YOUR RANT: Employers seem to hold it against me that I change jobs every two years.

911 REPAIR: Jumping from job to job has long been a red flag for many employers. This reminds us of a friend of ours who has been divorced twice. He went on a date with a woman and described himself as a "two-time loser." The woman corrected him and said that she'd rather meet a man who had made a commitment that didn't work out than someone who was 40 and never married.

Job hopping is like that. Rather than being defensive about your multiple jobs, it's important to emphasize the experience and insight that you've gained from working for more than one employer. We'll give you three Do's and one Don't for putting the best light on your job-hopping past. For more, check out "How To Say It Job Interviews" by Linda Matias (Prentice Hall, 2007).

-- DON'T fidget, look down or stammer. You want to appear stable and ready to make a commitment to the company. The last thing you want is your body language to suggest that you're flighty and ready to jump ship at the first opportunity. For any "Type A's" out there, you know how challenging this can be. A few basic tricks to help you out: First, be sure that you get enough sleep, get to the meeting with plenty of time so you're not rushing and, finally, take a deep breath and pause before you answer each question.

-- DO emphasize a broad range of experience. Having held a number of different jobs should give you varied perspective on how various organizations handle day-to-day operations. You should also be able to provide an outsider-in view of the organization that you'd like to work for. But don't just offer generalities: It is important to be as specific as possible.

-- DO explain why this time is different. There are often reasons for job hopping: You hadn't found your career path; you had to deal with a layoff; or you're the victim of an unstable economy. The key is to offer specific reasons why your job hopping should be talked about in the past tense. If they still doubt you, offer to sign an employment contract of a specific duration. They probably won't go for this, but at least it shows that you are serious about breaking your job-hopping reputation.

-- DO take a look in the mirror. It's one thing to have a different job every two years when you're in your 20s. When the revolving door on your resume keeps spinning into your 40s, it might be time to take a long look in the mirror.

Maybe you are commitment-phobic, or there is a stability problem that needs to be addressed through counseling or by working with a career coach.

Follow these tips and you should be able to tie the knot with an employer no matter how many jobs you've had in the past.

WORKPLACE911 EXECUTIVE POINTS

How to move beyond your job-hopping past:

DON'T fidget, look down or stammer.

DO emphasize a broad range of experience.

DO explain why this time is different.

DO take a look in the mirror.

LIST OF THE WEEK

from Robert Half Technology

Real questions asked to the CIO:

-- "Can you rearrange the keyboard alphabetically?"

-- "My computer is telling me to press any key to continue. Where is the 'any' key?"

-- "How long does it take to bake a potato in a microwave?"

-- "I'd like to stop receiving e-mail on Fridays."

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK "A fool who persists in his folly becomes wise." -- William Blake

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author and award-winning journalist. Sherrie Campbell is a work relations expert and award-winning comedian. Check out their 13 years of searchable content at workplace911.com. They'd also love to hear your workplace rants or raves - you can reach them at bob@workplace911.com and sherrie@workplace911.com.

Copyright 2008, United Feature Syndicate, Inc.