Some of my friends change their jobs every two to three years; they say that each jump would get them a higher salary. What would potential employers think of such job-hoppers?

It is generally true that during the early stages of your career, you might enjoy a pay increment with each new job as you gain more work experience which is valued by employers. However, unless you deliberately build on your credentials and related work experience, subsequent increments with each new job will slowly decrease. Some candidates switch from one job to another unrelated job. They lack focus and do not have a clear career progression path. Employers loathe these serial job-hoppers. Yet, there are rock-solid star candidates who leap from one opportunity to another, concurrently moving up the corporate ladder. Employers have no qualms offering them a better remuneration package. One clear trait of these star candidates is that they have strong profiles and a list of impressive achievements. Despite that, job hopping must stop at some point because a trail of continuous job hopping is detrimental to one’s career.

I'm thinking of resigning from my job three months later and I plan to inform my supervisor closer to the date. However, my supervisor has just given me a new project that will run for the next six months. What should I do to avoid putting myself in a sticky situation and at the same time, not offend my superior as I don't want to burn bridges?

If you have already made up your mind to leave the organisation, the more you shouldn’t delay the notice to your supervisor. You will only frustrate your supervisor should he/she find out that you are disengaged from your work and you held back the notice for reasons that only you will know. To ensure a good exit, it is only fair to give your supervisor ample notice so that he/she can make the necessary manpower arrangements should negotiations to retain you fail. Meanwhile, you will need to honour all the work commitments that were previously assigned to you and ensure a proper hand over by preparing a list of outstanding duties and location of all the resources. If the project is urgent and you do not have any concrete plans, you may want to consider giving the company the option to engage you just for the project or plan a transition during the project. However, be prepared that you will be asked to leave immediately and be compensated for the notice period by your employer.