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How long should one stay in a job & what happens if one stays in a job for too long?

Andre
I wish to approach this question on the basis that it is subjective, there are no definite rights or wrongs and one size does not fit all etc. 
However, given that broadly speaking the average length of tenure in a role is some 3-5 years and a total career or working life is around 50 years (some can push it to 60 years +) it gives an indication of where someone should be at x amount of time down the line if their ultimate objective is Head of People, Senior HR Director, Chief People Officer, Executive Director of People.
Similarly, one can analyse LinkedIn profiles to see career trajectories and vertical progression pathways of various individuals who have achieved or hold such a post, in terms of how long they spent at each level before they moved up . 
However, what I wish to ask in this context is:
(1) Although there are no written or unwritten rules with regard to this, what is the general view of both the profession, recruiters and employers as a whole if you spend an 'above average' or 'extended period of time 'in a role at the more junior levels of HR and then suddenly seek advancement?
I am typically speaking about some 10-20 years working as an HR Administrator or essentially having just performed one job and / or the same role on the same level and pay grade. 
Why suddenly now, and would they possibly ask why you did not up move earlier or stay in it for only around 5-10 years etc? 
(2) In a broadly 50 year career or working life span, it one’s eventual objective is the very top, at the midway point or 25 years in, should one already be on a certain level that gives a clear indication of it it is realistically going to happen or not, the latter due to simply 'running out of time' in the best part of a lifetime?
(3) If someone is behind schedule, a late starter, mid career changer or on the slow stopping career train, is it still possible through a combination of longevity of lower level HR experience supplemented by advanced level education to move over to the tracks of the high speed career train and either be fast tracked, jump over or skip a few levels on their upwards progression career pathway?
(4) Is 'career progression and promotion,' by its very nature, never automatic, not based on time served, nor a given, extremely difficult to come by due to delayering of middle management with fewer jobs and a hierarchy thinning out when going upwards, and generally requires years and even decades of solid, stable career history with not too many or too few roles held in the interim (job hopping is frowned on)? 
In short, it comes down to your track record of relevant experience and many people who I have spoken to about this have said take a low level job what you can get, take pride in and be content in having and performing a role on a daily basis, learn how to work, hold it for ten years to prove that you can work, come back then and maybe you can then move up at least one pay grade. 
However, a decade is also broadly 1/5 of a working life.       
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  • in reply to Andre

    As Keith and others have said in many posts :

    1. Serving time in a junior job is no guarantee that the jobholder is capable of undertaking a larger job.
    2. Larger jobs call not only for more technical knowledge, but also significantly different additional personal and interpersonal skillsets
    3. In order of increasing jobsize, there skillsets are (simplified explanation) organisational, coordination, empathy and the ability to convince, managerial, strategic vision and leadership.
    4. To move to a larger job a candidate must convince deciders that they possess or have the strong potential to use the next level of skills - or acquire them if they have not already demonstrated their existence (by stretching assignments or projects, for example).

    I repeat what I have said in other posts - CIPD qualification levels certifY the possession of technical knowkledge, and not the demonstrated ability to use it in real life situations, that is done by the Member and Fellow membership level IMHO. It is technically possible to obtain a level 7 qualification however this alone does not guarantee the person has the proven track record operating at senior and strategic levels to be able to obtain the grade of Fellow or even Member.

    Finally, I would reword Keith's comment about age and put it in terms of experience - getting a senior job usually requires 10-15 years of applied experience in jobs where responsibilities have increased over time. I have seen people enter the profession at 40+, and take a fast track to the top on the basis of the skills mentioned above, whilst relying on the heavy technical knowledge of their teams. The best R&D directors are rarely the "best" tecnical experts - their job is to coordinate, prioritise and manage others who handle the techy things. I also had the privilege of working with the CFO of a £90bn business of 200.000+ people in 67 countries; he became CFO at 42 and believe me, his technical skills were less and less important as he moved up the ladder.

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