12 months is a long time in digital
Can you imagine not working in the digital field? Let’s say you took a gap year to do voluntary service in a part of Africa where they don’t have regular access to the internet. When you returned to work in London, how out of touch would you be with the latest trends and ways of thinking? In that respect 12 months is a long time in digital. But it can also be said that 12 months is a long time in a job within digital, because people move onwards and upwards so quickly, and because of the pace with which the industry is developing and changing. Employers however sometimes find this difficult to grasp, especially those who come from the old school of thinking regarding loyalty and commitment. They do have a point, and there’s a fine balance between moving on quickly in order to maintain your ability to keep learing versus being a job hopper and lacking credibility. This issue can be exacerbated when someone is working on interim or short-term contracts. In my experience the best way to counter this issue is to have ready access to referees or testimonials from previous employees and bosses who will eulogise on your behalf. Cheers, Ian