Can't Stand to Be at the Same Workplace for More than a Year...

Maybe you should embrace this rather than trying to change. Instead of working traditional permanent placement jobs, perhaps you'd be more satisfied working for a temporary agency doing long-term temporary assignments? Another option would be to work as a consultant where you can do project work that let you get in and then get out.

It's hard to answer what's wrong with you. You need to look deeply at why you leave. Do you not like the job duties? The people? The pay? The hours? Should you be in a different field entirely?

What about your new job did you love when you first got it? Why don't you love it anymore?

I have to be honest, I worked for seven years as a recruiter. If I saw a resume from a candidate that hopped jobs ever year or year and a half, I wouldn't even consider them for the open position. It is not worth it to an employer to train someone new, only to have them leave in a year. It's going to catch up to you and make it very difficult to find new work.

You need to sit down and think about what you really want out of a job. Perhaps setting up a meeting with a career counselor would help.

Actually there may be nothing wrong with you. In order to obtain a fairly decent raise or promotion sometimes it is necessary to change employers. My resume looked like that when I first graduated college and about 10 years after that.

It could be that you are not in a good fit as far as the type of work you do or even the type of job you do. That was my main problem still is but that is another story.

The better you know you and study how you operate as an individual the better you can become at finding that perfect fit of career and opportunity that fits you to a tee.

If you are under 35 don't worry so much about it. If you are over 35 it may be time to consider what training or skillset you need to develop your own business or opportunity that best suits you. After 35 it gets kind of tricky if you haven't climbed the corporate ladder high enough or too high.

Do some research into what kinds of jobs may be best for you. There are books and online sites that charge to help you do this but it is worth it.

Check this out:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Renaissance-Soul-Design-Passion...

It's a book called The Renaissance Soul.

A lot of these answers seem fear-based to me. Not that there aren't great things about being somewhere for a long time, there are also some significant downsides. Three weeks vacation? I wouldn't trade out my life for years just for that. Make sure you are stashing money in a Roth IRA, though.

Not sure how old you are, but that would mess up a resume' probably.

Sounds like you get bored, can you possiblly "move up" in the company you are in rather than ditch them and go to a new place?

With most places, once you spend 20 years working for them you get a retirement.... which is a nice plus to add to social security since it can be pretty meager. It should be a carrot for you.

Be careful about burning bridges. If you are going to hop, hop off in good standing Peter Rabbit.

first off, there is no perfect job. my husband has the same fantasy - that some day he will just magically "land" this great job that he will love to go to every day for the rest of his life, and then he can quit "searching". sorry, that's a pipe dream. we have jobs because we love our families and owe them the support that the job brings. sure, it's nice to have one that is pleasant to go to, where people are respectful and nice to work with...but to me that's about as much as can realistically be hoped for. we owe our families (our children) stability and financial security. you don't get that, changing jobs every year.

it's a mark of maturity, putting your family first.

I agree you may not have found what you're looking for. But here's the problem - you aren't going to get hired for the great jobs that excite and stimulate you, because you haven't shown any prospective employer that you have what it takes to make a career there. I agree that no one is going to train you for something extensive with a growth track if you are just going to leave after they've invested a year in you. It might be smart to get some counseling to figure out what your issues are, and also to perhaps take some standardized testing that helps identify skill areas, the type of work force environment, the type of supervisor, etc., that you need and where you can flourish.

How are you going to accrue enough retirement like this? Truthfully, I'd be really hesitant to hire you, if I were a prospective employer.

Work hard to stay with this job, partly to prove to yourself that you can change this trend, and to prove to another employer that you can go the distance.

Good luck,
Dawn

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EDIT: Is there something small that you really like in the job that you could expand and work into something that would help your corporate career say a niche? Sometimes we have to look at the small stuff to make something bigger.

What do you like to do? What did you want to do as a child? Have you gone to school for training or education in that field?

Go back and look really hard at what changed your path. Now find a way to make it work. Sometimes you work at places that don't fit but you look for ones that do. Channel your energy into making this work. Make a goal that says you will stay at this job for 3 to 5 years and look at what the company has to offer. Does it allow you to transfer within or take college courses to improve you? Does this company have offices in other towns/cities so that you can/could transfer? Have you met anyone in the company that might be a mentor for you and help you move up? These are ways to keep the restlessness down and still be employed by the same company. It's time to think outside the box.

I agree with the list of the good and the bad and why. Once you begin to figure out the why you may be on to something that can help you land and hold a job that you love.

Good luck to you.

The other S.

PS Then you won't be called the wanderer.

Sally you have to stop this pattern ASAP. Your resume sounds like my husband's not surprisingly, he's having a hard time getting himself hired anywhere good. Really, you have to find a company with opportunities for long-term growth. That way, you're not stagnating in the same job year after year, but you're learning and growing and moving on up the ladder with the same company. That's a positive sign on a resume. Getting bored and bailing after a year is a terrible sign. I would not hire someone who has a pattern of only staying on the job for 12-18 months. To an employer, that's a waste of the money that they spending training and developing you. Hiring people is painful and I hope to do it as infrequently as possible.

Are you not being choosy enough when you look at prospective companies? What is is that makes you itch? Is it a mis-match in corporate culture? Are you in a field that bores you? If I were you, I would do some soul-searching or perhaps meet with a career counselor before making another move, and make sure your next move is a lasting one. It's one thing to hit a bad patch of luck with being laid off repeatedly, which is explainable, but to just jump into the next good things that comes along looks like you lack maturity on a resume.

Some people just like to keep moving on.
Some are very happy that way.
BUT - you never build up a lot in the way of sick leave or vacation time and you never earn seniority.
I got my 25 yr service award last year.
I've stayed with the same company since college (although the company didn't stay with me (my department got sold off - long story)).
I've got 4 vacation weeks a year and it's grandfathered in because that was the deal when we were assimilated by my current company.
If I were to put 25 yrs in with this current company, I'd only get 3 vacation weeks a year - most of them can't earn what I've got, and I value it - too much to walk away from it.
Job jumping also makes it hard to build a retirement portfolio.
I've got a pension (from when they were still the only thing going) and a 401k (whose performance is less than pleasing right now).
Jumping some can help you up in pay initially, but too much and it eventually bites you in the behind.
I don't know what makes you restless - but it's encouraging that you are asking the question.
Now you need to find the answer.
Some counseling might help you out a great deal.

I was in a similar situation but for me it was about every 3+ years. I've been at my current position for 12 years. I find that I need to keep myself from being bored, so I take on additional responsibilities and learn new things. When a new position opened up, I volunteered. Focus on your long term goals.

Also, think about the reasons you no longer like your job. Maybe you need to find a different type of career.