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Ask HN: Started job 3 months ago...not going as planned

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Re: Ask HN: Started job 3 months ago...not going as planned

#21
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some background checks may reveal to your next employer that you had these jobs, even for a very short period of time.

Yeah, you may as well list it and if asked respond honestly. It wasn't a good fit/the role didn't match the job description, etc.

As an employer, I don't expect every potential employee to list all of their previous roles. Especially for more senior people, I expect that a resume is tailored to show me their best relevant experience. Leaving out a short stint somewhere wouldn't worry me.

Re: Ask HN: Started job 3 months ago...not going as planned

#23
post #11
post #7

I'm gonna play devil's advocate here and point out that apparently this is the kind of place where people can in fact fall asleep during work hours, even during calls. That opens up a lot of possibilities. How about doing the bare minimum and working on bettering your skills on your own? Or even do some side hustle?

A side hustle on company time and equipment? That might not be as good an idea as you portray!

Especially because OP said he works for a "... fairly large software company...". I bet they've got a lot of lawyers on the speed dial.

Re: Ask HN: Started job 3 months ago...not going as planned

#24
Be the change you want to see! Did this job offer a substantial bump in pay? If so ride it out while trying to improve the culture\processes. Seems like it's very slow pace so you can spend time leveling up some skills you may be interested in and even implement some side projects to improve the processes and present them to management. If they aren't receptive bounce with a few cool projects under your belt and a couple extra months of pay.

Re: Ask HN: Started job 3 months ago...not going as planned

#25
> How long do I stick it out before looking elsewhere or even returning to my last job as I left on good terms?

Eject, as long as this isn't going to add to an existing pattern in your employment history.

People in the position to hire have more than likely been in the situation where they were sold a bill of goods, gotten on the job, and had to make the same choice.

But if this is going to be, say the third short term gig in a row, then it's going to be a hard sell that the problem has been the employers and not you.

Assuming it's the former, when it comes time to talk to other potential employers and interviewers, state the scenario factually and without rancor. "I was told during the recruiting process that we would be writing the platform in Node, turns out we were hand punching Fortran cards."

Edit (hit submit too soon): if it's the latter, then you need to stick it out for at least 12 months. There are some great comments in the thread about changing the culture, etc. I would add to those to shift your mentality from "this is my employer" to "this is a client for whom I'm going to do the best work I can for 12 months." I can yap a lot more about that shift but if you can create a mental firewall between you and the employer and minimize emotional engagement, doing the time will be easier. :)

Re: Ask HN: Started job 3 months ago...not going as planned

#26
I was in a similar situation once. In the time between my offer letter and the day I started, the company fired every team lead and wanted to position me as a person that would help get the office in line with SF expectations. It was a culture nightmare. Beyond that, there was no engineering leadership at my location and the code was a mess. I could deal with the code, but not while dealing with the anxiety that the culture produced. I quit at three months. To his credit, the CTO was cool with it, noting that three months or less is basically the trial period, and if you back out of the job, no problem.

I'd quit if you can. Pay attention to the red flags.

Re: Ask HN: Started job 3 months ago...not going as planned

#27
It sounds like most of your stress is being caused by not having a Product Manager. You should find out what the deal is there from your manager, and if you don't like the answer, then consider leaving. Beyond that I would say, don't leave a job just because it isn't a dev utopia when you walk through the door. A better measure of when to leave a job is when you know that your goals and theirs don't align and never will.

Re: Ask HN: Started job 3 months ago...not going as planned

#28
I've been in the exact same scenario and left my job after about four months. It didn't impact my future job searches at all outside of hiring managers saying "Hey, looks like you left that job fairly quickly, why's that?" All they needed to hear was that it wasn't a good fit and that I was sold something different during the interview process.

If you feel like there's still potential with the company you're at, be straight with your manager and tell them how you're feeling diplomatically. Otherwise, I'd start sending feelers out elsewhere.

Assuming you left your previous job on good terms and want to go back, reach back out! I've been at companies where people boomeranged back ranging from a few months to a week. It's not as uncommon as you think.

Re: Ask HN: Started job 3 months ago...not going as planned

#29
post #25

> How long do I stick it out before looking elsewhere or even returning to my last job as I left on good terms? Eject, as long as this isn't going to add to an existing pattern in your employment history. People in the position to hire have more than likely been in the situation where they were sold a bill of goods, gotten on the job, and had to make the same choice. But if this is going to be, say the third short te…

I agree with the above. Try to impact the culture from the ground up. In the meantime try working on new things and share those things with your colleagues who are otherwise not very interested in the job.

If the pay is substantial you should definitely give it another 6 months. I think as workers in general, that we should evaluate the companies and its leaders annually the same way they evaluate us. Hope this helps.

Re: Ask HN: Started job 3 months ago...not going as planned

#30
3 months is a long enough time to stick it out. If there is no progress or no light at the end of the tunnel, it is time for your exit. Put your 2 weeks notice period in. Do not burn any bridges and exit stage to the left. Toxic environments are a reality. Make sure you do a lot more research for your next gig. Otherwise, if you keep finding same type of shops and jump ship every few months, the resume will not look good.
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