Hi All,
I am in need of some advice ;( I am a 2015 grad who finished a rotational program within a corporate company last month. Since then, Ive been working in a full time role with the same team I’ve worked with for the past 8 months…so technically, I have only officially been on the team for 1-2 months.
HOWEVER, I have become acquainted with a person who has been my idol in my field for years. She is a household name and recently offered me a position to work on her team of only 6 people. I do feel like it is a once in a lifetime opportunity and the timing would have to be now or else some other person will be given the role. I am conflicted because I do have a full-time job (which she knows about). I am not happy at my fulltime job and had planned to leave but wanted to give it 6 months instead of 2 months in order to avoid burning bridges
I dont want to regret not taking the opportunity for fear of burning bridges at my current job. Both jobs I am deciding between are within the entertainment field — one is corporate, other is not.
Is it extremely bad form to leave a corporate job in less than 6 months?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
If you feel it is a once in a lifetime opportunity then I would go for it. You are young without a lot of obligations, so now is the time to take some risk. If this was very similar to your current job, I would say stay at your job for few years before you make the move. My rule of thumb is “which job would you regret not taking (having) few years from now.”
Try to resign and transition in the best possible way, if you can.
Was the rotational program full time? If so, it counts as part of your tenure with the company. Yes, you will likely burn bridges at the current employer. They invested in you via the rotational program and you are leaving. Taking a once in a lifetime opportunity is okay but you cannot expect an open door at the current employer if it does not work out.
I would also look at your own finances to figure out what is your risk tolerance. I gave a talk at a school about what it means to work at a start-up. One thing I did point out was for students with large student loans it may not be an option.
How much money have you saved? Would you be able to move back home if this job should not work out? What’s your safety net? The economy is good now and employment is much better than 5-7 years ago, but we’ve seen many new graduates not able to get a job right after college. I have always advised my kids to have 6 months of living expenses saved up for raining days.
Thank you for the responses.
@gettingschooled Yes, the program was full time. The thing is, I plan to go back to school next fall and be out of the full time work force for at least 3 years. I like my company but the dept I am with is not one I plan to go back to if I have any power to avoid it.
I do get mad at myself for not leaving earlier. I was aware that I was not happy in my rotation program about half way through it
@oldfort my expenses would be covered. I only have about $2,500 left of my student loan. I have moved out but if need be, my family is in the next town over and it’s quite easy to commute from home.
This idol of yours - what’s her reputation as a boss? Is she supportive of her employees? Do people who work for her enjoy it and have longevity in their positions? Oftentimes, a person who might be well regarded and “a name” isn’t necessarily a great boss and a good person to actual work for and with. If you haven’t yet, you might want to do a little recognizance to find out before giving up another job.
If you do leave, do it with a positive attitude. Don’t say you didn’t like it that you would have left after 6 months. Put everything in a good light, that the opportunity is too good to pass up.
Do weigh the positives and negatives of each situation. Sometimes working in a small environment is very hard as you must adjust to the temperament of the boss, there is no one to fill in for you if you want a vacation or to go to a wedding.
Well technically you have worked there for 8 months and not just 1. Will future employers look poorly on it- some will for sure. But if the new job is truly a dream job then you should take it. Just expect to be closing the door on the current employer. Try to stay at the dream job until you return to school.
My biggest fear is being “blacklisted” by HR and being thought of poorly by people I have come to truly like within the last year. It is a hard decision
@doschicos she’s pretty good. She just published an interview talking about how she sees employees as not just workers but mentees. The guy who is leaving and opening this spot for me is pursuing a dream of his and she is helping him move on to the next stage in his career. Thats a good sign
Is the 'dream job’s full time and leading to a potential career? What would your level of responsibility be?
If that dream job doesn’t work out, do you have a fallback option?
Can you take sure you smooth out the transition by pointing out how great it’s been for you at the job, etc? Make sure you ke very in good terms and playvup the 'once in a lifetime opportunity ’ angle.
HR won’t be able to blacklist. Other employees may talk about you. This happens all the time. D1 went through a rotational training program at her bank. She said 50% of left after 2 years, and there are only a handful of people left from her original training program. Her bank regularly weeded out people too. It works both ways.
If you think you can stick around in the next job for 2 years or more, then go for it. Early mobility is common in careers but you don’t want too many short-term employments on your resume especially if these jobs seem to involve some investment in training.
So…checking for clarity. You have been in this permanent job for 2 months and you want to leave.
And you plan to go back to school 13 months from now as well.
Does this dream job employer know you only plan to work for her for a year?
If not…you might end up burning TWO bridges…not just one.
@thumper1 honestly, i looked to going to school as a way to escape my current employer. I really didnt know where else to go and school was something to look forward to. ultimately, working on my "idol’s " team would be where I would want to be for some time so that I can establish some work in the industry.
Since you’ve provided us very little context with which to give you guidance, I decided to stalk a few of your other threads. Based on a quick reading of 5-6 threads you started, I’d suggest the last thing you should do is change jobs as you have made uncommitted indecision a science (“I’m in Paris three days and I want to come home.”; “should I quit rotational training program at a three-letter network* to do an unpaid internship with some random guy?”; “I scared of advanced French, what should I do?”). Personally, I don’t believe in once-in-a-lifetime opportunities but I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more of it I seem to have.
*I almost used the word coveted as jobs in media are undoubtedly over-subscribed.
Oh, #! Not everyone who talks the talk about employees being mentees actually walks the walk. Not by a longgg stretch.
Check your hiring paperwork for any expectations you agreed to about how long you would stay. (Don’t be stuck owing them something.) Ask the new idol if she is willing to go to bat for you after you finish your next program.
And ask yourself what you accomplish by taking the idol job and only staying there a year.
@fragbot thank you for reminding me of these times. I have been in the same company since the last post. The guy who did want me to work with him ended finding a team, and they were featured on CNBC and just organized and presented at the white house entrepreneurship summit. At times, I do feel like I would have grown much more and had a better resume/experiences had I left to work with him but everything happens for a reason.
I just don’t want to end up still feeling stuck in my current position and never leaving bec I’m afraid to take risks.
HR can do that, if it turns out that you had a manager spiteful enough to say that they fired you and that you should be put down as “not for rehire.” Leaving under good terms does not do that.
People understand that sometimes, a better opportunity comes up than the company can offer you and that you have to take it. Just be honest with them what your reasons are, and leave enough time to finish your current projects (or to pass them off to someone in a smooth fashion). It’s perfectly normal to do that and people don’t hold grudges for it.
I say go for it. If you really want that opportunity and it seems like a genuinely good offer, then you should take it.
Taking risks isn’t bad, when you go in well informed and with your eyes wide open, some sort of ideas or plans in case the risky step doesn’t work out. Basic CYA. (I once moved for a great opp and following a boss I had a great relationship with. 30 days later, for corporate reasons, my job was redesigned and not for the better.)
That doesn’t mean defaulting to a grad program. Or moving to your parents’ basement. All this movement is about parlaying what you learn in one position, for the next step.
If you are free to leave the first company and are as sure as one can be that the new opp is good (that’s a lot more than what she said in an interview or who did what before you,) some step up, some asset in the resume, you can always explain it in the future.
If you are concerned present HR might not react kindly, in the future, you set up your business references now (discreetly, but not letting cats out of the bag too soon.) Eg, some team leader who’s willing to be a future reference.