Exiting a shite job you haven't had very long. Need answer fast!

In My Humble Opinion
1

Okay, so there’s this girl. We’ll call her, oh, Sam, because I find very charming women with monosyllabic, masculine monikers (and alliteration).

Sam hates her job. Not in the “after work, happy hour, dish about your job but it’s really no worse than any other soul-crushing office work” way. I mean in a “perfectly fine weekend can be effectively shat on with the realization that she must return to hell soon enough” way. Without getting into too much detail, aside from the job itself being just plain awful, the boss is an epic cunt who doesn’t even mask her personal contempt for Sam in the slightest veneer of cordiality or professionalism. It’s insane. It’s so oppressive, that this company may have a faster turnaround time than McDonald’s. Sam, until very recently, steered clear of Epic Cunt’s ire, but someone else who had never been so fortunate quit after 3 weeks. After nearly 2 in the line of fire, it’s perfectly understandable why the poor gal threw up her hands and said “Fuck this” so early. It is truly hell on earth.

Now keep in mind, Sam ain’t no lily-livered little bitch who gets all butthurt every time sunshine isn’t directly in her ass, but still, there’s only so much abuse any sane person (no matter how thick-skinned) can take, especially while trapped in a tiny little company where there’s nowhere else to turn, before needing to get the hell out. In a company this size, there’s no complaint dept. The crazy cunt IS the complaint dept.

So here are Sam’s dilemmas. Clearly, she needs to get the fuck out of Dodge before she buys a gun and kills the shit out of some people. BUT – ah yes, the “but” should be clear. 1) You look like a job-hopping loser when you quit your job after 4 months. There’s an otherwise stable job history, but it looks fishy when you leave your job so soon after starting. Any way around this or no? 2) What does one say if asked about why leaving so soon. I’m certain many employers will just shitcan the resume immediately when looking at the 4-mo stay at the current job. But let’s visit fantasyland for a second and imagine someone’s interested because the resume is otherwise solid, and asks the very obvious question: Why the move so early? What is an employer-friendly answer to this? You can’t say “I didn’t like it, because the boss was a whore.” What are legitimate grievances one can state that doesn’t make the interviewer write down on his note pad “Does not get along with others. Not a team player”?

Just how fucked, on a scale of 1-10, is Sam, and if there’s some daybreak in the fuckedness, what is good-sounding but still honest way to explain the move?

I thank you. I mean, Sam thanks you.

2

I think if she has a good job history prior to this, she should leave it off her resume but still try to leave with notice and in whatever passes for good graces there in case she applies for something with a stringent background check that will want to know exactly what she did for those four months.

Edited to add: As someone who interviews lots of people, she could say to me “I started there but it was not a good fit so I decided to explore other opportunities.” I agree that if I hear too much bitching about a previous boss, I wonder if the person had an attitude problem - plus it’s just not a good use of interview time.

3

This kind of thing calls for creative explanations. She should say the job wasn’t a good fit for her, but to avoid getting the “Doesn’t Play Well With Others” label, she’s gonna have to fudge it a little.

Sam could say she left the job because she was hired to do Job A, which entailed Tasks 1, 2, and 3, in which she has training and experience, but when she got there, there was some shuffling of personnel and job duties, and they now wanted her to do Job B, including Tasks 5, 6 and 7, in which she has no experience or training.

4

Heh. I’m a woman called Sam - glad to hear you find me charming. :smiley:

A friend of mine was recently in a job like this; he’s a hardy soul, mentally, but I could pretty much see him shrivelling as he worked. I swear he was two inches shorter in his brief period there. He was concerned that it would look bad on his CV, that he wouldn’t be able to claim unemployment, etc, but eventually he quit because the alternative was calling in sick every day anyway. He now has a different job and I’m certain he looks taller than he ever did before.

Very short jobs can usually be excused as ‘temp contract.’ Why did you leave? It was a temp contract. There are lots of those around, maternity cover, illness cover, hiring to cover a period of extra work, etc. Sounds like Sam still has recent references from other jobs.

It’s the jobs of a a year and above that can be difficult to explain. Short-term jobs are easy.

5

  1. Only if you (erm…sam) list this job on your (her) resume. People only know what you (…yeah, let’s be honest, you) tell them. It’s true - lies by omission are king here. You were not gainfully employed during this time. Therefore, list this time period as such. :slight_smile:

  2. If you must be honest about number 1, then you must buck up and lie about number 2. Just tell the next job you’re not being dishonest with them about your abilities and experience, so hopefully they’re not being dishonest about your responsibilities and their expectations (with a wink and nod). They should get it, and it’s mostly true. You were hired to be an employee, you were treated like a pinata.

6

This is also a good time to acquire a new life passion that doesn’t jive with the current job.

If “Sam” has a really good history of employment, consider putting in notice and trying out your own company for a while, because gosh darnit, you’re just so passionate about widgets that you can’t wait any longer! Said widget company sadly will fall into the can when your funding falls through before you can get those widgets booming.

Bonus points if you can figure out an interesting way to make the fictional - I mean *unfortunate *- deceased personal company look good in interviews. Spin that sad tale of hubris and personal development into a learning experience and it totally outshines the 4-month stint in hell preceding it.

If you’re not that brave, there’s always the mealy-mouthed “office culture clash” to fall back on. Personality clashes happen, and if you’re not getting drunk and calling her a raging bitch in the post-interview dinner meeting, you should be ok. If it’s obvious that it was a tiny-ass company, it may not even make that much of a dent on your resume/interview, as long as you are totally professional about your history, resume, and interviewing topics otherwise.

7

Okay, I’m Sam. I’ll cut the BS. I’m hesitant to leave it off because 1) employers actively discriminate against the unemployed, and 2) it’s not a good look to leave something like your current employment off your resume. Not inserting a summer job you had when you were 19, sure, but your current job as of the past 4 months, no. Right? I dunno, that’s why I’m here.

Aye, this is what I’m thinking. You can’t say “I hated them” because even if your boss is Satan, the cold reality is there is just no way to say that to an employer without seeming like you’re the problem. Period. There are actual legitimate false-advertisement problems with the job duties as stated and what they are, though. Methinks this would be the angle to play up?

Charming indeed. I actually have a 9 month contract job on my resume that was way to long of a gap to pretend like it didn’t exist, but I actually describe it as a contract job on my resume, so no one has beefed about it. I started as a contract employee at my last company for 9 months, then went on as full time, regular employee for another 3 years. That looks dandy, no beefs.

Now there’s this 4 month gig that was intended to be permanent, but I’m not sure how much longer I can resist my urge to murder.

Dear Jesus, please help me not strangle or exacerbate an already serious drinking problem!

8

I suppose it depends a bit on your industry, but the Mr. said pretty much this exact thing when he was interviewing for his current position. Well, the interviewer said ‘So lemme guess, the boss was an asshole?’ and hubby agreed.

FWIW, a single 4 month job wouldn’t ping anything on my ‘flaky-loser’ radar - I would assume that you started in a new position and your boss was a douche - hey, it happens. I would keep the current position when applying though.

9

Hmm. Where’s the beard stroking emoticon? I don’t feel like I can just leave off this job. The reasons are employers sneer at the unemployed, so if I put down my most recent employment having been in April, I sincerely feel I’ll be rejected in a way I would not have been if I presented myself as still employed. Maybe my best bet is being honest about number 1 and fluffing number 2 a little? I can play the “These were my expectations, and here’s what I got” angle if necessary.

Will employers just automatically think I’m an ass for leaving so soon? I suppose it couldn’t hurt to throw my resume at people?

You mean writing short stories on the beach? No one will pay Sam for that. :frowning:

No unprofessional name-calling, I can assure you. I’m also pissy because my previous managers I know for certain will give me glowing reviews. Hell, my last manager told me all the wonderful things she told employers when I started looking for a new job. Epic Cunt isn’t going to rave about me. She hates me. Arr!

10

I feel for you. I’ve had my current gig for 5 years, but the one I left lasted 50 weeks of the most hellish misery I have ever had. I left vacation time I could have taken if I had waited 2 more weeks and I couldn’t do it.

I don’t have any real advice, I just hope you can find something else soon.

11

Get the resume out there, state in your applications that you don’t want them to contact your current employer (most businesses are pretty good about that; advertising isn’t, though), and get the phrase “Not a good fit” into your vocabulary. Otherwise good solid work history will work in your favor. Lots of people have made a mistake and “bad fit” covers everything from personalities to job description varying from actual job duties to desk situated in a draft with no view.

PS–I think most employers will take the word of the second employer/manager back over the word of the current employer, because if you’re really a jewel they won’t want to lose you, but the second one back has no vested interest. I would talk to the managers who gave you glowing reviews and ask if they’d mind doing that again, even though it’s a lot sooner than you expected.

12

I think it all really depends on what your actual job/industry is. The thing you need to be careful of is speaking/writing in a way that makes you sound desperate or pathetic. Why are you leaving your job? Because your boss is abusive. Or use the old stand by “they painted a very different picture of what your roll actually is”.

Also, if you are planning on quitting anyway, how about standing up to your boss?

13

If you find a better job it will look OK. Even if you can just say it’s a better job. So, find that next job, then quit.

Now when you are looking for that job, use whatever the potential new job has that is better- like better benes, better pay, shorter commute, KNOWN for a great work environment, etc. There will be something. Use it. Do NOT say you are unhappy where you are. Just say you are looking for a better job.

14

You don’t have a pattern of short term gigs so don’t worry about it. Most people who have been working for any length of time have at least one job on their resume that didn’t work out.

The key thing during interviews is to keep the focus on your positive work experiences. Do not under any circumstances bad mouth your current boss. Your potential new boss does not want to hear this. The new boss wants to hear about your skills, accomplishments, what you can offer, problems that you solved, etc.

If asked why you are leaving your current job, a good answer is that it is not challenging enough and that you feel your skills are underutilized. You don’t want to give any indication that there is a personality conflict since that can be a red flag.

15

It sounds like you should be able to describe your actions in a positive frame without even distorting the truth. It isn’t working out, so you’re following a course of remedial action. A prospective employer ought to be able to see that as a sign of a decisive and forward-looking person.

16

I have $20 that says you don’t make it 15 days!

Just start looking for another job ASAP. Just the fact that you are actively looking may make it a bit easier to deal with the bitch at work. Maybe.

17

You humbly and shyly say;

My experience there revealed to me the importance of working somewhere I can be proud of the team I work for, and the work I get to do. I prefer an environment where honesty and integrity are respected values.

Done.

18

I’m lucky in that Spain has the concept of “trial period”, most of the people who’ve asked me why was I willing to look at other opportunities having just started someplace relax when I point out “well, I’m in my trial period and it goes both ways - this place is OK but this is the right time to look at possible greener grass, while they still haven’t invested a lot in me”.

“I’m afraid the cultural fit between that company and me wasn’t the best” also works, I’m told.

Can Sam claim it was merely “a short contract”? In Spain “bad fits” are viewed as “the hiring people screwed up”, so companies are perfectly happy to go along with “end of contract” as the official reason for leaving. There are even many companies which give you a short contract for what would be the “trial period” in a long-term job, and if it doesn’t work out, well, gee, “end of contract”!

19

I did something similar and it didn’t hurt my career. I chose to be really open and honest about it.

In the interview for the job I have now, I said something along the lines of, ‘It was a disaster from start to finish. I ignored a lot of warning signs from the recruitment process. I was not a good fit for the company and the position was not what I expected. I realised I had made a mistake and I thought it best for both myself and the company to leave, allowing me to get a position I’m more suited for, and allowing them to get an individual better suited to their job requirements.’

20

I’m having a similar problem now, about a year after I’ve started a job. The job is perfectly fine, but I’m coming to realise that all the talk about bonuses and performance-based pay reviews during salary negotiations were just a flat-out lie rather than an exaggeration, that I can make 50% as much doing the same job elsewhere with basically any other company, and that there is less than a 0.1% chance of moving up in the management structure here.

I have a slightly patchier job history than it sounds like you do - I was at my first job for 1.5 years before being laid off with 45 other people during the recession, was unemployed for two months then picked up a short-term contract (yes, a real one!) for five months, unemployed for another two months, then started my current job. Basically I’m trying to figure out how long I have to stay at my position here before I can start looking for a new job without my CV looking too flaky or patchy.