I don't know what you want but I can't give it anymore
April 23, 2013 3:14 PM   Subscribe

What I thought was my dream full-time job has turned into a nightmare after only three months. Help me leave ASAP.

After years of freelancing I was so grateful to land a full-time position, but I'm starting to realize that this position is not for me.

It's a UX design position, where I'm working on software (as opposed to websites like I was doing previously.) The way the company does UX is so radically different from my previous experience that I can't apply what I've learned to it. I'm currently in hot water with my supervisor in spite of scrambling to learn about the fleet of products and the process the design team follows - the work I've been doing is missing the mark in their eyes.

It's like I've grown up in a French environment and I'm now in a place where everyone's speaking Haitian Creole. Much as I hate freelancing, I know I'm not going to thrive here. How can I keep my job hunt discreet? How do I explain to prospective hiring managers why I'm leaving a position after only a few months? If you have any tips, anecdotes, etc. that you'd rather not make public, feel free to send a MeMail.

Thanks!
posted by Anima Mundi to Work & Money (8 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
ow do I explain to prospective hiring managers why I'm leaving a position after only a few months?

"It's turned out to not be a great fit."

You are definitely not the first person in this position.
posted by Tomorrowful at 3:25 PM on April 23, 2013 [1 favorite]


Just apply for jobs in your free time, or if you really don't give a fuck, do it at your current job! The beauty is, you don't want to be there and if you can freelance to stay afloat.... you really don't have to. Don't make a 3 month mistake more than it is.

Tell future jobs that you realized that the job wasn't for you. 3 months is usually when people realize this if it's obvious enough.
posted by LZel at 3:26 PM on April 23, 2013 [2 favorites]


Best answer: i would just leave this position off your resume since it has been such a short period of time and if you list jobs by year, rather than month, on your resume then all prospective employers need to know is that you are a freelancer.
posted by wildflower at 3:26 PM on April 23, 2013 [3 favorites]


Best answer: I had a similar three-month job nightmare after freelancing and I leave it off my resume.

Don't let them cause you to feel bad about yourself. After all, they interviewed and hired you.
posted by rhizome at 6:25 PM on April 23, 2013 [2 favorites]


I agree that three months is short enough to, resume-wise, pretend it never even happened. But in that sense it's better to leave earlier than later.
posted by Dansaman at 10:16 PM on April 23, 2013


Best answer: I'd just lump it as one of my freelance gigs on my resume. Pretend it's a contract job.

Start applying wherever you are. If you have time at work, there. Or in your spare time nights and weekends.

We've all been there honey. It happened to me when I left the corporate world to teach. I realized after about 3 hours that I was in over in my head.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:03 AM on April 24, 2013


I would either leave it off your resume, which is what I did after leaving a job after four months, or pass it off as another freelance position. if you choose to keep it on your resume as is, its fine to say it wasn't a good fit for you because of XYZ. it happens all the time and isn't anything out of the ordinary or alarming to recruiters.
posted by cm1088 at 1:59 PM on April 24, 2013


Response by poster: Thanks for the answers. After writing this question, I was going to turn in my resignation letter but they beat me to the punch by letting me go. A blessing in disguise - I'll regroup myself and determine next steps from here on out. :)
posted by Anima Mundi at 4:05 PM on May 3, 2013


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