Job Hopping has become a trend in today’s corporate world, where, loyalty is associated with lack of skills and initiative. Employees are constantly moving from one job to another in the pursuit of that higher salary, better profile etc. The endless pursuit of that elusive “good salary” and profile leaves some people happy and others sad and frustrated.

Advocates of job hopping would say that job hopping helps an employee climb the ladder fast and assures handsome increases in salary. Critics on the other hand would point to cases of wrong decisions where people land in jobs which are difficult and not as attractive as they thought it would be. They say that it is simply a case of the grass looking green on the other side.

Besides, frequently changing jobs can be a negative mark on the resume. Employers may look upon the candidate who is a job hopper as an unreliable person. This may affect future prospects in the individual’s career.

Deciding whether job hopping is beneficial or disadvantageous in the long run should be decided on how it is done and on factors such as the average time on a job. A candidate who opts for a fresh opportunity after a couple of years on the job would be viewed differently from a candidate who appears for an interview after, say, just 6 months in the job. Such a candidate can be viewed as being difficult to work with, unprofessional or even selfish.

On of the major factors that propel job hopping is the salary. Employees of today are constantly comparing themselves with their friends, colleagues and comparing their salaries with their own. This insatiable urge to be at par or one step ahead of their friends and colleagues in the “salary race” can often blind employees to other decisive and critical factors in a job. Too often, we hear of people who have just jumped on to a job, only to find that the work load is unbearable or that the management is excessively authoritative or that the environment is hostile and unfriendly. The person in such a situation can become despondent, lose the work-life balance and become vulnerable to a host of mental and physical problems.

The demand of attaining that perfect salary package can deprive them of the charm of doing what they love in a job. A job is more than a way of earning one’s living. It is a means of finding fulfillment both personal and professional. Hence, any change in job should be done only after careful and dispassionate study of all the aspects of the job profile on offer, such as salary, environment, responsibilities, the history and values of the organization etc.