I worked at a mid-sized mature "startup" for 8 years, then a very young startup for 6 months (then half the team got laid off), then consulted for 3 companies o

I worked at a mid-sized mature "startup" for 8 years, then a very young startup for 6 months (then half the team got laid off), then consulted for 3 companies over the course of another 6 months. Hiring managers asked me why I stayed for such a short time at each company (except the first one), including why I wanted to stop consulting -- I told them I wanted a bigger engineering challenge in a less unpredictable environment, and they were fine with that answer. What matters more is how you prove to them that you're a good candidate for their position :)