Leaving job after 7 months

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I work part-time and have posted before about my useless boss. It's getting to the point where I spend about half of my time covering her mistakes meaning that I'm struggling to manag my own project and I know she will twist it to look like I'm not managing. I want to leave but don't have another job to go to. I don't need the money so that's not a concern (childcare costs currently more than wages in any case) but would it look bad when applying for future jobs? My work record was good (two jobs for 5 years each) until I went back to work after children when I had a series of short term jobs plus bits of freelance work. I'm worried that this looks patchy and if the last job on my CV lasted only 7/8 months that would make me unemployable....would it? Has anyone experienced this?

Hello. I would say line something else up first definitely but I hated a job from day one and stayed for 18 months ruining my health! I would say after 7 months you know the job is not for you so, if you need to, look for another job. You say your childcare costs are more than your wage so I assume you could leave with no job to go to?

Financially I could leave with no job to go to as I have plenty of savings and we have no mortgage etc but I want to work but like you say, it damages your health staying in jobs you hate. I'm beginning to get stressed and snap at my toddlers and lie awake stressed. Not worth it for a part-time job. I have started looking but I know employers will question why I'm leaving so soon...

Totally disagree that you need to find another job first.

If you are stressed and unhappy it is very hard to turn on the charm when interviewing because you will emit a negative vibe. If you can afford to leave then do it. Update your CV and put yourself out there.

Businesses need people who are agile and can cope with change. It is much more acceptable to move frequently these days. Companies get far more value out of contractors than they do out of long term permanent staff IME.

Ah, thanks, Jemima. Posting late as am lying awake stressed again! I agree that I will emit stressed vibes. I'm demotivated and that might come across.

When you start applying for other jobs you just need to get very clear on your story. So, the random jobs after maternity leave were temp/contract roles to get you back in the swim of things.

You could say that were mis-sold this job. Your strengths are ABC and you're doing XYZ or this job is just not busy enough. You've given it seven months but it's just not working. Don't mention the problem with your manager as that could be seen as negative. An employee who knows their own mind and will take steps to improve their is more powerful from some doormat who stays in a situation that is wrong for them.

IME if you have tried everything to improve the situation and it's still not working then it's time to go. Life is short. You spend a lot of time at work so it needs to be right otherwise it infects the rest of your life. You've already said that you are snappy with your children.

My mantra is that I only need one job. I'm smart and bright and I work hard. There is no reason why people would not employ me. The 500+ jobs joking on my CV has actually made me very valuable as a contractor.

Staring to sound like Xenia...

Thanks Jemima, that's exactly what I need to hear. I think I was slightly missold the job as I was led to believe I would have more interesting projects than I do (line manager has taken the interesting ones despite not having relevant experience). I have already met my annual targets and she is struggling but arrogant and I fear will make me her fall guy. There's a slightly complex work system and she takes advantage of this to shift blame. There is a culture of no accountability.

I have tried to improve things. Invited line manager for coffee etc but she just doesn't want to engage with me because she knows that I know she's inept and can see through the grandstanding.

I think you're right. I have been offered a bit of freelance work which is very well paid so I could just say I left to pursue that. I don't want to freelance, I like the security of a permanent job but I could do it to fill the gap until something good comes up and justify leaving current job for better money and more challenging work.

I also have a very, errm, 'diverse' CV but I like to think it means i am more employable!

I left my last job for exactly the same reason. Was reporting in to someone who had changed career and had only a few months of experience (as opposed to my 15 years!). She didn't interview me so I was completely unaware of her background. The relationship started off fine but broke down fairly quickly. She was younger than me, out of her depth and I was guiding her on how to approch things/set things up. When she realised this, she started pulling me up on stuff/telling me how I should be communicating with people. She actually told me she was 'disappointed' with me because I had emailed someone and not spoken to them. It was just ridiculous so I decided to cut my losses pretty quickly.

The great thing about contracting/freelancing is that you can test out a job/company without committing yourself. If they like you, they will often ask you to stay on a permanent basis anyway.

Exactly the same here! Line manager is 20 odd years older though and boasts about her successful career but every organisation she has worked for has folded. She actually started a month after me and straight away boasted about previous work achievements and what she's good at but has not demonstrated an aptitude for anything and doesn't seem to have any contacts from her apparently illustrious career. No management skills, crap with technology, is behind on all targets. But she boasts and that has impressed CEO who is obviously thinking it will translate into great things for us. But she has actually added no value, only hindered progress for others by being inept. Grr, making me angry that I'm the one going not her. Everyone sees her for what she is except CEO. They will actually notice when I leave. Productivity will go down but I quietly get on with things. Productivity would actually go up if she left. She's a drain on morale.

Glad you cut your losses when faced with similar. I think I'm young enough to bounce back from this. I think I will do the same as you but it's annoying as it's actually an organisation I have wanted to work for for ages and I'm a good fit, understand the ethos etc and my line manager is a lazy chancer. But kind of manipulative with it.

Have you spoken to anyone about it?

I did talk to HR but was aware that it would be seen as sour grapes (which it was!) as i had actually applied for her job but not got it. She had been with the organisation for a few months so already had her foot in the door. I assumed that the person who had got the role had been there years and had loads of experience but she had only been there for a few months. In all fairness, she was educated and intelligent but I spent a lot of time unpicking things that hadn't been set up properly.

In the past I have soldiered on and things have generally gone from bad to worse!

Was also an organisation I had wanted to get into too!

I have raised it with her manager in that I have met up wth her about three times off the record to objectively go through the things line manager has or hasn't done incorrectly that has affected my job or our clients but she just says 'I'll have a word' and that's the last I hear of it and nothing improves. Others are scared to raise things but are equally hacked off. I was hoping that her boss would pull her up but it isn't happening and her advice is along the lines of 'just deal with it' ie unpick line managers poor work. Line manager turns the charm on and makes the right noises with her manager and gives the impression she's very cable. I can see how she talked herself into the job. Part of her being manipulative. Myself and other colleagues see her for who she is which is incredibly frustrating. Not sure I can go above her manager. It's a very hierarchical place.

Older colleagues say things like 'give her enough rope and she'll hang herself' but she won't, she'll hang me!

Sorry you had to leave an organisation you thought was good too. You might think an organisation is great from the outside but sadly it's only as good as the people who work there.

Feel for you OP, you've had some good advice on here, but only you can judge how much you can handle. It will be ok to leave after 7 months, not ideal but manageable. Ideally line something up just for your own self esteem, to keep your career going etc.

I was in a similar situation last year- had time out then saw great job and was offered it in great organisation. Soon became clear that our tiny team was led by a manipulative bully who seemed to target me in particular. I tried to ignore, tried to tackle head on, tactfully, raised it with a director and they made a few sounds but clearly nothing was going to change.
They wanted a maverick, a mover and she was already on permanent contact and I wasn't. Having been out of the game for a while and lots of change st home, I jus couldn't muster th strength to take her on, to get moved to another department etc etc. Maybe I should have. Who knows. Anyway, I left and quickly took a wfh role at a much more junior level and a much lower salary. Am living to regret this in some ways but I really think for my mental health I could not have stayed working for such a boss. They say people tend to leave bosses rather than job, and it's often true!

Sorry you experienced similar moving. My line manager is actually still on probationary and I'm pretty sure much of what she does / doesn't do should fall under performance management measures but I'm pretty sure her boss, the CEO doesn't care as we are securely funded and the culture of no accountability is probably of CEO's doing. Why are there manipulative bullies in the workplace who just get away with it? My line manager isn't even a maverick or go-getter. She can barely use the printer or our IT systems. Just a braying show-off with nothing to back it up.

I hear what you're saying about mustering up the strength to deal with it. not sure I can be bothered! Just incredibly frustrating that I'm being forced out.

Thanks- I think often the manipulative bullies get where they are simply through manipulation. My ex-boss, like yours, scarcely knew her way around a computer, had not really kept up with the times, had no management training despite having made it to director level but was very confident and big on NLP-type tricks to sort people out. In her book, it was always that, people were like children to her (she had none, incidentally) to be "sorted out" and to be told what to do. Amazing quite how many people fell for it! Still makes me bristle with incandescent rage st the injustice of it but have just had to walk away, for my own good.

It may be that your boss is performance managed out then? Cross fingers? Or you may choose to cut your losses and leave due to the culture there. Good luck either way.

I may ask one more time to be allocated a different line manager, detail why, put it in writing too, if nothing happens go above CEO to management committee and if that fails cut my losses and leave.

Urgh. Chancers like this everywhere. You are right about the manipulative personality being the reason for their success. I can't imagine having that mindset. Must be a dark, lonely place.

One's own mental health is the most important thing. Thanks for the good luck wishes. Let's see what tomorrow brings! I may throw in the towel!

I left a job after 11 months a couple of years ago. I work in a big company though so next move was internal (but completely different). I was completely mis-sold said job, boss was useless and the job was crap so I just spun that as a positive at my next interview. Said I didn't feel the area was adding value to the organisation and I wasn't using my time effectively etc etc.....doesn't have to be a negative. It shows that you recognise when things aren't going well and are motivated to make a change!

heather good for you. Pretty sure I can spin my departure as a positive if it foes to that. I was definitely mid-sold and passed up good org unities to take this job. Good to hear positive stories.

*opportunity not org unity whatever that is!

I managed to get a new job and sidestep my manager by putting it as a freelance role and using a different company for whom i was also doing a little consultancy in parallel as a work referee. I'd had excellent feedback from clients and in my reviews but still didn't trust her to give me a fair reference so didn't take risk! Doesn't seem to have mattered to my current employer as long as they had 2 decent recent references, that was what they needed.

That's good to know, moving as I was wondering about the reference. I know they can't write a bad one but a luke warm one is just as bad.