Minimum amount of time I can have in hell job without ballsing up my CV

[Terramom]

Hi all,

I need some help
and a handhold please. NC for this but long time poster.

I will try and keep this brief:

I have been in my new job for 4 months and it’s making me ill. My line manager is a micromanaging bully and the only person above her is too busy to care/do anything (I have tried) but also spends most of her time so busy and stressed she is unavailable and can be incredibly rude. I have far too much work, I’m interrupted constantly, there is so much pressure on top of dealing with the behaviour from my superiors.

This has never happened to me in a job before but I think I’m starting to get ill. I was in tears at lunchtime and on the way home due to the way I was spoken to throughout the day. I didn’t eat my lunch as I felt sick. I have no history or mental health issues.

it’s a skilled admin based role that requires certain qualifications, which I have.

we have no HR - small business.

Please don’t make suggestions as to what I should do differently, I have made up my mind that I want to go.

-I am 38
-been in this job for 4 months
-previous job 2 years (left as gained higher qualifications that weren’t really useable in that role)
-job before that 3 years, left due to relocation

I have passed my probation in new job and have become aware that they have had problems getting someone to “stick” in the role, the person before me lasted 3 days.

Looking at these facts- how long do I need to tolerate my current role before I can leave without it making my CV look bad ? 12 months ?

if I have an end point in mind I think it will help me cope.

thanks 😊

Honestly just leave. I wouldn't think twice about hiring someone if they explained the job wasn't what they thought and so are applying for other roles. It's honestly not worth it.

Go for it! Good luck!

I think it’s a bit of a myth that a short employment stint puts employers off. I work in a professional/career industry and I have two roles of 9 months and 6 months on my CV (as well as a ten year one) - I’ve just been honest about why I left both short jobs (for very good reasons, and it’s never stopped me from being offered subsequent jobs!)

It probably does look better having a CV that says “current job Jan to present” though (or whatever the dates are) as it shows you weren’t pushed out. So if you’re applying now then that’s probably a better outcome than leaving and having to find something!

Honestly just apply for other jobs.

It's so much more common now. As a hiring manager I'd only be concerned if it was a pattern. It's fine to say a job wasn't right for you.

But don't omit a job for your cv. The ere are so many ways it can come to light and hiding it looks dodgy.

Please ignore the posts encouraging you to lie.

Really bad advice and gross misconduct and sackable if you get caught.

As a hiring manager I’d echo what others have said. Everyone is allowed mistakes and while I might ask a question about a short employment, if it was a one off and you explained that the role/company wasn’t the right fit that would actually count as a plus for me. It indicates that you take your work seriously enough to make sure you’re somewhere that works for you. If there were three or four short stints in a row with no explanation that would be a red flag but a single one wouldn’t bother me.

I’ve not long left a very toxic workplace and can say it was the best decision I ever made. It’s not worth the potential damage to your mental health to stay somewhere that you hate. The fact others have left quickly is a huge red flag. Good luck applying for the new role.

Yes just leave as others have said, you can just be honest and say the job wasn't what you were sold and you want a job where you can use your skills appropriately, hence applying for this job. Or do the whole - normally I'd want to stay in a job for at least two years but then I saw this job come up and thought it sounded great so had to apply (as long as that's a viable story- wouldn't work if the new job would be a demotion etc).

I would leave now if it is making you ill. Either note this period as doing temp/contract work or make up a reason for a brief career break. It is absolutely not worth staying in a job that makes you sick (mentally or physically) and I actually doubt it will look bad on your CV. I wouldn’t bother putting the company down or asking for a reference from them. As I say, make up something non committal like temping / studying / travelling if asked.

Good luck OP I made the mistake of staying in a job that made me miserable and it really isn't worth it!

I left my last job after 7 months (handed my notice in during my probation period). I told my new firm that the old firm just wasn't the right fit. I didn't try and pretend I'd never worked there.

Leave ASAP no job is worth being ill. I have 2 short roles on my cv, one of them is 4 months.

I've always addressed it interview when giving a cv walk through. I done 'x', delivered 'y', but the role didn't meet my expectations because of 'z'. I knew the role wasn't for me and wouldn't be a long tenure, instead if staying for a year to make my cv look good I made the decision to find a role which (insert something the job requires that you can deliver and link to why previous role didn't meet your expectations)

I have had 2 roles since 4 month job. Never has it been raised as an issue, the hiring managers have actually been thankful for the honesty and respected that I can make a decision with confidence and own it.

I hope you are ok, I have been in a similar situation and it isn't nice at all. But coming out the otherside I can say it really isn't worth your time or tears - you can do better x

Fingers crossed the new opportunity pans out for you, OP. CV-wise I'd say you should either stay for 2+ years, or leave as fast as possible so that (as PPs have said) it's easier to style it out and say you were freelance or whatever.

Just leave and nevermind the CV

A short employment is fine. Leaving it off or lying isn’t. I would withdraw an offer from anyone who was found to have lied but would understand someone saying that the role wasn’t for them. Lots of companies now outsource referencing - many places will be much more thorough than in the past.

Any jobs where I’ve lasted eg 2-3 months I always just said I temped or holidays.

Leave immediately, it's a no brainer. If someone brings it up at a future interview just say "I hated it, I gave it my all in four months but I couldn't see a happy future there at all". What's the problem with that?

But there’s no point, like in 2 of my jobs, where I wouldn’t expect to get a reference and they were both permanent ones.

Add in perimenopause anxiety in one and mad/nutty colleagues and bosses in both and I’d probably have collapsed with stress so what’s wrong with a white lie?

Just leave as soon as you have a job - interview and when they ask why you're leaving so soon, say that the role you're applying for was too good of an opportunity to pass up. That while you're not actively looking, the role you're currently in isn't quite right (not challenging enough/ boring etc) and you would love to leave to join a company like XXXXX. Flattery! I hire often and would never judge a four month stint. You could even say it was a temp contract!

Start looking now. No shame at all in saying "the role isn't what I expected"
I made myself do 12 months in a job. I shouldn't have.

I skipped out of a job after 6 months - when I’m asked about it I just had come in during a difficult time and found the atmosphere was unhappy and it just didn’t suit me. Everyone nods along in agreement. Just explain it wasn’t for you - don’t go into details ranting about your manager.

I had one once where my probation was 6 months and I lasted 6 months. My manager was utterly insane. She thought one spreadsheet (I to which I had to input one number and then look up the top temperature of the previous day) was enough work for me and told me I was "gleeful" when I told her I'd finished and could I possibly have something else to do. She also randomly read me my job description one day.

At the end of my probation she said I wasn't a good fit but she would extend it to give me chance to secure something else (I was very clearly looking). I said no thank you and walked straight to a temp agency.

I was always honest when asked. I was headhunted, flattered and took the job but it was a bad fit. End of.

I left one after 6 months and said it was fixed tern…4 years later it’s not come back to bite me yet.

Perhaps you could tell them that the person before you lasted three days, so you feel your 4 m was something of an achievement and displayed a good deal of resilience ?

I've done this myself, and since that time have hired people who have done similar.... Seriously if you can afford to just leave now and temp if you can whilst applying for other jobs. I was asked about it and was honest... It wasn't what I had been led to believe and I didn't want to waste their time or mine. I think I only stayed 6 weeks in that situation. It's never impacted future applications.

Good point and rather impressive to come out with that at interview.

I wonder what OP's job says in interviews if people ask 'and why is there a vacancy?' 😆