When Todd Graves looks at resumes, one trend stands out to him: the prevalence of job-hopping.

Graves, 52, is the billionaire CEO and co-founder of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, a restaurant chain with more than 800 locations across the U.S., its territories and the Middle East. His No. 1 red flag when hiring new corporate employees is a resume that shows frequent job changes every two to three years, he says.

"I question that, because it's like, 'Are you in it just for you?'" Graves tells CNBC Make It.

Job-hopping can make an applicant come across as someone who's on a "quest for titles," says Graves. Such people also tend to use language during interviews that they think the hiring manager wants to hear, rather than giving authentic answers, he notes — which you can catch by looking for inconsistencies in candidates' responses across multiple interviews.

"When they're more into title and control versus teamwork, it's a huge red flag for me," says Graves.

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When Graves conducts job interviews, he tries to gauge each candidate's level of passion for the brand — and hires people who he thinks will be "intrinsically motivated" to work at Raising Cane's. He says he's noticed a "huge correlation to success" for employees when they care about what happens to their colleagues, team and organization as a whole — rather than focusing solely on their own career growth.

"That goes down to our cashiers and fry cooks in our restaurants," says Graves.

How to explain your job-hopping

Job-hopping has become relatively common, especially amid a tight labor market in recent years. Some career experts say the corporate stigma against job-hopping is outdated, as long as your resume doesn't show an excessive track record of it.

But Graves isn't alone in expressing concerns about candidates who frequently change jobs. Over a third of hiring managers surveyed by LinkedIn over the summer said they would be hesitant to pursue a candidate with a pattern of short stints in different jobs.

Hiring managers might be thinking, "if you were only there for nine months, maybe you'll only be here for nine months," LinkedIn career expert Drew McCaskill told Make It in August.

Career experts typically recommend against mentioning your current or former jobs unless your interviewer specifically asks you about them. The summary section on a resume or the "About" section of your LinkedIn profile may be an appropriate place to explain your career experiences, McCaskill said.

If an interviewer does ask about your career choices, you should be ready with a succinct explanation that focuses on the future and the value you can add to a new job. Talk about what you've gained through each of your past experiences, and how that makes you a fit for the role want now, said McCaskill.

Don't give hiring managers a reason to think you've done anything wrong, McCaskill said: "Don't make apologies for it."

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