There’s a lot of bad career advice masquerading as good advice. Much of it stems from outdated notions about careers. Advice like “stick with a job at least two years” and “don’t job hop, it’ll hurt your resume!” is meant for old school careers where companies invested in employees. It was meant for a time when people stayed with companies 5, 10, even 15 (!) years.
This advice is dead wrong.
It keeps people in miserable jobs.
And there’s no need for it in the new world of work.
This perspective was most expertly summed up in the tweet thread below:
My first job in tech, I cried every day but stayed b/c I worried leaving at 4mos would look bad on a resume.
6 years later when it happened again, I left immediately.
Both times I moved to better companies that valued & supported me. Don’t stay somewhere shitty for your resume.
— Katie Sylor-Miller (@ksylor) May 11, 2018
If you’ve got a bad manager or work in a toxic environment, leave. I don’t care if you’re two months into a new job, if you have the means to leave, gtfo. Don’t waste your time because it’ll look bad on your resume. Don’t stick with it to tough it out. It’s not worth your time or sanity, especially if you’re earlier in your career. It’s totally ok to make a mistake. (Note: not everyone has the means to escape; this is advice for those who do)
Instead, put all your energy into leaving asap. Build a story that explains the honest reasons why you left (bad work culture is a perfectly ok reason to leave). Build relationships with people inside companies that are known for having good work cultures. Learn what you like in a manager. Ask people what their managers are like during careful informational interviewing. Read Glassdoor reviews.
But don’t stay at shitty jobs just because of the fear of being perceived as a job hopper. With the number of workers who work in the gig economy, the increase of job seekers with side hustles, a tight labor market, new job types, there’s a lot more fluidity in your career. Employers can work with job hoppers. It’s not worth it to stay.
So hey, if you’re in this position, start plotting your escape.