A few weeks ago, I was sitting with a relatively new client that I didn’t have much history with yet. We were having an alignment meeting, and I brought along a few example resumes from candidates we had successfully placed in similar positions with another client.

The goal was simple: Make sure the client, my team, and I were all on the same page about what we were looking for from a skills and employment history perspective.

During the meeting, I presented a resume of a candidate who had worked for nine different employers over the previous two years that we placed at a different client.

Frequent job changes aren’t always indicative of a poor or unskilled employee, but they will almost always raise questions for the hiring manager or HR team reviewing the resume.

The client was surprised that we had represented this candidate for a position. On paper, the candidate appeared unreliable.

Could that have been true? Absolutely.

But without knowing the story behind the resume, I believe it is unfair to judge a book by its cover. (By the way, he’s been killing it in his new job.)

So, why did we decide to represent a candidate with such a jumpy job history?

People all over the world idolize entrepreneurship. Everyone loves hearing stories about how many times Mark Cuban, Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Corcoran, Walt Disney, and countless others failed before finally getting one idea right.

They didn’t have to be right every time. They only had to be right about one idea, one time.

So why are we so quick to judge someone who is trying to figure out what they enjoy doing and where they belong professionally?

Would you want to spend more than 40 hours every week working at a job you didn’t enjoy or didn’t feel you were good at?

I sure wouldn’t.

Most people begin their professional careers between the ages of 18 and 22. Full Social Security retirement age is currently 67 for most people entering the workforce today.

That’s a long time to spend doing something you don’t enjoy.

Every single person fails at something. Without failure, there is no way to determine what you’re good at. Plus, you lose the opportunity to grow, learn, and understand why something didn’t work out.

My Advice to Job Seekers:

Chase what you enjoy doing.

If you have a job-hopping resume, work with a recruiter who will take the time to understand your situation and help tell your story. A good recruiter can explain the context behind your employment history and help a hiring team see more than a list of dates and job titles.

We want to see you land that new job just as badly as you do!

My Advice to Hiring Teams:

Be open-minded.

Try to place yourself in the candidate’s reality.

Did they move? Were they working several temporary or contract positions in a row? Did something change in their personal life? Were they caring for a sick loved one? Or maybe they simply haven’t found the right culture or position yet.

There are endless reasons someone may have changed jobs several times.

Is that true for every candidate?

Of course not.

Sometimes frequent job changes really are a sign that someone may not be the right fit. But without taking the time to understand the “why,” you could be passing on your next lifelong employee.