New research shows that "job hopping" has the potential to damage a person's career progression.
The research, conducted by global job site Indeed, reveals that 65% of employers opted not to interview someone who has had short-tenure jobs in the past.
Employers on average consider six months to be a short-tenure to spend in a job, while employees consider 11 months a short period of time.
Indeed said that most employers considered having four short tenure jobs on CVs would qualify a candidate as a job hopper, while 44% feel that three such roles would.
It also found that job hopping is more of a concern in smaller companies with less than ten employees, with one in four such employers admitting to not interviewing a candidate for that reason.
This compares to 13% in companies with more than 500 employees.
Many employees surveyed said that job hopping may be viewed as "disloyal, indecisive and a negative" by recruiters and employers, but only 29% felt that it would ultimately hurt their career
And 14% of workers felt that moving among various jobs was a positive for their career, presenting a chance to learn new skills, demonstrate their adaptability, boost their CV and make connections to further their career.
When asked what was an acceptable amount of time to stay in a job in order to gain experience and progress your career, employers and employees shared more common ground.
Employers on average agreed 16 months was a good amount of time while employees believed it was 19-20 months.
On average, employers feel it is acceptable for a candidate to change jobs three times in a five-year period, according to Indeed.
In an effort to understand what causes job hopping, Indeed also asked respondents about their reasons for leaving roles after a short period of time.
An unhappy workplace was the main reason with four in ten respondents citing this as a factor, while the second most popular reason for leaving a role prematurely was the offer of a better job with another company.
Indeed's Chris McDonald said that it is no longer uncommon to change jobs, companies and even industries several times over the course of our working lives.
"When you combine this with a still-tightening labour market, employees have considerable scope to pick and choose the roles they want, and employers will need to overlook their concerns about job hopping," he said.
But he added that it is important for candidates to demonstrate the experience they have accrued by job-hopping.
This includes the emotional intelligence to adapt to new environments and personalities, a broader understanding of a variety of sectors, and innovative skills and ideas.
"This will demonstrate a more strategic approach on the candidate's side, rather than portraying something more negative such as a lack of commitment," Mr McDonald said.
He also said the research provides further evidence on the role that a happy and inclusive workplace plays in retaining staff.
