To be job hunting after less than a year in new role?

[TartsKnickerDrawer]

I don’t hate my new job. The people are nice, there are things about it that work for me (commute is only 30 mins each way, generous holidays) ….but the hours and work ethic are killing me!

I’m working long days, taking work home in the evenings, working at least one day at weekends. Working from home is never an option, always have to be on-site by 7.30am and can’t leave until 5pm earliest, usually it’s closer to 6pm. Similar to teaching I suppose (but it’s not teaching).

Work has taken over my life and this is very much the culture of the organisation, so I don’t think I’ll be able to change it.

I have no social life, very little quality time with my DH & teenage kids and my health is suffering. I’m dreaming of a week with more slack in it - a 4 day week, or the chance to work from home a day or two a week, or something, anything to ease the pressure!

But I’ve never left a job so quickly. I was at my last organisation for 7 years, and 3 years at the one before that. Will it look terrible? This job was also a step up from my last role. I think I’m doing a pretty good job (bosses very complimentary, excellent appraisal)…but worried I’ll look like I couldn’t hack the step up if I leave so soon.

Can the current job accommodate any changes or can they offer you a different role? Sounds like you're well thought of so might be worth a shot before moving.

If they can't accommodate though, I would move. A bit of work life balance is so important!

It actually depends on your age. If you’re younger you need a longer tenure. If you’re over 40 you are more appealing as a candidate if you have 1-2 year tenures if you have longer tenures with previous companies. Shows you are focussing on skills and that you are less likely to ‘role block’ - in this current market older employees with wide ranging employment are often more valuable than those with deep knowledge with one employer.

Interesting comments so far, thank you!

@Ozanj I’m 45.

I should also say, I’m not afraid of hard work and I am looking to progress in my career as my kids are a bit older now and DH is working from home and picking up a lot of the kids/domestic stuff.

I just don’t know if I’m cut out for an on-site, operational senior management role, I suppose. I feel like I never get a break.

@Circlesandtriangles

I’d need to come up with a really good proposal for redesigning my role in its current form, as there is a very rigid structure and hierarchy here. I’ll have to think on that!

No other roles within the organisation would suit my skill set (I’m in quite a niche role).

Not unreasonable, but if there is a discussion about reducing the hours and impacts on your health, at least try that.

I think you would be completely fine to move - 3 years then 7 years already demonstrates you have stickability, and it might take you a while to find a job that’s perfect for your next move anyway - if you start looking now then you can just take your time, make sure you interview a company as much as they are interviewing you, and find a better fit.

There has been a massive shift to more flexible working in many industries, so you’d be mad not to capitalise on that if that’s what you want.

There is nothing wrong with accepting this job isn't the right fit for you and moving on.

I left my last job after 2 years. I knew by 12 months it was the wrong job and TBH it was only because of Covid and a bit of a 'shutdown' of sorts in the organisation that I stuck it out as long as I did. Mine was similar, the culture and the ethos was the problem and no amount of push back on my part would have changed that.

The good thing is that you're performing well and your manager seems to be happy with you, so you can spin it to your advantage. I actually got another role internally with a manager who knew my old department so there was a bit of unspoken understanding about why I had left. I still speak to my replacement and they've decided they're moving on now too, that's less than two years!

@Ozanj

It actually depends on your age. If you’re younger you need a longer tenure. If you’re over 40 you are more appealing as a candidate if you have 1-2 year tenures if you have longer tenures with previous companies. Shows you are focussing on skills and that you are less likely to ‘role block’ - in this current market older employees with wide ranging employment are often more valuable than those with deep knowledge with one employer.

I would say it's the opposite actually. When you're young (or early in your career) you're more likely to move jobs to find your niche and experiment a bit. When you're older/established in your career you 'should' technically know what it is that you like doing and find the role that's suitable for you (and stay in that role for a while). In real life people leave for all sort of reasons and as long as you have relevant experience it shouldn't be a problem to find a new job fairly quickly.

I'd say with the 3 then 7 year stints before this one you'd be fine with a short employment in this current job.
You can show that in the right role you stay and if questioned on it at interview you can explain why this current role didn't work out. Obviously it would depend on the employer, but most, IME, don't mind one quick hop as long as you can show how it has helped you understand better the right role for you.

I think what concerns employers most is when they see repeated short stays in jobs which suggests you either never stick around, or you get quickly moved on.

I left my last job (before my current one) after 8 months (interviewed after 6 months).

It was a terrible fit and I was unhappy.

In my interview I was asked why leaving so soon and I said that it was a bad fit and not quite what I expected. They were fine with that and here I am nearly 7 years later.

Thanks, all. It helps to look at the bigger picture of my career, so thanks for that!

I think I have a fairly good CV. I career l-changed at 33 (was in my first organisation for 9 years before that, getting promoted roughly every two years).

Since the career change I’ve had two one-year contracts (funded for a year, so no chance of extension), the 3 year role in one place, then 7 years at my last place (promoted during that time).

I think I do just need to start looking in earnest for something else and get really clear on what I’m looking for next. The thought of another year of such a relentless pace is depressing….

How long were the previous post holders in the role? If its historically resulted in a 12-18month person then they leave, it may be worth approaching Senior Management about how best to make changes to reduce turnover

I think how moving on so quickly is perceived depends a bit on your industry. In my husband's industry it is completely acceptable to move every 1-2 years and there is such a skills shortage that it isn't something that any employer can be picky about. My industry is more conservative but if you had several long employments followed by a short one it probably wouldn't affect your chances though I suspect they would ask at interview why you were moving on so quickly. I think saying that it wasn't what you expected / wasn't a good fit but that you are nevertheless well regarded would be a satisfactory answer to that.

Have you tried putting in boundaries? If you're doing all the work and not pushing back then they will assume you're happy, willing and able to do all that work and keep piling it on. My OH was the same, took him 20 years to realise it wasn't ok to be treated like that. The year he started putting in boundaries and pushing back he got an employee award for the first time. If your role is quite niche then it may be a hassle for them to find someone else, you may not be able to change conditions for everyone but you might be able to be clear about what are reasonable expectations for your role and not allow them to thin you are a machine.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

Interesting question! My role was created out of a restructure. Previously, it was one part of the remit of a senior manager. Three different senior managers did it for roughly 2 years each. I’ve had in-depth conversations with two of those managers who said it was basically not doable as part of another roe. Bosses decided it needed to be a discrete role, so created my job.

We have had an internal review very recently and my workload was flagged as being insane, but my boss has pretty much thrown her hands up and said she knows it’s a demanding role, I’m doing a fantastic job etc…but can’t see where we could reign in the workload. I’ve come up with a few ideas (ring fencing some time to reduce the working bring home) but realistically, they don’t change the fundamental nature of the job. I’m still going to spend Saturday working all day to prepare something I literally don’t have time to do when I’m on site m, with all the best will in the world.

Sorry to prattle OB! This is all really helpful, people, thank you! 💐

*think

prattle on

@Gowithme

Have you tried putting in boundaries? If you're doing all the work and not pushing back then they will assume you're happy, willing and able to do all that work and keep piling it on. My OH was the same, took him 20 years to realise it wasn't ok to be treated like that. The year he started putting in boundaries and pushing back he got an employee award for the first time. If your role is quite niche then it may be a hassle for them to find someone else, you may not be able to change conditions for everyone but you might be able to be clear about what are reasonable expectations for your role and not allow them to thin you are a machine.

This is my strategy at the moment. Even if I start job hunting in earnest, I am going to have to start thinking about what I say yes to, as I literally cannot do anymore than I’m currently doing.

I left a role after 5 months. It just wasn't for me and a new role came up which was perfect. I was asked briefly why I was leaving the job at the new job interview but it wasn't a big deal and I'd prepared an answer. I can't see it hindering you personally. Life is too short to waste being unhappy!

I think the most important thing here is you. I am 52 but work in a very niche industry. I left my long term job last April due to my company being taken over. Everyone left to be honest and the industry saw a lot of movement of staff from our business (so no surprises there). I moved to another job and hated it - nice people but I was bored so i left after 3mths. I got another job before leaving and just explained what had happened and the reasons for leaving. To be honest because the industry is small everyone kind of knows everyone, no one was surprised by my recent history.

A short tenure doesn't have to be a bad thing. Things don't work out sometimes and better that you recognise you are not happy and try and find something that suits you than stick at something you are not enjoying.

As an aside, my two moves were really positive, I am now earning 35% more than I was a year ago, my new company wrote me a brand new contract to allow me to be based solely at home - this means that whatever happens I do not have to go to a local office and my contract does not align me to an office with an agreement I can work from home. I am purely home based and if I go to an office they have to pay my expenses.

The job market is pretty good right now. Start by setting strict boundaries on workload and use the time you get back to job hunt.

I'm in a similar position but not as extreme. My job isn't achievable in a normal working week and even working evenings and weekends doesn't give me enough capacity to get on top of stuff.