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Job Hopping as a Predictor of Selection Decisions, Turnover, and Performance
Abstract   Open access

Job Hopping as a Predictor of Selection Decisions, Turnover, and Performance

Jake T. Harrison, Emily D. Campion, Chad Van Iddekinge, Michael A Campion and Carter Gibson
Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, Vol.2026(1)
07/2026
DOI: 10.5465/AMPROC.2026.80bp
url
https://doi.org/10.5465/AMPROC.2026.80bpView
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Despite its prevalence in the modern world of work, the phenomenon of job hopping remains poorly understood. We conducted three studies to clarify what job hopping is, how it is perceived during the hiring process, and how it relates to work outcomes. In Study 1, human resource professionals (N = 61) indicated that they generally view job hopping unfavorably because it can signal low commitment or low performance. In Study 2, we designed and implemented an experimental hiring scenario (N = 85) and found that hiring managers consistently ranked job-hopping applicants lower than non-job-hopping applicants, and that this occurred through the partial mediating effects of lower expected commitment and performance. We also found that evidence of career progression buffered negative perceptions of job hopping, while occupational changes exacerbated negative perceptions of job hopping. In Study 3, operational data on job applicants (N = 30,640) showed that job hopping behavior related to fewer job offers, higher turnover, and lower job performance. In addition, a measure of job hopping provided incremental validity in the prediction of these outcomes over commonly used selection procedures. Together, these studies show that although there are caveats, job hopping generally presents perceived and real risks to organizations.

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