How soon is too soon to quit a job?

[vital]

This is a salary mid career level position I got into 4 months ago. Thinking of finding a new position after 6 months. Is this frowned upon on my resume if they see me jump ship so fast? I hate this job and just wanna do something that makes me happy.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Honestly anything less than a year or two is a flag in my book. It doesn't mean the problem was with you per se, but if you have a string of 1 year here 1 year there then yes 4 months is a 'you' problem.


If your other experience is more like 4-5 years at each job then one 4 month stint wouldn't be a big deal.

 

[Sixguns]

I once quit a job before my first day. I was supposed to start but I was offered a better job that day so I didnt show up.

 

[gorcorps]

It definitely takes away from your "loyalty" characteristic. Employers might see that and think "if he left that job so quickly what's to say he won't do the same here?"

 

[JimmiG]

I'm in a similar position. I have an "OK" job since October, but I'm definitely planning in leaving eventually. I will stay here for one year however.

 

[blackdogdeek]

keep in mind your employer can probably fire you at any time no matter how long or little you've been there.

that aside, if i were a prospective employer i would see a rash of short-lived stints negatively but a single instance among many longer tenures as not a big deal. if the stint is short enough you might also consider not putting it on your resume.

 

[BoomerD]

It definitely takes away from your "loyalty" characteristic. Employers might see that and think "if he left that job so quickly what's to say he won't do the same here?"

I don't get that. Companies aren't loyal to their employees, why are the employees supposed to be loyal to the company?

I've also accepted jobs that I never showed up for the first day...I've gone through the hire-on process including drug testing, safety orientations, etc...then quit on my first day...I've quit at the end of a shift with no notice, in the middle of a shift, and at the beginning of a shift.

I have NO loyalty to a company, but MIGHT develop a certain loyalty to my boss...but that has to be earned, it's not automatically given.

I do agree that if you have a string of "one year jobs," employers will wonder why you can't/won't stay in one place...but those CAN sometimes be explained in a cover letter. (company closed, returned to school, moved across country, etc.)

 

[vital]

Ok to clarify my last and first job for my career was 5 years. This will be my first job less than a year quitting. Can't I explain I didn't think it was a fit for me?

 

[rsd]

I don't get that. Companies aren't loyal to their employees, why are the employees supposed to be loyal to the company?

I've also accepted jobs that I never showed up for the first day...I've gone through the hire-on process including drug testing, safety orientations, etc...then quit on my first day...I've quit at the end of a shift with no notice, in the middle of a shift, and at the beginning of a shift.

I have NO loyalty to a company, but MIGHT develop a certain loyalty to my boss...but that has to be earned, it's not automatically given.

I do agree that if you have a string of "one year jobs," employers will wonder why you can't/won't stay in one place...but those CAN sometimes be explained in a cover letter. (company closed, returned to school, moved across country, etc.)

It's not a question of loyalty from the employer point of view. It's a matter of having a return on invested resources (time, money, training, etc). Doesn't make sense to put resources into someone if they may not stay very long.

 

[JS80]

This is a salary mid career level position I got into 4 months ago. Thinking of finding a new position after 6 months. Is this frowned upon on my resume if they see me jump ship so fast? I hate this job and just wanna do something that makes me happy.

Doesn't matter. You don't want to work for a company that does. That's an "old" way of thinking.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

I've gotten a couple offers since being at my current job for only 2 weeks. I went ahead with interviews, because I figure it wouldn't hurt. But didn't get the job.
I've gotten familiar enough with my contact at Robert Half Tech, that it's difficult to outright turn down his offers, cause he only shoots good shit in my direction.

I want to stick it out at my current position for a while. Not bounce around.
My longest listed experience was a 6mo contract. All else are 1-2mo contracts. I know that doesn't look good, but I do list "Contractor" in position title.
However the pay is shit. Completely commission, so if they not getting paid, I'm not getting paid. It's pretty much like an internship, at worst, it is experience.
I'll see where I'm at in 6mo, but I'm rather comfortable here. Moved in a lot of my own shit to help get work done more efficiently. I also waste too much time uploading tons of videos to my let's play channel, since there's no internet access where 'm currently living. So that's a bonus for my own personal hustle, no more 12+ hour stints sitting in McDonald's hoping junkies don't bother me.

 

[GoStumpy]

It's up to you whether or not to include it in your resume...

Are you seriously contemplating sticking with a job merely because you don't want <6mo on your resume? Seriously?

 

[bobdole369]

You'll need to answer the question: "What happened" so be ready for it. Don't lie or be deceiving, just say what happened. If there is a pattern of this - thats a big issue, but 1 time isn't going to hurt your chances down the line. You might consider omitting it and explaining why when the hole is discovered.

 

[Clinkster]

Doesn't matter. You don't want to work for a company that does. That's an "old" way of thinking.

Agreed.

Don't let something like this hold you back OP; you'll be in the clear with employers that have a shred of sense.

 

[Baked]

I once quit a job before my first day. I was supposed to start but I was offered a better job that day so I didnt show up.

With that kind of applicants, I would just call all my networking contacts and tell them to not hire.

 

[D1gger]

Doesn't matter. You don't want to work for a company that does. That's an "old" way of thinking.

I'm sorry, but that simply isn't true. I hire a lot of people, and I do look at the duration of previous jobs on a resume and if I see a history of short duration jobs you better believe that is going to come up in the interview.

If the candidate can explain it away reasonably I will consider hiring, but there is no way I'm going to go through the effort and expense of hiring and training a new employee if I don't feel comfortable that he/she will be around for a while.

Back to the OP's question, I don't think one short duration job on a resume is that big a deal, and you should be able to explain that to any potential employer.

 

[trmiv]

I worked at a place for a month once before deciding I hated it. So I left and actually got my previous job back at a higher salary. I don't bother putting it on my resume.

 

[ShawnD1]

It's not a question of loyalty from the employer point of view. It's a matter of having a return on invested resources (time, money, training, etc). Doesn't make sense to put resources into someone if they may not stay very long.

This. One of my friends seems to jump ship after 3 months. Works at Home Depot, it's fun, then it's worse than the holocaust. Works at Disney, yay Disney, fuck this job, gone after 3 months. Repeat that for several years. Based on how long she stays at jobs, I would never hire her unless it was a job that needs little or no training and they become productive immediately.


Having 1 bad thing on your resume shouldn't matter. Sometimes good jobs and good people don't fit together well. Having it happen like clock work every couple months is a huge red flag.

 

[blackdogdeek]

too funny i just saw this on lifehacker today:

http://lifehacker.com/5877886/how-do-i-quit-a-job-i-just-started

 

[GotIssues]

It's not a red flag unless you have a string of them, otherwise employers don't care. I know this for 100% fact because I have several friends that are recruiters and we've had this discussion before.

 

[Zargon]

Honestly anything less than a year or two is a flag in my book. It doesn't mean the problem was with you per se, but if you have a string of 1 year here 1 year there then yes 4 months is a 'you' problem.


If your other experience is more like 4-5 years at each job then one 4 month stint wouldn't be a big deal.

yeah

if its a one time thing, no bigs. sometimes things just dont work out at jobs and you leave.

but if its a common occurrence it looks bad

 

[Vic Vega]

A company's goal is to make money, as much as they possibly can.

A company should not be surprised that an employee has the same goal.

For me, a year is them minimum. After that, all bets are off.

 

[Vic Vega]

And for people saying a string of one year jobs look back, must not be familiar with contracting, especially in IT.

Someone might work for Microsoft, Dell, IBM, Cisco, etc over the course of five years and only spend a year at each, that doesn't mean the person can't hack it - it means they are in demand.

 

[Zargon]

And for people saying a string of one year jobs look back, must not be familiar with contracting, especially in IT.

Someone might work for Microsoft, Dell, IBM, Cisco, etc over the course of five years and only spend a year at each, that doesn't mean the person can't hack it - it means they are in demand.

yes contracting/consulting is different. and you usually specify that you were contracting on a resume when you are doing that stuff

 

[KentState]

And for people saying a string of one year jobs look back, must not be familiar with contracting, especially in IT.

Someone might work for Microsoft, Dell, IBM, Cisco, etc over the course of five years and only spend a year at each, that doesn't mean the person can't hack it - it means they are in demand.

If I'm hiring a permanent position and see a consultant that is jumping to a new project each year, I really want to make sure they are wanting a permanent position and are really in the right mindset. I've also seen a lot of consultants that jump to a new project often because the last place is fed up working with them and they keep getting passed around.