It is not actually an everyday dilemma as much
as a dilemma people face every day.
There are 2 major decisions in every man’s
life: Who to merry and the choice of occupation. But it seems there is a difference in the
rules between them.
Every time I hear someone express his
discontent from his work place, there is always one question that people ask
first. “How long have you been working there?”
Any
sound man will tell you that quitting a job before you’ve worked in a company
for at least a year doesn’t look good on the resume, and that it’s better to
suffer a bit more and after a year you may quit. At least you’ll have a year
experience on your resume.
Naturally it is never what a person wants to
hear. He wants to hear that if he is unhappy than he should quit and find
something else that will make him happy.
It’s like telling someone he should keep dating
a girl he doesn’t like because it looks bad to the other girls. Take me for
example; Back in my days I had the name of a short-time dater. It never
bothered anyone I was involved with but around me people used to joke on how it
makes me look unserious.
My answer was always the same, I would tell them
that because I am a serious guy who knows what he likes and what he looks for,
I never waste my time or anybody else’s, when I know there is no future. It is hard to be happy when you know there is
something better for you out there.
Shouldn’t it be the same with jobs? Is it fair
to my employer that I am staying just so I can quit a year later? Shouldn’t be
considered as the right thing to do when I leave a place that makes me
miserable? No! All that matters now is your CV.
If you look at the Regular Joe’s resume you
would find that I have worked for 2 years in a very respectable company, later
went ahead with some personal projects and later worked at a company for a year +. Yet, every job interview starts with an
interrogation that won’t shame the Taliban about my reasons for leaving each
work place. Some job interviews revolve mostly around it. These are not easy
questions and there is never a right answer. It seems that pursue of happiness
is not an acceptable excuse any more.
I always give my dating metaphor and explain
that I am looking for a work place where I can feel at home. I tell them I’m a
smart, hard working guy but I have one major flaw; I work best when I’m happy. To
work in a place that denies me of my happiness is just a waste of my talent. I
declare that some time things just don’t work out and you shouldn’t enforce it.
But it is not a 100% proof answer. As I mentioned before, the best
defense is offence and one of my objectives is to avoid that subject.
On a personal note, I have more respect for
those who leave than to those who stay. It is easy said than done though. In the current economy it is hard to find a
job and the widespread belief is (at least around the family dinner table) if
you have a job, you should stick to it. Even if you are unhappy.
If you read this post waiting for an answer at
the end I hate to let you down. It all comes down to balls, support at home and
savings. If you lack one of those, keep setting up the alarm and wait for the weekend.
Or just attach it to your CV before any
interview.
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