Applying for a new job three months in to a 'new' job

[JobHelp123]

Hi everyone,

I'm having a bit of a dilemma and hope you can help.

I am three months in to a new job. It's been a difficult start, partly to do with personal circumstances outside of work (family bereavement) and partly because this is a new field for me. I am qualified to do the job and had to do extensive application tests, so my employers must have been convinced I could do the job before employing me. However, although I have the skills, the work is outside my subject area and I frequently feel out of my depth with seemingly small things that everyone else seems to be able to do. On my days off, I am in total fear of what they might find that I've accidentally done wrong/messed up and I feel like a total lemon in meetings that I can't contribute to/having to ask or check every small thing. It's been getting me down and I've asked for 1-1s with my line manager, but she seems to think things are going fine.

I also do some part-time/freelance work for a second organisation. This is totally within my field of expertise and something I feel comfortable doing - not in a 'bored' way, but in an 'I know that I'm doing a good job here' sort of way. In the past week, an opportunity has come up for a full-time, permanent role with this organisation.

I think what's holding me back from applying is the fact that I'm so new to my 'main' job. I've been working on the side for the second organisation for 18-ish months, so I'm known to them (in certain departments, at least). I'd been hoping that a full-time role like this would come up with them, but I wasn't expecting it to be so soon.

My previous roles before this have been 1 year/18 months temporary things while I build up my skills (I'm in my mid-20s), so I'm wary of looking flaky to the second organisation, but at the same time, I've been working with them part-time for 18 months already and want to build on this by moving into a full-time/permanent role with them. Do you think that would look OK?

I'd need to double-check some of the conditions of this just-advertised job but, if they were all OK/in line with what I was looking for, would I be totally mad to apply?

Hope this made sense - my brain is all over the place!

TY all

No, not mad at all.

Life's too short to stick with jobs you don't like.

You are still so young. Now is the time to increase to experience across a range of fields. I would give it longer, ask for some more support if necessary. Tbh I think you might have been rather short changed if you employer isn’t doing this. Push for what you need.

I have been in a similar situation and pushed on through. The best decision I made.

Thank you both for your replies

@SecondCityShark that's one of the things that is swaying me towards applying

@SprayedWithDettol this is also playing on my mind too. I'm not sure what support is available, but I will bring this up with my manager when she's next available

No problem, I think that gut instincts are there to be listened to.

In my experience, if I'm not gelling with a job a week or a month in, its a job that I should get out of. I've never regretted moving on because I've found other, better opportunities that have put me on the right path for me.

Thanks @SecondCityShark

If you don't mind me asking, how often would you move on from jobs/have you moved after a short time like three months? How have you found that employers look upon short stints in different places? And have you been asked about it at interviews at all? Sorry for so many questions, you don't have to answer these, of course!

Given your age and the times, moving again could be easily explained.

Suggest prepping for applying but waiting to see the pay and conditions, length of contract etc offered. And reflecting on which role better suits your medium term work goals.

Yes, you would be asked about job moves at interview, and could have your explanations ready.

Thank you, @Dozer. I think I do have valid explanations for moving from and to different roles - my previous role of 18 months was on a zero-hours contract, so I was looking to move away from this and towards a role with a set salary and better pay for my qualifications.

I think that the role that has just been advertised definitely suits my medium/longer-term work goals - I'd made a list a while ago of things I wanted to achieve in my career and this specific role was on it, I just hadn't anticipated it coming up quite so soon! Thank you all for your advice.

Defo apply then, if Ts&Cs OK! Good luck with it!

Go for it!

I'd also add that if you're feeling stupid and incompetent then that could well be a sign of your boss not communicating well, not training you properly and generally being rubbish. Please don't be so hard on yourself.

If you’re not happy in your current role, and you can check out the things you have Qs about in the other role, then do it. Life is too short to be stuck in a role you’re not happy doing. And you don’t want to be spending your days off worrying. That’s not good.
Plus you have the benefit of some insider knowledge of the other role. Use it!!
Good luck.

Only twice actually OP, but both times, it was 100% the right thing to do and when I look back and imagine myself not making the move, it makes me feel depressed. So im very relieved I followed my gut.

In terms of explaining to employers, you can just white lie with something neutral 'I wanted to move on to something more creative/strategic, etc'. I also white-lied at my next interview and implied the role I was leaving was temporary. That's not always the best strategy, in case they ask your current employer but I took the risk and it was fine.

Or you could just leave this current employer off your CV altogether and say that you've taken three months off to write a screen play, to take a course, to look for the next big opportunity etc etc.

I did this. 2m into a job which I thought I'd always wanted, which I'd had to take exams / tests for, which not everyone even gets the chance to apply for - and I hated it. It was beaurocratic, long hours, constant meetings, but with hardly any productive output, and was using about 5% of my skillset. A job came up after 2m in post, very similar to the one I'd just left, which I knew I could do well and would enjoy doing.

Another issue was that jobs like this one didn't come up very often - so if I didn't apply to this one then we might be talking years before another one came up. I asked myself 'what would I talk about 'current job' at interview', and when I couldn't actually answer that question applied for the 2nd job, and got it.

So long as the rest of your job history is 'normal', and you have a good reason for this move, an employer wouldn't be concerned about it. It's better to recognise you're not the right fit for a role and to do something about it sooner rather than taking 3 years to realise this.

I'm a lot happier now.

I did this recently. Took a job after being made redundant due to covid which was sideways move, and it was just seven shades of wrong for me.

Left after 3 months with nothing to go to and I've struggled to find alternative work due to the current climate but recently have landed something.

In the current times there's a lot of people taking short term/unsuitable work. Just be honest about why it wasn't right in any future interviews so long as that doesn't imply the current job won't be.. ie be selective as to why.

So long as it's not a pattern you'll be OK.

Thank you so much for all of your replies! I am a bit worried about it looking like a pattern... I've totted up my jobs since leaving uni in 2016 and I've had a one-year internship, one year my next job, eighteen months in my previous 'main' role and eighteen months with my current part-time organisation, plus three months in my current 'main' role. Added to that, I've spent a year doing a Masters and another year doing a professional qualification, and there are overlaps in places between a few of these where I've been freelancing evenings/weekends or studying while I've worked. My freelance/project work has been going for six or seven years in peaks and troughs alongside everything else.

Does that sound flaky to you? I'm a bit worried that my family and friends will say 'another job?' and roll their eyes. Everyone else my age seems to stay in jobs longer than me!

We work in an industry where it takes a long time (six months at least) to get up to speed with all the insider knowledge. We do employ people who don't have industry knowledge (at a push) but their transferable skills have to be very strong. Our most recent recruit is strong because he continually asks for explanations - even when it potentially is something that makes him feel stupid, so he is learning rapidly. We don't expect someone with no industry experience to be on top of things in 3 months - we'd expect you to be able to start to add value. I think you are potentially being too hard on yourself. Doing something that is hard is not pointless - it's a good thing to challenge yourself and get used to feeling uncomfortable and getting over it - you will progress much quicker but it depends what you want.

Thank you, @CBARN, that's a really valuable point of view. I think I expect/expected more of myself and I'm struggling with not knowing/not being very good at the role. I was nervous before I started about how it would be, but I really thought because of how thorough the application tests were that it would all turn out OK and I'd manage. I seem to have absolutely nothing to add during meetings and just sit there like one of those nodding dogs

I'll keep thinking about the new role but speak to my line manager in the mean time. Thank you

I have been in my role for 4 months after getting made redundant in January. I have been looking for a new job as I need certain hours and I have been honest about it on my job applications. I have an interview next week with the right hours and would be a good fit. I am terrified about speaking to my current work though as they seem to love my work and keep saying they haven't had any one as efficient as me in years (not a stealth brag).

Hi @Eeyoresstickhouse. it's a really tricky one, isn't it? I've had these thoughts too, although I've not got as far as you in applying for roles yet - really well done for getting an interview! I suppose the best thing is, when it comes to it, to be honest with your current employer about your reason for looking elsewhere. I think (if it came to it) that I'd have to be totally honest with mine and say that I have worked with Organisation #2 for a while in any case, and it was an opportunity I couldn't miss to build on my freelance work with them. All a bit nerve-racking, isn't it? Good luck with your interview!

I just don’t think moving jobs more frequently is that big a deal anymore. The labour market has changed.
Your post really resonated for me as I started a new job in January, which I was headhunted to, convinced by an amazing manager who they have now changed. New manager is awful, uncommunicative, nitpicking and micro manages me. Feeling that anxiety on days off…. Result is that I have two interviews upcoming…. And I regret nothing! It’s your life, your employer simply purchases your skills for a number of hours. Move on.

Thank you for your reply, @LynnInAVan. That's reassuring that it's not always looked upon as a big deal. I can totally sympathise with that anxiety on days off!

I worry what family/friends will think of me - I guess I don't need to tell them unless/until I'm offered a role? Apart from my DP of course, who would need to know

@LynnInAVan, I forgot to say good luck for your interviews! Good luck!

@JobHelp123 I had that very same anxiety too. End of the day it’s not them feeling anxious about logging in, and having their confidence picked away. We’ve had a weird old 18 months and in retrospect I might not have made decisions I have in a normal world, but here we are.
I always think, well if they got told the company was folding tomorrow, they wouldn’t really give a monkeys about you personally- you’re a number

I would absolutely expect someone at your career stage to have moved around a bit. It's not flaky, it's how the job market is and you don't owe your family an explanation.
If you left, you'd free up a role for someone who really wants it.
Your employer would prefer to get on with hiring your replacement sooner rather than later.
That's presuming you really do want to leave, if you want to stay it's fine to ask for more help to get settled in to the role.

@LynnInAVan I agree on both points, I think. Last year I was on a zero hours contract and trying to buy a house with DP and my income was a serious concern. I was actually offered a full-time and permanent role with Organisation #2 (who have now had the new role come up - sorry, this is so confusing!) during this time but couldn't accept it because of relocation issues. It was totally gutting because otherwise it was a perfect role for me. I ended up taking my current role because I just needed something/anything with more structure and stability, so I totally agree about making decisions we might not otherwise have made.

All the best for your job search