• Some executives leave organisations prematurely and well before the average 5-year duration. The reasons for this are varied from the appointee underperforming from day one to the misfortune of the organisation being acquired shortly after appointment. Many successful people have instances where they have had a short period of employment with one employer and have progressed to much greater roles and been hugely successful. That said moving on so quickly doesn’t look great on your CV and will inevitably bring ‘what prompted such a quick move?’ type questions.
• But these questions are surmountable, especially if you have shown a good history of ‘stickability’ with your previous employers (and that means good 3+ year stretches with each employer), so don’t let that hold you back.
• If you do have a history of changing jobs in quick succession, it may well be worth taking stock of why. There may be deeper reasons why you are moving that won't be solved by a quick job change.
In summary, if this is a one one-off, genuine mistake, making a move may well be the right thing to do.
For information the following related article appeared on the OAM as part of the ‘Ask Clive’ series:
Question:I have just completed my first year with an International Engineering organisation and the role is not working out the way I expected. If I left so soon after joining, how would that look on my CV?
We are often asked “How long should one should stay with an organisation?”. How long is too long and what is too short?
As a general rule of thumb, when people assess CVs, anything less than two years does raise potential questions about your 'stickability' with an employer. Why so short? Are you likely to leave your future employer just as quickly? Were you pushed? If the job wasn't what you expected, what went wrong with your assessment of the job before joining? There are other reasons, such as when an organisation is acquired, it went into administration, or the parent organisation decided on a strategic redirection that was based on withdrawal from certain markets. The questions go on! The key advice is to ensure these are addressed in your CV and certainly at interview, with conviction.
The reality is that from time to time we all make mistakes and if you don't have a history of changing jobs in short succession then making a move isn't so much of a problem. It certainly wouldn't get in the way of you being selected for interview. If you do decide to make the move here are some thoughts:
• Think very carefully about how you will explain why you are leaving so quickly. Negativity about your employer and comments like "I was misled" generally don't go down well (even if they are correct). Admitting you made a mistake and acting on it quickly (if that's what you did!) can be a virtue if presented in the right way.
• If you do have a history of changing jobs in quick succession, it may well be worth taking stock. There may be deeper reasons why you are moving that won't be solved by a quick job change.
• There may be a temptation to resign straight away so you can search the market at your leisure. Generally not a good idea - it may give you the time to do it, but being out of work raises even more questions from potential employers and it can also be very psychologically draining on you.