Career Coach

Should you leave a company you recently joined?

Ken Pelczarski | TLT Career Coach March 2019

Ask yourself these six questions before making a decision.

Would you consider leaving a job you started two months ago to join a new organization for a great opportunity? That is a tough question! Most individuals have serious concerns about leaving a job in the first few weeks or months.

Be sure to address the following six questions when making this career decision:

1. Am I giving the job enough of a chance?
2. Am I breaking a commitment?
3. Will it damage my industry reputation?
4. Will it put my employer in a difficult situation?
5. Do I have more to learn at this job?
6. What effects will there be from a short-term job on my resume?

The commitment question is an important one. One way you establish a good reputation is by honoring commitments. When you accept a job offer, however, your commitment is not to work for a specific number of months or years just as the employer’s commitment is not to employ you for a specific amount of time (unless there is a contract stating a time period). Your main commitment is to be an ethical and reliable employee who will work hard while employed to take care of job responsibilities and achieve company goals.

When to consider leaving
There must be a significant reason if you are to change jobs within a few months of joining a company. Any of the fifteen reasons listed below for leaving a job quickly could overshadow the six potential questions listed above. For sake of argument, I am defining a job you just started as your first week, month or year of employment.

1. You found your dream job. A dream job may come only once in a lifetime. It is the kind of job about which you have dreamed throughout your career and have always wanted to do. It is something you thought was just a dream. When this kind of opportunity appears, it may be worth jumping into no matter how long you have been with your current employer.

2. You received a job offer from a company you have always wanted to work for. After spending considerable time working in your field, you will establish an opinion about which companies (1.) are formidable competitors, (2.) have great industry reputations, (3.) are industry leaders, (4.) offer great opportunities for personal growth and (5.) are potentially great cultural fits for you. When one of these elite companies has a suitable position available, you may want to grab it.

3. There’s a monetary offer you cannot refuse. You need to be cautious about leaving for this reason alone. It usually is not a good idea to leave a company simply for more money unless there are underlying reasons of principle. It is critical to evaluate the likely longevity associated with joining a new organization and to be careful of moving to a company that is trying to buy your services or pick your brain. Be sure you are joining a company that treats its employees well. It may be worth changing if you are moving from one of the lowest paying companies in your field to a solid company that is one of the highest paying.

4. There’s an opportunity with tremendous growth potential. This scenario assumes that you currently work for a company in a position that suits your experience and skill set but offers no special opportunities for personal growth or advancement. Consider changing jobs for an opportunity with an employer that (1.) is going in the right direction and growing rapidly, (2.) has a proven track record of promoting internally and (3.) offers a career path that meshes with your personal goals.

5. There’s another position that utilizes your skill set to the fullest. Your current position may only be utilizing 30%, 40% or 50% of your primary skill set and strengths. If an opportunity comes up that will utilize 90% of your skill set, you may want to listen. Upon evaluation, you will likely envision yourself being more comfortable in such a role where you will achieve bigger things that will result in greater financial and intrinsic rewards. Do not hesitate to make the change if this is the kind of opportunity that does not come up often and offers much greater use of your skill set.

6. There’s a job opportunity in the perfect location. A job opportunity that arises in an ideal location for you and your family is something to always consider. It can be difficult to find the right out-of-town position and relocation package and might take years of keeping an eye on the job market. You might want to make the move even if you see the opportunity itself as being equal to your current job in most respects.

7. You went into your current job treating it as temporary. There is every reason to consider new opportunities immediately when you go into your job thinking you will stay short term. In this scenario, you likely believe that your employer and/or position lack what you require for day-to-day challenge, satisfaction and personal growth. It would be appropriate under these circumstances to search actively for a new position.

8. Your employer knows you are job searching. If you have treated your new job as temporary from the beginning, plus your organization is aware that you are job searching and has given you its blessing, you have even more reason to spend time searching actively for a new opportunity. Possible scenarios here include the employer is (1.) a friend and understands your situation, (2.) moving you to a lesser role and supports you in achieving your career goals and (3.) consolidating because of a merger or acquisition and has informed you that your position may be eliminated.

9. You were hired under a probationary period. If you were hired under probation such as a 90-day trial period, this is a situation where each party is unsure of whether the employment arrangement will work out long term. It makes sense for you to examine other career opportunities actively while you are evaluating your current position and employer.

10. Your job responsibilities have diminished. Being demoted or given less responsibility is often a sign that the employer is losing faith in your capabilities. It may be worthwhile, however, to work on resurrecting your previous job status if you believe in your company and think there has simply been a misunderstanding. It would be wise to keep an eye out for other opportunities while you are negotiating internally.

11. Your employer misrepresented the job. This is an obvious reason to begin searching for a new opportunity. If there was clear misrepresentation of the job by your employer, trust has been lost and will be difficult to regain. Consider leaving immediately even without another job offer in hand.

12. You do not respect your new boss. After starting work with an employer, you may acquire a new boss in your initial months. If this boss is a micro-manager and/or not supportive of your efforts, you could be in a no-win situation. First, have direct conversations with your boss about how you can effectively work together. If there is no progress, discuss with upper management the difficulties you are having with your boss. Monitor and document action being taken. You may want to consider leaving the company if the relationship with your boss is not likely to improve.

13. There’s unethical behavior by top management. All bets are off when you discover unethical behavior by company management. You should start looking actively for another position immediately and consider leaving without another job lined up.

14. Your employer has been acquired. If your employer is acquired shortly after you join the company, your daily satisfaction and growth prospects could change significantly for the better, the worse or stay the same. You could be (1.) downsized, (2.) moved into a new role, (3.) reporting to a new boss or (4.) asked to relocate. It is important to re-assess your job status as if you were working for an entirely different company. Based upon the information at hand, you may want to actively search for a new job.

15. Your employer is suddenly going in the wrong direction. You likely accepted a job offer with your employer because the company looked to be stable and business was good. Unfortunately things can change quickly. If valued employees are leaving the company and your employer is losing key customers, it may be time to start actively looking for another position, especially if you see signs that the company is not likely to move in a positive direction soon.

When leaving a job in a short time period, one important way to maintain your industry reputation is to be professional and respectful to your employer in the exit process. Apologize for the unexpected short-term relationship and express gratitude for the experience and opportunity. Assist the employer in the transition in ways such as (1.) giving more than a two-week notice, (2.) working extra hours to finish projects, (3.) providing a written summary of project updates and (4.) helping find your replacement.

It makes it an easier decision to leave a job quickly if you have an outstanding work record with limited job changes. Your resume will still look good, for example, with four jobs that are 10 years, seven years, five years and four months in length. It would be acceptable down the road to not even list a job of a few weeks or months in duration on your resume. Just be prepared to discuss a short-term job openly and honestly in an interview setting.

Create endless possibilities for yourself by keeping an open mind to grab a great career opportunity at any time, even when you have recently started a new position.

Ken Pelczarski is owner and founder of Pelichem Associates, a Chicago-based search firm established in 1985 and specializing in the lubricants industry. You can reach Ken at (630) 960-1940 or at pelichem@aol.com.