Gen Z loves to job-hop — 3 tips on how to do it successfully

• Gen Z workers aren't paying attention to traditional job advice.
• They're more willing to pursue their career goals through job-hopping, says a career coach.
• Here's how two Gen Z workers navigated the job-hopping process.

It's no secret that Gen Z has some untraditional views on work.

They're not afraid of breaking workplace taboos such as job-hopping, and they're willing to prioritize their well-being and happiness over higher pay.

Some Gen Z workers are taking this mindset to the next step by quitting their jobs in a matter of months — breaking the classic recommendation of staying at a job for a year or longer.

Dennis Xiao is one of those people. After graduating college in 2021, Xiao started working at an investment bank but soon realized he didn't feel fulfilled by the job. Six months in, Xiao decided to quit. Since then, Xiao has worked a strategic finance role at WeWork, taken a career break to travel, and been self-employed as a content creator and coach.

Joey H., who declined to provide his last name for privacy reasons, had a similar experience. He got a job as a software developer at a small startup in October 2021 but left after eight months because he didn't feel like the company offered strong career development opportunities.

"I wanted to find an environment where I could have more support, maybe at a larger company," Joey said. He's since found another software developer role.

Career coach Marnie Lemonik has seen this new attitude toward work play out among her clients. "The biggest trend that I've noticed with Gen Z is they have more inherent confidence in themselves in the work world," Lemonik said. "Millennials tend to be a little bit more guilt-ridden about that process, and they're more concerned with leaving a job after only a year and the optics of it."

Job-hopping isn't an easy task, especially early on in your career. Here's what can make the transition smoother.

Prepare early and build an emergency fund

While Gen Zers tend to be more confident in their abilities to land a new job, the process isn't always seamless — especially if you're leaving without another job lined up.

"There is this desire to think, 'Once I start job searching, I'll find a job in a month,' or, 'I have a really good network, so maybe I'll find a job within two months.' The very rough average I've seen across a lot of different levels of my clients is three to six months," Lemonik said. "That's a longer period of time than what a lot of people budget for."

For that reason, it's important to make sure you have an adequate emergency fund to act as a buffer between jobs.

It took two months for Joey to find another job after quitting his first one, but he had begun preparing for interviews many months before leaving. Planning a few months ahead, getting a head start on interviewing, and putting more money into savings leading up to your departure can make the job-hopping process easier.

Consider decreasing your 401(k) contributions

It's not a bad idea to decrease the amount of money you're contributing to your company's retirement plans if you plan to leave your current job soon.

That's what Xiao did when he started planning to leave his second job. "I was like, 'I'm just going to start redirecting money away from my 401(k) to pure savings to prepare for this chapter of not having income,'" he said.

Once the money is in your 401(k), it's locked up for the long term — you can't withdraw it before age 59 ½ without a 10% penalty and income taxes. Lowering your contributions will give you more immediate cash flow. This can be especially advantageous if you're early on in your career and earning an entry-level salary. If that's the case, prioritize your immediate financial needs by diverting cash to a savings account instead of maxing out retirement funds.

Decreasing your 401(k) contributions can sound risky if you're concerned about hitting your retirement goals, but many people job-hop with the goal of increasing their pay and benefits. Joey's first employer didn't offer a 401(k) match, so he gained a better benefits package by switching jobs.

Get a 'bridge job'

A bridge job is a position that serves as a stepping stone between your current job and your dream job. Beyond providing you with income while you search for a job, a bridge job can help build up the professional skills needed for you to get closer to the career you want.

This was Xiao's mindset when he started his second role at WeWork. "I took the role fully knowing it was my day job," Xiao said. "I lived a part-time creator life doing YouTube and writing on the side."

Many of Lemonik's clients who leave jobs due to burnout want the next job to be a perfect fit, but that's not always possible.

"Sometimes it just takes longer to get that type of job, or sometimes you simply don't have the skills to go from your current job to your dream job and you have to find something in the middle," Lemonik said.

She encourages her clients to think about jobs that could build up their résumés for the job they want. "If you want to become a lawyer and you're working in tech sales, can you go work at a law firm while you study for the LSAT?" Lemonik said. "That gets you closer to that realm even though you can't be a lawyer tomorrow."