How to handle quitting a job after 3 months without burning bridges?

June 11, 2018 3:11 PM

I recently got hired into a pretty high paying position right out of school. FYI, I’m a pharmacist working for an insurance company. Prior to this role, I did a year of residency with the same company so I’m not new to the company but I’m new to the current role. I’ve been in it for 3 months and so far I like it, not love it but I can see myself doing it for a few years. Last week, one of the managers from a different department approached me and asked if I would be interested in applying for a spot in Department B (let’s call it that). Department B is highly competitive with low turnover rate. This position is the same salary and benefit as my current one. However the nature of the job would allow better chances for advancement and the experience would look great on my resume. As far as the job goes, I enjoy it as well. Maybe not more or less than the current job.

I’m very concerned about burning bridges with my current managers in department A since I’ve only been with the team for only 3 months. Do you think it’s bad to quit so early? I truly appreciate any advice you can give me. There’s no guarantee that I’ll get the position with department B but the fact that the manager approached me means I have a pretty good chance. If I don’t get it, I’m afraid it might create awkwardness with current bosses. How would you personally handle this? Thanks so much!

posted by missybitsy to Work & Money (8 answers total)

It might help to think of this as a "transfer" not "quitting" since the company will still have the benefit of your services, perhaps for much longer than otherwise. How this is perceived by your current boss will depend in part on company culture and in part on the boss's specific personality.
Is there any one you trust in the department that can give you a read on how it might be perceived while keeping it confident?
posted by metahawk at 3:17 PM on June 11, 2018 [19 favorites]

OK so a) check the rules of the company. If it's a large company, they may have codified transfer rules which will not allow you to transfer out of a position so soon. In addition, check the rules of transfers (does your current boss have to approve you applying at all, or can you wait until much farther down the process to tell them, for example).

b) Re-frame this in your mind and in the way you speak. You are not quitting - you are transferring to another role in the organization.

c) that said, depending on what training time is like in your current role, it might suck for your bosses (when I hire, for example, people are just barely starting to help more than it takes training time at 3 months). What can you do to ease the burden? Can dept B wait a little while for you, and maybe let you train a replacement? Can you move over to Dept B slowly (50% time in each Dept for a while, or something)? Is there anything else you can offer to ease the burden?

d) And that said, do what's best for you. But know that while you can definitely get away with doing this once - especially first job after school - it will definitely hurt you professionally if you do this twice, so do your due diligence and be damn sure you want to stay in this new job for a while before you take it.
posted by brainmouse at 3:17 PM on June 11, 2018 [7 favorites]

I would definitely think of this as transferring to a new position in the same company rather than quitting your job. It's a lateral transfer. Transferring after three months is really very different from quitting after three months. And in this case, since you already did a residency at the company for a year before officially going to work there, it may be that the company has been aware for some time that your skills would fit more than one position there and your supervisors may even have been preparing for the possibility that your role might change depending on what seemed a best fit for you. That said I do think it's important (as always at work) to proceed thoughtfully and step on as few toes as possible. Do double-check to make sure you are eligible for a transfer this early according to the company's policies. And if you do get transferred, make sure you thank your current supervisors for the training and experience they have given (that will no doubt serve you well in your new department).
posted by BlueJae at 3:28 PM on June 11, 2018 [5 favorites]

Agree that this is a departmental transfer, and not a resignation. There should be information on this in your employee handbook; if not, you should contact your HR representative about the protocol for transferring.

In all the companies I've worked for, the etiquette (and usually also written policy) would require you to talk to your manager first and get permission to apply for the transfer. There's often a requirement that you work in a department for a certain amount of time before you can transfer, but it's possible you could finesse your residency into being counted as a year with the department. Also, etiquette-wise, this other department head should have brought this up with your manager as colleagues. If I were your manager, I would have expected "I have an opening that I think would be great for missybitsy, I'm planning to approach her about it," as a professional courtesy, and also for you to come to me and tell me you were interested in a transfer, yourself.
posted by assenav at 4:02 PM on June 11, 2018 [3 favorites]

"Have you spoken to my manager yet about approaching me?"

If the answer is no, you should speak to your manager before you decide to apply. I've seen transfers blocked because people didn't follow etiquette.
posted by frumiousb at 4:33 PM on June 11, 2018 [11 favorites]

Agreeing with everyone else that you're not quitting anything.

From what you wrote, I can't tell how your current manager would even know you applied for the new job. If you don't get it, you'll just keep working at your current job like nothing ever happened.

That said, I'm not a huge fan of the idea of the manager B approaching you without giving you more assurance. It seems like a pretty lukewarm offer: hey, apply for this job, and maybe we'll think about hiring you. Can you talk to manager B and get more information? Let him know that you're interested, but that you're worried about going through the process if it's going to ultimately be a waste of time. If he comes back and says that you're their top choice, that'll be more reassuring. But really, there doesn't seem to be much harm in going through the process.

And if they do want you in department B, let that manager coordinate with your current manager about the process. Manager A will either realize that it's a good move for you and work with manager B, or he'll be petty and obstruct. If manager A is uncooperative, then stop worrying about burning bridges, because this person has shown they aren't willing to help you in your career.
posted by kevinbelt at 4:37 PM on June 11, 2018

Definitely talk to your manager first. If you don't talk to them, you run the risk of them finding out from someone else, and/or feeling blindsided if you do get an offer. If you tell them, they have the opportunity to support you if they want to, or at least have time to prepare for you to get the other job.

This is different than applying for most jobs because it's an internal transfer rather than quitting.
posted by lunasol at 6:40 PM on June 11, 2018

I would talk to HR first, not your manager. Some managers are assholes when people try to leave. Even ones I generally respect can get really weird on internal transfers for some reason. I've seen managers try to torpedo the move of someone who works for them who they don't even like. (#notallmanagers) So at least get the policy and whether there's a corporate stance.

The best way not to burn bridges beyond that is for the new manager to approach yours and say he wants to interview you for the job, while leaving the fact that you want to move out of it. If you can't be sure the new manager will approach it that way I will nth that you should talk to your boss.

Good luck. I'll just add at some point in this process you may need to decide whether you care about 'burning bridges' or getting the plum new job. For example, if the new manager talks to your manager directly, it is possible that you never get the job offer.
posted by mark k at 11:08 PM on June 11, 2018