posted 17 years ago
This is a bad practice even in boom times.
Eventually the market will slow down. Even when we're not in boom or bust cycles, the market will increase and decrease naturally. When the market decreases, employers are going to spot job-hopping behavior and that candidate will have a much harder time trying to get a position.
Furthermore, in more selective companies, regardless of the economy, they're not going to allow themselves to be used as someone's stepping stone.
I've also noticed that it doesn't do well for a long-term career path. It's very difficult to gain seniority or demonstrate stability when you're job hopping. I've seen people stick with a company and demonstrate themselves as a good candidate for management. The job hoppers are now struggling to sell themselves because their core skills are becoming increasingly out-of-date and they're now chasing the technology.
In short, I'm not against switching jobs if there is some sort of long-term gain. However, it's not a good practice in general because the short-term gain is unlikely to balance out the long-term harm.