I'm getting pissed off by the ass-licking involved in seeking promotions. Is it not better to just focus on getting quality experience and when the time is right, move to another firm- probably at a higher level and pay?

I totally agree. Why go through the pain of having to schmooze senior people, stab colleagues in the back and generally focus all your attention on any oportunity to look good in front of bosses rather than delivering quality work? All you need is a great cv, a valid reason for wanting to leave and some cracking competency examples. Also I have found that annual pay rises even when being promoted are a lot less than can be gained by negiotating higher salaries with a new firm.

In short no they are not worth it, they keep you hanging on with lots of promises (all future based) and then you bust a get to get that promo and its a 1% pay rise. Just play the market instead, move every 3-4 years and YOU tell them what pay you will settle for. Make sure you develop transferable skills though (Excel and PowerPoint jockey does not count).

I don't think it's as clear-cut as that. Firstly - what do you mean by "ass-licking"? If you mean understanding and playing the political game, then this an unavoidable part of moving into the higher echelons of big, established business. The higher you get - the more important a skill it becomes. To think progression is made purely on experience is naive. Progression is all about politics. If - however - you are principled enough to want your career to be based purely on your experience, then it's possible a career in a large company will not meet those expectations. I would also argue that the quality of your experience is based upon the opportunities made available to (or sought out by) you and those opportunities will be very much dependent upon your political nouse.Secondly, salary may not be the only factor involved. There are substantial transfer costs when changing jobs - both material and non-material, and the salary should be taken as part of an overall "package" consisting, but not limited to, quality of life, convenience, benefits.Thirdly, moving every 3-4 years - even with exceptional experience - does risk creating unwanted questions on your CV - and you have to balance the short-term benefits of career (or should that be salary) advancement, against the medium to long-term benefits of having a sustained number of years growing and developing in a single employment.In summary - I would say that your propensity and willingness to play politics is an entirely personal perspective. My own opinion is that politics is inevitable, and it is better (providing of course that you are not being royally screwed over, in which case this is a slightly different topic) to learn to play the game at some point. By all means move, "play the market" when you are younger and out to maximize the returns on your skills - but be aware that sooner or later - politics will arise and will inevitably have to be dealt with...

"Thirdly, moving every 3-4 years - even with exceptional experience - does risk creating unwanted questions on your CV" - NO WAY. That is the norm I would say. As long as someone stays for 2 years at a job the case can b established to seek opportunities elsewhere.

I would tend to disagree. Look at it from an employer's perspective. If I see a guy coming to me for a job, he's got maybe 5 previous jobs, each of 2-3 years - this would make me question (a) the reason why he is moving (b) If the moving is based upon salary reasons - what went wrong in his expectation setting / negotiation for each of those jobs to make this so and (c) his commitment to the job he is applying for. If I am looking to hire someone for a career - better this person doesn't decide to jump ship in 2-3 years for a better salary. Of course it's naive to say that no one does this - or that employers do not even understand the reasons - but I would suggest many short-term jobs gives an implication of less commitment to a career than 1 or 2 long-term experiences.

In my opinion, it is better to start playing the politics in one organisation when you salary is £100k and above. It is counterproductive to stick around in one place and be getting 1% rise every 3 years - except of course you are planning to be a poor man!

My main man "Fed Up" has hit the nail on the head. Don't mug yourself and buy into your managers bull****. Look out for number one and always do whats right by yourself first and foremost. Everything else is just smoke and mirrors. For me it looks better when i meet someone who has moved around a bit instead of just festering at the same company for 10 years. That what they do in public sector, but this is prvate sector baby! Get out there and see what you're worth! Forget about politics for now, when you are a VP and a director then its time to give a rats ass. I think the problem is people take things all too personally, this is business at the end of the day, onwards and upwards.