Thinking about leaving my job--advice?

[DGTess]

Originally Posted by IUHoosiergirl88

It was definitely my plan to stay at my current firm for awhile, and I'm still not 100% sure I want to leave the firm. I'm going to try to switch projects first, so I can at least stay with the same company, however our PMOs haven't been letting people leave.

Ideally, I want to climb the corporate ladder on either the contracting or the government side. It's my ultimate goal to be a PDB-er or a Congressional briefer one day. It really upsets me that I'm even thinking about leaving so soon.

Thanks for all of your advice everyone! This is a tough situation that I was really not anticipating having to deal with at my first 'real' job.

Your comment about becoming a PDB-er tells me I know what area you work in, and it's an area where I have experience. I've also done hiring in that area (on the contracting side) and I've worked with dozens of client sites.

You actually have the perfect answer to "why did you leave so soon" (or why are you looking to leave so soon) -- the job has morphed into something that, while challenging, is not in my primary area, and I don't want to lose currency in that area. This is not unusual at all in the defense contracting arena. You don't want to use it often, as it could also say you didn't do your homework in scoping out the contract/task before accepting the job, but early on you can do so.

Leave any talk of the hostile workplace out of it. I have worked on client sites where I honestly felt people hung their integrity on the coathook in their cars before coming in to the office, and other offices, even of the same agency, have been wonderful.

[IUHoosiergirl88]

Originally Posted by DGTess

Leave any talk of the hostile workplace out of it. I have worked on client sites where I honestly felt people hung their integrity on the coathook in their cars before coming in to the office, and other offices, even of the same agency, have been wonderful.

Oh, I would never mention that I've spoken with several recruiters from my original search (timing on contracts just wasn't right...you know how that is) and when I gave them a brief job description so they could update my profile, they all completely understood why I would be looking for something else.

I've never been afraid to be a girl playing in a male-dominated area, but this is beyond my comfort level.

[DGTess]

Originally Posted by IUHoosiergirl88

.

I've never been afraid to be a girl playing in a male-dominated area, but this is beyond my comfort level.

<laneswerve> Me too. In the AF, I was the first woman in my career field, though others followed rapidly, and that wasn't even my first foray into that; when I was in high school I worked on my dad's pit crew for dirt-track stock-car racing. NO other women there. At one of our overseas locations, the commander, station superintendent, chief of admin, and chief of operations were all women -- the local military personnel always asked to speak to our (male) chief of maintenance. At another overseas location, when the "house mother" (a maid who'd been with the unit for 30+ years) heard there was a woman coming in to fill my spot, absolutely insisted the unit personnel were wrong.

</laneswerve>

[thetygerlily]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I learned what to ask for the next job. That job lasted almost two years and was a stepping stone for my current job. The rose colored glasses are coming off...not really a bad thing.

This. If you can learn SOMETHING in every single job about what you do and don't want out of a job, employer, company culture, etc then it isn't a waste. I worked for two years at a consulting firm that was openly hostile at times; usually they were fine toward me but mistreated many others quite badly. However, I went to that firm with a specific goal (get a lot of experience in a short time to better pinpoint the type of role that was best suited for me) and I accomplished it. I also learned an incredible amount about the type of work culture that I wouldn't thrive in and what my thresholds of "pain" were. So while there was plenty of stress & frustration at the time, looking back it was a great stepping stone for my career as well as my adult life in general.

Originally Posted by GammaGirl1908

Agree with others; leaving one job after a few months is not the end of the world. Creating a pattern where you can't stay ANYWHERE for more than 6 months is what is a problem. I say you get a "get out of jail free" card about once every 10 years, where you can leave a job after a very short duration.

This depends on the region & industry. In the Seattle area tech field, it is incredibly common to have a multitude of contracts stacked back to back. Projects frequently last 3 months, 6 months, or 9; due to legal restrictions several large companies (including Microsoft) do not allow contractors to work there for more than 12 months at a time. If someone is in consulting or contracting, this is standard. However, if these are FTE roles that people can't stay at- that's very different. And you can bet that when someone applies to go go to "industry" as an FTE, they'll get asked about that as living in a role for 1-2+ years is very different from dropping in for a few months. But it happens all the time- it's just standard for this area and this industry.


As a recruiter turned contractor turned consultant turned industry FTE (fun right?), be sure to evaluate your situation in your industry. Those who posted about how difficult it can be to find a job are absolutely right. Around here, most jobs are obtained because of someone you know. The only job I got without having an "in" was the first one out of college. Every other job I've had has been because I knew someone on that team. Not even in that company, but in that specific team that happened to have an opening I could fit into. It is absolutely possible to get jobs without knowing someone there- it's just more difficult because you don't come "pre-approved". That's much more difficult as a fresh grad for sure.

Be prepared to talk about why you are leaving sooner than the contract is up. Having the role evolve to require different job duties than you were hired for is an excellent reason- especially since they are willing to keep you on for the other tasks (shows they like you), it just isn't the right career move for you or where your interests lie. If you can find someone more seasoned (e.g. 3-5+ years) in your industry that you trust, have them review your resume. Get tips from them on potential job leads and interviewing styles.

We can certainly voice our multitude of opinions here but those in your industry and region will be able to offer the best advice.

ETA: Putting my former recruiter hat on- you mentioned you've spoken to several, and that is fantastic. Bad for the recruiters, good for you! Each placement firm/contracting company will have access to different positions. Some of them will certainly have overlap, but to spread your net wide absolutely be sure you are actively working with several different companies. I usually recommend requiring the recruiters to vet job descriptions with you before submitting them- that way if two recruiters have access to the same job, you aren't being submitted to the same role twice. I've had hiring managers in the past who would turn down an otherwise great candidate because they were submitted through two companies.

[IUHoosiergirl88]

I actually had my mid-year performance review chat with my supervisor today, and I did tell him that I'm interested in looking at other roles that my firm has to offer. He was very supportive, and honestly said that he was surprised it took me this long given that my background in no way matches what I'm doing. I told him that I had been afraid to do so since I haven't been there very long and there are lots of stories about PMOs preventing others from leaving. He said that since our contract was just extended and I'd likely have been temporarily switched to another team, I'm actually in a good position to look at open roles within the firm. We're going to work together to find a role that is a better fit for me, and he is going to use his contacts to leverage a move. If I can't find anything appealing in the next several months, I do plan on looking elsewhere, although I didn't tell him that obviously.

On the plus side, he did say I was on the fast-track for promotion

[thetygerlily]

YAY! That's awesome news. Thanks for sharing!!