Quitting after two weeks?

thesaver79

Hi all,

I am in the second week in a new job. Probation lasts for 3 months. For a series of reasons, I am not sure that the job and the organisation are a good fit for me. As a consequence of that, I'm thinking of leaving, but I'm worried about possible consequences:

1) Will it look bad in the eyes of future employers?
2) Will I have to include 2 or 3 weeks of employment in my CV?
3) What about references?
4) How often does it happen that people start a job and then realise it's not what they wanted or thought it would be?

Obviously the answers to the questions above will have to be weighed against the fact that there is no point in me keeping a job I'm not happy with. I also assume the, if that's the case, the sooner I quit, the better it would be.

I am looking forward to hear what your thoughts and opinions are.

Daisy-May*

Is it possible that you need to give it a couple more weeks to see if the job is definitly not what you thought it was.

I have recently started a new job, on my 1st day I went home and actually wondered if I had done the right thing, I was out of my depth and left a very comfortable job (i was with previous company for 6.5 half yrs) and panic set in ( I sat and cried to my OH as I thought I had made the wrong decision).

Now a little while on I have still got a lot to learn but its a lot better than my 1st day and I feel better in myself about the job.

If its really a case of hating the job and knowing you have made a mistake (by taking the job) then I would see if it was possible to apply for some new jobs and see how that works out (whats another week or so?) before I handed my notice in as you never know whats out there.

Wellery82

No need to include in your CV, and no one else need know about it. Lots of people leave obs quickly and never mention them in their CV

I would say however in any new job there is a period of uncertainty which is why so many people leave early on. You realise there is all this information you don't know, and it feels like you will never know it; there are new people who you don't really know yet are forming first impressions of, you will see minor incidents and feel they represent the organisation's whole culture.

If you are unhappy carry on looking for jobs, but my personal advice would be that unless it is really upsetting you to carry on working while you do this, realising that often how you feel after 2 months is vastly different to 2 weeks

Janey7

As far as I'm aware there's no legal obligation to list all of your previous employment when applying for new jobs. But did you leave a previous job to take up this new job (if so be careful - it would look v. dodgy if you didn't list your current job but when a new employer takes up your previous reference it says 'Reason for leavng: to take up a new job at X Company'!)?

Personally I would either try and stick out the job for at least 3-6 months which I think is a decent amount of time to put on a CV, or leave now and don't refer to it on your CV. Obviously if it is truly an atrocious job and it is starting to affect your health you should leave now! Good luck with your decision ...

elsien

thesaver79 wrote: »

4) How often does it happen that people start a job and then realise it's not what they wanted or thought it would be?

.

Our record is about 1/4 hour. Person says "I'm just nipping to the car to get my glassess", doesn't return and we never hear from them again.
Not the ideal way to proceed even if the job genuinely isn't for them.
It's less common than it used to be in my organisation as we've changed our recruitment procedures so people can visit and see what they're getting into before they accept the job. (Support work for adults with severe learning disabilities.) We tended to find that people would realise after the first day or two that it wasn't for them, or it might take a bit longer, anything up to a month.
And there's nothing wrong with that in my opinion. The job isn't for everyone, and it's better (and more cost effective) to realise it sooner rather than wasting our time and yours getting through the induction and expensive mandatory training then vanishing a couple of months down the line.
As to how it will affect your cv etc, I'm not really able to comment. I have had candidates who've jumped around a lot which looks bad on paper. However one person in particular who was able to explain at interview it was because they hadn't found the right type of work till then, and who managed to convince me that care was what they really wanted to do, turned out to be one of my best members of staff.
I think it's partly down to your reasons, and how well you are able to explain them if you need to.

thesaver79

Daisy-May* wrote: »

Is it possible that you need to give it a couple more weeks to see if the job is definitely not what you thought it was.

I have recently started a new job, on my 1st day I went home and actually wondered if I had done the right thing, I was out of my depth and left a very comfortable job (i was with previous company for 6.5 half yrs) and panic set in ( I sat and cried to my OH as I thought I had made the wrong decision).

Now a little while on I have still got a lot to learn but its a lot better than my 1st day and I feel better in myself about the job.

You couldn't be more spot on. This is very true and it's what I've kept telling myself at the end of last week and beginning of this week. The main perplexity is that, when I was offered, I was not aware that the company were looking for a more senior person in a similar role to mine and my peer managers' who we'd report too. I was used to working in environment where I had full control of my function (however small), and I'm sure I wouldn't be happy about giving up that freedom.

Daisy-May* wrote: »

If its really a case of hating the job and knowing you have made a mistake (by taking the job) then I would see if it was possible to apply for some new jobs and see how that works out (whats another week or so?) before I handed my notice in as you never know whats out there.

I have already started looking around. When I was looking for a job before I accepted this one, I received several offers, so I shouldn't be too worried about finding another job quickly. (?!)

thesaver79

Jimavfc82 wrote: »

No need to include in your CV, and no one else need know about it. Lots of people leave obs quickly and never mention them in their CV

But what if they asked me in the interview what I did during the month of unemployment (I resigned for my previous job after many several years of service)?

More importantly, wouldn't the new employer find out when I give them the P45? They could then say that I lied to them.

My current employer also performed a credit check via a third party, which would appear in my credit report. However, I assume that not many employers would do a credit check when checking references.

Jimavfc82 wrote: »

If you are unhappy carry on looking for jobs, but my personal advice would be that unless it is really upsetting you to carry on working while you do this, realising that often how you feel after 2 months is vastly different to 2 weeks

True. I'm only afraid that, if things don't change after 2 months (see my previous reply about changes in reporting), I could've wasted a couple of months of my life.

dawyldthing

you could give them your last p45 and send the one from the most recent to the local tax office and they will update it from there, takes about 6 weeks but they will sort it out and you'll be emergency taxed until it is

anamenottaken

dawyldthing wrote: »

you could give them your last p45 and send the one from the most recent to the local tax office and they will update it from there, takes about 6 weeks but they will sort it out and you'll be emergency taxed until it is

Of course the "last p45" may well have been given to the current employer. A new employer could use a P46 instead.

19lottie82

Give it a bit longer. It can take a few months for you to settle in to a new job.

If you left you wouldn't HAVE to declare it on your CV but if you struggle to find work after handing in your notice it might mean that unless you're going to declare walking out fo a job after just 2 weeks, you will have to tell a load of lies at future interviews to cover yourself, which is never a good thing.

planning303

i really feel for you on this one as i am going through pretty much the same thing.

However i am at the end of my probation period in 10 days and if i don't leave pretty soon my notice goes from being 5 days, to 3 months