just about salary bumps and skill variety. It's about building a network that's diversified across the whole professional landscape. Luna: So how do you actually start this today? If someone is listening and thinking, 'I've got three jobs under my belt and I never kept in touch with anyone,' what's the first step? Lucas: The first step is to open your LinkedIn, scroll through your past employers, and make a list of ten people from each company who you'd genuinely be happy to hear from. It doesn't matter if you haven't spoken in years. Just write down their names. Then, this week, send one of them a low-key message — not a big ask, just a 'thinking of you' with a specific memory or a piece of shared interest. That's the seed. Luna: And then set a recurring reminder to do that for a different person every month. That way, you're building a habit, not a one-off. Lucas: Exactly. And over the next six months, you'll have rekindled a dozen relationships, and you'll have a living alumni network that you can tap into whenever you need it. That's the dividend. Luna: It's a nice way to flip the script on short tenure. Instead of seeing it as a blemish, you can see it as a network multiplier. Lucas: Exactly. And I think that's the takeaway for today. Job hopping isn't just about what you learn or how much you earn — it's about the people you meet along the way. And if you treat every role as a chance to build lasting connections, you'll find that your career graph is far more valuable than any single job title. Luna: So next time you update your resume, maybe also update your alumni map. Could be the smartest career move you make all year. Lucas: I like that. And on that note, we'll see you next time. Until then, keep building those bridges.