Insane to Try to Leave a Job Right After Starting It?

March 22, 2007 4:33 PM

Should I try to leave the job I just started?

Help. I just started a new job, less than a month ago. The plus: it's a company I really like. The minuses: 70% of the work I'm doing is pretty mindless drudgery that won't add to my skill set. There isn't as much room for creativity as I was led to believe at the interview. The 30% that is good experience is only tangentially related to the career direction I want to go in. I'm getting the feeling there isn't much room for advancement (employee turnover is high). (Bonus: it pays for shit.)

The reason I'm posting (no, not just to whine): I got an email today from a company that I applied to work at before accepting my current job. Company #2 wants to interview me. I'm pretty sure the position at Company #2 would offer room for growth, and it would almost certainly pay better.

Would it be ridiculous for me to interview for another job almost immediately after starting the one I have now? Should I turn down the chance to interview at Company #2 and tough it out in my current position? If so, how long?

What would you do in my situation? Many, many thanks for any (constructive) advice.

posted by hazelshade to work & money (15 comments total)

I'd say go for it, but if you take the job at company #2, better be ready to stay there a while so your employment history doesn't look too flaky.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 4:37 PM on March 22, 2007

By all means, interview at company #2 and see what happens. DO NOT tell company #1 why you're out. If you end up with a job offer at #2, then evaluate the options.

If you started less than a month ago and you do end up leaving for company #2, I'd leave the whole stint with company #1 off the resume entirely. No one will ask about a gap that short.

So, in short, go for it.
posted by fuzzbean at 4:41 PM on March 22, 2007

I think it is quite reasonable to leave a job shortly after starting it. It is hard to know if a job will be a perfect fit before you actually start out, and sometimes things don't work out. In fact I would say leaving after a month would look better than, say, six months. In that case you don't even really need to put it on your resume. It's not part of your career, just a job you started at that didn't work out. It will suck for your current employer, but the longer you stay the more they will have invested in you and the more obliged you will be to stay.

And either way, you won't have to decide until you actually get an offer at #2. You might as well do the interview.
posted by PercussivePaul at 4:47 PM on March 22, 2007 [1 favorite]

You might be interested in this thread. It's a different situation to yours but still deals with the issue of applying for another job not long after starting a new one.
posted by paduasoy at 5:24 PM on March 22, 2007

Interview!! There's one thing I've learned in the little I've had the chance to work (22 and in grad school--so not much) but I was in a real shitty job during undergrad and I would have readily quit given the chance again and tried something else. Don't leave yourself in a position where you're going to be miserable!

Definitely interview; if you take the position, just tell the company you're with now that they didn't hold up to their end of the bargain during the original interview. No harm done.
posted by uncballzer at 5:53 PM on March 22, 2007

You have nothing to lose by interviewing. Do it. If the job seems significantly better, take it.

Don't let your current employer know until the ink is dry on your contract with the other place, though.
posted by ikkyu2 at 5:56 PM on March 22, 2007

You should interview, no doubt about it. You might find out that job #2 is crap and that will save you from ever wondering "what if." You might find out that job #2 is great and a much better fit. People leave their new-found jobs all the time. You were mislead in the interview. The job isn't what you thought it would be and it isn't getting any better. There is no reason to stay to learn new skills nor is there hope for promotion. Pack your bags.
posted by Foam Pants at 6:07 PM on March 22, 2007

Go for it. A month doesn't even need to show up on your resume.
posted by alms at 6:10 PM on March 22, 2007

I did this once and it was a great move. Go for it.
posted by 10ch at 6:24 PM on March 22, 2007

Chiming in to say go for it. Think of it this way: When you start a new job, you are typically given a "probation period" of 30-90 days, during which the company assesses your performance and decides if you're good for the job.

Well, this goes both ways. And in this case, it sounds like the job is not a good fit.

Do what you already know needs to be done instead of delaying.
posted by qvtqht at 6:55 PM on March 22, 2007

Absolutely, go for it.
posted by walla at 8:44 PM on March 22, 2007

Nthing the "go for it."

I am in the process of relocating from DC to NYC and I have found "a" job. It's not "the" job. I see it as a transition moment.

I will work very hard and do My best for job A until I find job B (which will be perfect and life-alteringly awesome. maybe...) . Then i will give job A appropriate notice, and move on to love job B.

This is your life, eh? No one owns you, 'cept you.

good luck.
posted by metasav at 10:49 PM on March 22, 2007

A friend of mine, in senior management, had his company sold. He went to a new company, and shortly afterwards, they sold, too, and he was again out of work. Companies aren't loyal to employees. Therefore, employees owe no loyalty either.

Go for it. Of course, maybe they will like also. Sometimes, new positions suck for awhile before they become interesting. Sometimes, they suck until you find a new gig.
posted by Goofyy at 12:07 AM on March 23, 2007

It sounds like this is also an opportunity to hone your interview skills. I mean, you clearly got a false impression on interviewing company A if your perception of it during the interview was more positive than your experience of it now.

So, you probably want to make sure you get a much clearer picture of company B before committing to them. That means using the interview as an opportunity to grill them. I guess worse case scenario you have same drudgery with better pay, so go for it.
posted by Deathalicious at 12:51 AM on March 23, 2007

Yup, go for it. Duh. Even if you DID put this current place on your resume, it would be very easy to tell any future prospective employers "Yeah, I went in expecting (and having been told) that it would offer lots of room for growth, but I was slightly misled in the interview about what the role actually was - turns out I was filing and doing data entry all day. I moved on and found something a bit more fitting with my skills and career goals."
posted by antifuse at 2:22 AM on March 23, 2007