Avoiding Being Perceived as a Job-Hopper
November 5, 2012 9:17 AM Subscribe
Recently accepted job offer X because it gets my foot in the door in a city I love. Just discovered job posting Y in the same city for a much better job. Best way to explain myself to company Y in cover letter/resume/interview?
So I accepted the job offer X. It's a good but not great job, but it's a step up career-wise and would put me in a position to climb the ladder within a few years, and I'll love living in my new city. I start in a week, and I'm in the process of getting ready to move. Great!
But now I see the posting at employer Y, in the same city. Much better job. Great job, in fact--it's what I'd love to do, right out of the box.
The jobs both overlap with my experience, but are not really in the same category. Kind of like if I were a new chef at a restaurant, now applying for a job hosting a TV show about cooking. They are both also places from which I could see myself potentially retiring. My resume history does show that I've moved up in expertise and responsibility throughout my career, putting in 2 to 4 years at every position I list-- the lone exception being my current job Z, which I've been at less than a year (the opportunity to get the job in my new city was just too good to pass up).
Here's what I'm trying to figure out:
1) To get past the pre-interview weeding, how do I address the fact with Y that I've recently relocated to their city for job X, but am willing to totally jump ship after having worked there only a few weeks? Do I not mention job X at all on my resume (but then how to explain the relocation?) or list it (to show that I was good enough to get that large-applicant-pool, somewhat hard-to-get position)? What about the cover letter?
2) If I get the interview, how do I convey that I'm not an opportunistic job-hopper who can't be trusted not to bail? That seriously, despite leaving job Z after less than a year and new job X being perfectly fine, I really really want this job instead, for the long haul?
So I accepted the job offer X. It's a good but not great job, but it's a step up career-wise and would put me in a position to climb the ladder within a few years, and I'll love living in my new city. I start in a week, and I'm in the process of getting ready to move. Great!
But now I see the posting at employer Y, in the same city. Much better job. Great job, in fact--it's what I'd love to do, right out of the box.
The jobs both overlap with my experience, but are not really in the same category. Kind of like if I were a new chef at a restaurant, now applying for a job hosting a TV show about cooking. They are both also places from which I could see myself potentially retiring. My resume history does show that I've moved up in expertise and responsibility throughout my career, putting in 2 to 4 years at every position I list-- the lone exception being my current job Z, which I've been at less than a year (the opportunity to get the job in my new city was just too good to pass up).
Here's what I'm trying to figure out:
1) To get past the pre-interview weeding, how do I address the fact with Y that I've recently relocated to their city for job X, but am willing to totally jump ship after having worked there only a few weeks? Do I not mention job X at all on my resume (but then how to explain the relocation?) or list it (to show that I was good enough to get that large-applicant-pool, somewhat hard-to-get position)? What about the cover letter?
2) If I get the interview, how do I convey that I'm not an opportunistic job-hopper who can't be trusted not to bail? That seriously, despite leaving job Z after less than a year and new job X being perfectly fine, I really really want this job instead, for the long haul?
I always look at job hunting/interviewing as an opportunity to solve a problem/fill a need for the hiring company--if you are the best solution for the need, they will probably understand the issue and cut you some slack--or it might not even come up. So don't worry about it.
posted by agatha_magatha at 9:27 AM on November 5, 2012
posted by agatha_magatha at 9:27 AM on November 5, 2012
Yeah, you don't have to say that the job is what brought you to your new city.
"I just recently relocated."
"Oh, why is that?"
"I felt that this city would have a wonderful opportunity like this in it...and my prediction has come true."
But maybe less cheesy than that.
posted by inturnaround at 9:29 AM on November 5, 2012 [2 favorites]
"I just recently relocated."
"Oh, why is that?"
"I felt that this city would have a wonderful opportunity like this in it...and my prediction has come true."
But maybe less cheesy than that.
posted by inturnaround at 9:29 AM on November 5, 2012 [2 favorites]
Don't mention job X. A resume is not a life history, it is a sales document. It needs to be honest, but a job you've been at for a couple of weeks is not really relevant.
posted by COD at 9:30 AM on November 5, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by COD at 9:30 AM on November 5, 2012 [4 favorites]
I'm of two minds on this.
1. Hiring you was a leap of faith that company X took. In good faith they offered you the job and you accepted. I feel that you'd owe them at least a year.
2. If company X suddenly lost their headcount for your position, they'd lay you off quicker than you can say Jack Robinson.
This is not an easy call, by any stretch of the imagination.
My thing would be to send my resume and a cover letter saying basically,
Dear Hiring Manager,
I see that you have a posting for this amazing job. I've enclosed my resume so you can see my skills and experience. I have just relocated to this city to accept a position at X company. I'd love to speak with you to discuss how frequently this type of position comes up at your company and how I can leverage my new position so that I can gain the additional skills and experience needed for this current position.
Rykey
This way you get your resume in front of the guy, but you're asking for an informational interview with an eye to the future.
At the end of the day, you don't work for a company, you work for yourself, and to that end, you have to make decisions that are good for YOU.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:30 AM on November 5, 2012 [2 favorites]
1. Hiring you was a leap of faith that company X took. In good faith they offered you the job and you accepted. I feel that you'd owe them at least a year.
2. If company X suddenly lost their headcount for your position, they'd lay you off quicker than you can say Jack Robinson.
This is not an easy call, by any stretch of the imagination.
My thing would be to send my resume and a cover letter saying basically,
Dear Hiring Manager,
I see that you have a posting for this amazing job. I've enclosed my resume so you can see my skills and experience. I have just relocated to this city to accept a position at X company. I'd love to speak with you to discuss how frequently this type of position comes up at your company and how I can leverage my new position so that I can gain the additional skills and experience needed for this current position.
Rykey
This way you get your resume in front of the guy, but you're asking for an informational interview with an eye to the future.
At the end of the day, you don't work for a company, you work for yourself, and to that end, you have to make decisions that are good for YOU.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:30 AM on November 5, 2012 [2 favorites]
I couldn't disagree more with 1/2 of Ruthless Bunny's post:
1. Hiring you was a leap of faith that company X took. In good faith they offered you the job and you accepted. I feel that you'd owe them at least a year.
2. If company X suddenly lost their headcount for your position, they'd lay you off quicker than you can say Jack Robinson.
#1 is completely irrelevant. #2 is the only salient detail.
And speaking as a manager, the script "I'd love to speak with you to discuss how frequently this type of position comes up at your company and how I can leverage my new position so that I can gain the additional skills and experience needed for this current position" is completely incomprehensible to me. Either want to work for us now or you want to wait. I mean, I would understand if you reached out in some other capacity (through a networking event, alumni database, or mutual acquaintance) to do some networking and learn about my company. But sending a cover letter in response to a job posting that says "I'm not applying for this job" seems tone-deaf to me.
Apply for the dream job. Feel free to leave off the current job. You haven't even started yet. Just get the application in soon. And feel free to bail on the current job for your dream job - the company would do the same to do you. As you say, you have several years of experience and have shown that you can stay with jobs and move up in responsibility. This current blip - jumping to Company X and then leaving for a dream job - will be a tiny blip that is easily explained by saying "I got my dream job and went for it." Just try to stick with that one for a few years.
There is one way that I would change my answer, and that's if your industry is very small and insular and therefore Company X could throw a tantrum and make you look bad for leaving them so quickly. I have never worked in such a tiny industry, but I've heard they're out there. So maybe think about that, but if you work in an industry that has a large number of players then it's probably not a big deal to tick off a single company.
posted by Tehhund at 9:55 AM on November 5, 2012 [12 favorites]
1. Hiring you was a leap of faith that company X took. In good faith they offered you the job and you accepted. I feel that you'd owe them at least a year.
2. If company X suddenly lost their headcount for your position, they'd lay you off quicker than you can say Jack Robinson.
#1 is completely irrelevant. #2 is the only salient detail.
And speaking as a manager, the script "I'd love to speak with you to discuss how frequently this type of position comes up at your company and how I can leverage my new position so that I can gain the additional skills and experience needed for this current position" is completely incomprehensible to me. Either want to work for us now or you want to wait. I mean, I would understand if you reached out in some other capacity (through a networking event, alumni database, or mutual acquaintance) to do some networking and learn about my company. But sending a cover letter in response to a job posting that says "I'm not applying for this job" seems tone-deaf to me.
Apply for the dream job. Feel free to leave off the current job. You haven't even started yet. Just get the application in soon. And feel free to bail on the current job for your dream job - the company would do the same to do you. As you say, you have several years of experience and have shown that you can stay with jobs and move up in responsibility. This current blip - jumping to Company X and then leaving for a dream job - will be a tiny blip that is easily explained by saying "I got my dream job and went for it." Just try to stick with that one for a few years.
There is one way that I would change my answer, and that's if your industry is very small and insular and therefore Company X could throw a tantrum and make you look bad for leaving them so quickly. I have never worked in such a tiny industry, but I've heard they're out there. So maybe think about that, but if you work in an industry that has a large number of players then it's probably not a big deal to tick off a single company.
posted by Tehhund at 9:55 AM on November 5, 2012 [12 favorites]
Potential new employer does not care why you moved to the city. Years ago, I'd have said you owe your current employer a year, but as business owner myself, I know that jobs come and go, and making a job offer to an employee is not that expensive. I'd rather you be somewhere and happy than with me and not so happy.
But! How tight-knit is this community, because if I were your employer and found out you were shopping weeks after taking my offer, I'd feel bad about that. And if I were your interviewer and found that out, yeah, I'd feel uncomfortable too.
So for me, the pragmatic question is: is this an industry where word would get around and hurt your rep at your current or potential future employer? If you are unsure, do you have a good friend in the industry in that area who you can talk to about this?
posted by zippy at 10:10 AM on November 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
But! How tight-knit is this community, because if I were your employer and found out you were shopping weeks after taking my offer, I'd feel bad about that. And if I were your interviewer and found that out, yeah, I'd feel uncomfortable too.
So for me, the pragmatic question is: is this an industry where word would get around and hurt your rep at your current or potential future employer? If you are unsure, do you have a good friend in the industry in that area who you can talk to about this?
posted by zippy at 10:10 AM on November 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the advice so far. The two employers are sufficiently removed from each other, so the "word getting around" factor won't be a problem.
posted by Rykey at 10:14 AM on November 5, 2012
posted by Rykey at 10:14 AM on November 5, 2012
Lie. Lie like your pants are on fire! Lie like the wind!
You don't owe anything to the job that hired you. If your work wasn't making the company happy, they'd axe you faster than Paul Bunyan. This is why I have no belief whatsoever in corporate loyalty (though I do believe in loyalty to specific people within a corporation).
The main problem, as I perceive it, is that if you leave company X off your resume, company Y may think you're currently unemployed, which means your starting offer is likely to be lower. Plus, people who are currently employed are (rightly or wrongly) perceived to be more valuable than unemployed people.
In your position, I would list company X as my current employer, but imply indirectly that the job wasn't quite what it had been made up to be and that it didn't carry the responsibility that I was accustomed to.
Of course, your mileage may vary. The flip side of the coin is that this company might perceive your leaving so soon as "disloyalty" (which is the kiss of death at most smaller companies, even though bigger corporations tend not to care) so if you think they would care about this, then it may be better to simply leave job X off your resume.
posted by wolfdreams01 at 10:59 AM on November 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
You don't owe anything to the job that hired you. If your work wasn't making the company happy, they'd axe you faster than Paul Bunyan. This is why I have no belief whatsoever in corporate loyalty (though I do believe in loyalty to specific people within a corporation).
The main problem, as I perceive it, is that if you leave company X off your resume, company Y may think you're currently unemployed, which means your starting offer is likely to be lower. Plus, people who are currently employed are (rightly or wrongly) perceived to be more valuable than unemployed people.
In your position, I would list company X as my current employer, but imply indirectly that the job wasn't quite what it had been made up to be and that it didn't carry the responsibility that I was accustomed to.
Of course, your mileage may vary. The flip side of the coin is that this company might perceive your leaving so soon as "disloyalty" (which is the kiss of death at most smaller companies, even though bigger corporations tend not to care) so if you think they would care about this, then it may be better to simply leave job X off your resume.
posted by wolfdreams01 at 10:59 AM on November 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
You don't owe anything to the job that hired you.
Just checking - did they pay for your relocation? If so, you probably signed a contract that specifies the terms and you may be liable to reimburse those expenses.
If not, then you're fine.
posted by CathyG at 12:06 PM on November 5, 2012
Just checking - did they pay for your relocation? If so, you probably signed a contract that specifies the terms and you may be liable to reimburse those expenses.
If not, then you're fine.
posted by CathyG at 12:06 PM on November 5, 2012
Lie:
"I just flew out here for this interview...(that's how much i believe in this company *distant stare*)...I have a ton of friends who live out here I can stay with while I relocate. I could start next week/two weeks from now/as soon as I tell Job X/after my celebratory trip to Bermuda/whenever I feel like starting"
posted by sexyrobot at 10:02 PM on November 5, 2012
"I just flew out here for this interview...(that's how much i believe in this company *distant stare*)...I have a ton of friends who live out here I can stay with while I relocate. I could start next week/two weeks from now/as soon as I tell Job X/after my celebratory trip to Bermuda/whenever I feel like starting"
posted by sexyrobot at 10:02 PM on November 5, 2012
« Older How can I get a custom alligator trophy made? | How do I bake some gluten free bread? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by spaltavian at 9:25 AM on November 5, 2012