How long should you stay in a job?

In this industry you need to move round different companies to get a good range of experience. But you don't want to move too soon and too often because you'll look like a quitter. So how can you strike the right balance?

We surveyed 16 recruitment consultants and industry experts to find out what they advised.

Our results show that 12 to 18 months is the length hospitality workers up to supervisor level should stay in a job. Those in a more senior position, such as general manager, should stay for up to five years.

Lesley Reynolds, managing director of Portfolio International, says that managers at more senior levels need to prove their management style works before they move on. Good managers will stay for three to five years so they can demonstrate the positive effects of their efforts.

Likewise Suzanna Hunter, director of Chess Partnership, says managers need to see through the successful implementation of a budget, and be able to use budgets to assess their performance, make suggestions and see improvements.

Remember that these findings are guidelines only. Personal and company circumstances change and are hard to predict.

If you are happy in your job and feel that your employer can help advance your career, you could be better off staying where you are.

But companies are used to people changing jobs regularly, so if you are eager to move on, do so - just don't do it too frequently.

As David Goldfarb, director of Mayday Executive, says: "There are no hard and fast rules, and it is very much up to the individual".