What to Know About Leaving a Job After a Few Months-The Muse

What to Know About Leaving a Job After a Few Months-The MuseWhat to Know About Leaving a Job After a Few MonthsHi Career Therapy,I have a question Id like to pose anonymously. In March, I started a new job. As Ive been here a couple of months, Im realizing it might bedrngnis be the right fit for me. The culture is actually quite stiff, theres very little collaboration, and the work is mora tedious than I expected.Recently, a friend encouraged me to check out a new position at another organization. The new job seems like it would align much more closely with my skill set as well as improve the skills I hope to develop long-term. It also pays better and presents a stronger opportunity for advancement. Ive already started bewerbungsinterviewing, and it looks like its going to materialize into an offer. I know the grass is always greener, and I dont want to change jobs just to be disappointed in a few months. That being said, I do feel like the new job prospect could be a terrific opport unity in my career. Is it terrible form to leave a position after just a few months?Any advice you can provide is appreciatedSigned,AnonymousDear Anonymous,When it comes to any career consideration, my motto is Whats best for you is often best for the company in the long run.In other words, you being happy, satisfied, and motivated in your role serves all. It sounds like the new opportunity is a much better fit for you, and you can rest assured that having one short stint on a resume is not a cause for concern, as long as you can explain it openly and with sound reason.But before I go into detail on that front, I cannot stress enough how important it is to thoroughly assess culture fit during the interview process- both for this new opportunity, and for every opportunity you have in the future.We often prioritize questions about title, job responsibilities, salary, benefits, and vacation time during the interview process- and we often overlook questions specific to the company cultu re and personal fit. Its crucial to find out details like What time do people generally arrive and leave? What kind of corporate events do they have? How are company-wide issues handled? Are there weekly or monthly staff meetings? How do people dress? Any unique policies? Asking these questions early on will help you to gauge the companys personality and decide if its the right place for you.But dont stop there.Ask for a tour of the office, even if they dont offer one to you. Its important for you to see employees in action with your own two eyes. If what youre hearing from your interviewers doesnt match what you actually experience, thats telling.Also, you can easily ask the people you meet with what they love about the company. Why do they like working there?Are there things about the company that frustrate them?How would they define the company culture?Is there room for advancement?Does the company tend to promote from within?Is there a mentoring program?Along those same lines, i t is extremely important to meet as many people as possible that youll be working with on a daily basis- not just the hiring manager or the head of HR. Often times, that means asking to meet individuals beyond those the company requires you to interview with. If they dont offer interviews with other people on your team, feel free to ask. Doing proper due diligence on a companys culture will not only serve to convey your serious interest in the company, but it will also help you decide if this is the right environment for you.Now, onto your current decision. It is not terrible form to leave one job after a few months just dont make leaving after a few months a habit. Having one brief stint on your resume is not a big deal- red flags arise if this behavior seems to be chronic or symptomatic of your inability to assess a company.Job-hopping can convey a lack of focus or raise concern around your departures- for example, many companies have 60-90 day probation periods, and if you leave during this time, future employers might question whether you were terminated or asked to leave.But one short job on your resume isnt a huge deal, and you can address it upfront with any future interviewers. Be honest about why you left after a short time- that you realized early on that the job wasnt a great fit and that you were presented with a better opportunity you couldnt turn down. Honesty (with tact and with respect to your former employer, of course) is the best policy.Also, if you are equally honest and upfront with the company you are leaving and resign in a most professional way, your colleagues will likely respect your approach.The current employer may well give you a reference on how well you handled the situation and your performance during your short stay with the company.And who knows? If your employer is open-minded, the company may well try to fix some of the issues that led to your departure so other applicants will not experience what you did. Best of luck with your new opportunity.

5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My First Job

5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My First Job5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My First Job Throughout my entire academic career, I was always told that I was being prepared for the real world. But once I entered the working world in earnest, I soon realized school can never fully prepare you for it.Now, dont get me wrong - Im a big believer in education, and I have no doubt that my ability to absorb information, think critically and work well with others has contributed to my success in the professional realm. But still, I couldnt help but wish that a few more of my professors had shared some their thoughts on what to expect after graduation.As I made mistakes, learned from them and ultimately grew, I came away from my first job with a handful of important lessons that I wished I had heard, and really internalized, before I ever even stepped foot in the office. Here are a few of my top takeaways - hopefully, theyll resonate with you and maybe even help y ou navigate that tricky transition from school to work.For fruchtwein of my life I had a major aversion to planners and to-do lists . Have you ever had a waiter who insisted on memorizing your reservierung rather than writing it down on their notepad? Yeah, it was kind of like that. Im bright and capable , I thought - I dont need any piece of paper telling me what to do It took about three days in the working world for me to realize that I needed to ditch that attitude. I might have been able to memorize my tasks and assignments when I only had four or five classes a semester - but at work, there are approximately a million things going on at any given time. From writing articles to getting approval to sending emails, Im working on way too many things to keep track of them solely in my head.Today, I live and die by my to-do list (I use Evernote in particular). It took me a while to figure out what works best, but I finally arrived at an organizational system Im pretty comfor table with. I list every major thing I have to do as a separate bullet point in my planner, with smaller subtasks included as sub-bullet points. Anything that I need to work on that day gets bolded, and anything that needs to be finished that day gets an asterisk on top. Then, I organize the different tasks from top to bottom in the order I want to complete them in. Its fairly simple, but it gets the job done.You dont have to use this exact system, but if youre just entering the workforce, I would highly recommend that you think about the best way to keep yourself organized and on track.One of the biggest issues facing people early on in their careers is a lack of confidence . Even if you have great ideas and valuable insight, you often feel like youre too inexperienced or havent earned the right to speak up. I know this was one of the biggest mental hurdles I encountered when I first started my career. But one former coworker shared a piece of advice that really helped change my p erspective on the matter You were hired for a reason - people saw something in you. They want to hear your input.In hindsight its obvious, but at the time I really felt like I could only weigh in after I had worked somewhere for X months or years. But the thing is, having a fresh perspective is incredibly valuable. When youre too close to a project or too entrenched in certain processes, you dont always have the ability to look at things from a high level. New folks, on the other hand, are able to identify blind spots and inefficiencies, and come up with new and creative solutions to them.It might sound cliche, but its true its much easier for others to believe in you once you believe in yourself . If you speak up when you have an insightful comment or idea, youll not only make yourself look good - youll likely unlock new opportunities for yourself.While on the one hand, email plays an invaluable role in helping us stay in touch with others, it can also get pretty darn distra cting if you let it. When I first entered the workforce, my inbox was largely in a state of anarchy - junk emails would be thrown right in there with important work emails, newsletter subscriptions, calendar invites, etc. I knew I had to organize it, but for the longest time I put it off, thinking Oh, I can do that anytime - Ill focus on my day-to-day tasks first.With that mindset, though, youll arrive at a breaking point sooner or later. When I reached mine, I finally blocked several hours off on my calendar to sort through my email, unsubscribe to irrelevant emails, create folders and more. The best way to organize your inbox will totally depend on what works for you - you may want to filter by different projects, clients, levels of urgency, etc. Since I was working at a communications agency at the time, it made sense for me to create folders for each of my four main clients, one for internal/administrative tasks and one for news updates.My system has evolved a bit since Ive c hanged jobs, but I still make sure to label and create folders as appropriate, and I never close out of an email that requires a response without starring it first. This way, I can prioritize appropriately, refer back to important chains at a moments notice and most of all, not be filled with a sense of dread each time I binnensee my inbox.If I had a dollar for every question I asked at work, I probably wouldnt need to work at all anymore (okay, thats probably a slight exaggeration, but I could at least go on a pretty decent vacation ). I used to be very self-conscious of this - anytime I wanted to ask a colleague something, Id preface it with Sorry to bug you or Hope Im not being annoying. Ironically enough, my coworkers were more annoyed by my excessive apologizing than the fact that I was turning to them for questions - something pointed out to me by one of my more straightforward teammates.Now that I have a few years of work experience under my belt, I realize that no matter how much research youve done or how many internships youve had, you can never arrive at a new job fully caught up to speed - in fact, if youre not asking questions, it might signal to your coworkers that youre too headstrong to admit when you need help. Sure, you dont want to go completely overboard with it - tapping your manager for help every two minutes throughout the day may be a bit much - but as long as you make sure your questions are thoughtful and posed at the right time, your coworkers will likely be happy to fill you in.Like a lot of young people, the transition from college to the working world was a bit unsettling for me. In the classroom, I felt like I knew exactly what I had to do in order to succeed. Sure, I still sometimes got questions wrong on tests, or got a less-than-stellar grade on an essay every once in a while - but I knew that as long as I paid attention in class, studied a certain amount per week and gave myself enough time to complete assignments, I would do well. So being thrust into a working environment, where success doesnt always equal X + Y, was a bit jarring.Compared to school, I found work to be less structured, fast-paced and highly collaborative - I was constantly learning new things, pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and working on my communication skills. It was easy to get down on myself when I felt like I was constantly playing it by ear and learning from my mistakes.My big aha moment came after chatting with my older sister. After venting to hear about how incompetent I felt at times, she said something that will always stick with me Everybodys winging it to some degree. Its easy to look at a confident person whos further along in their career and think they have it all figured out, but even your seemingly perfect coworkers make mistakes, pivot and push themselves to try unfamiliar things. They may be better at hiding it, but that doesnt mean theyve completely mastered their job.Its not easy to ge t over your own self-consciousness or self-doubt , and it certainly wont happen overnight, but the more you remind yourself that nobodys perfect (and you dont have to be, either), the more confident youll feel - take it from someone whos been there before.

5 Keys to Doing a Back Ground Check on Potential Employees

5 Keys to Doing a Back Ground Check on Potential Employees5 Keys to Doing a Back Ground Check on Potential EmployeesBackground checks are a critical component in hiring. When it comes to your geschftlicher umgang, you cannot afford to make a poor hiring decision. In fact, for most small-mid-sized businesses, one bad hire can make the difference between success and failure. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 30% of small business failure is caused by employee theft. Effective hintergrund checks mitigate your risk of hiring objectionable, or even dangerous, employees. In todays economic environment, every business must cut costs anywhere they can. Your business is no different and your survival depends on figuring out where you can save money. One of the biggest expenses for businesses is locating, interviewing, and training new talent. Therefore, a hiring decision should be made with careful thought and consideration. One of the best and most cost-effective ways to ensure that you make a smart hiring decision is to prescreen candidates through background checks. Not only do background checks cut down on bad hiring decisions, but background checks also proactively protect your company. Here are some of the basics about background checks that you need to know that will assist you to keep your employees safe. Protect Your Legal Liability With Background Checks Small businesses often forgo candidate background checks for one of two reasons. The first is the false sense of security and trust that small business owners develop working closely with their employees. The second is that most business owners dont understand the legal liabilities associated with candidate screening and background checks. Any business in which employees interact with or provide a direct service to customers, such as daycare or contractors, is liable if an employee does harm to a customer and it turns out that the employee had a previous history of wrongdoing. A small or medium-si zed business may never recover from such a lawsuit. You may also find that your business insurance provider offers a discount on coverage if you do background checks to pre-screen when hiring your employees. Select Vendors to Do Background Checks Because of potential employer liability and to protect the interests of your workplace and your customers, work with a background screening company you trust. While employers can do background checking on their own, working with a reputable, experienced company can ensure the thoroughness and reliability of the background screening. Before choosing a company to help you with background checks, research and make sure it is the best service for your companys needs. Companies that do background checks come in all shapes and sizes and are built to service different types of customers. Make sure that the company you choose to do your background checks has a toll-free number answered by a real rolle who can help with your questions. In additi on, when selecting the company that will do your background checks, ask to speak to previous customers. Do a Google search to binnensee what comes up when you research the company. If a company has few or negative results, move on and use a different provider of background checks. Purchasing instant public records is not appropriate for doing potential employee background checks. If you confirm your hiring decisions based on that type of public record data, you can find your company in hot water. The instant databases out there are just that- databases. Most do not fact check, clean up, or refresh their information very often, if ever. In order to perform background checks, you must have the potential employees consent. (Many job applications have a line for the signature of the employee authorizing the potential employer to do background checks.) In addition, a reputable company, that provides background checks, will make sure that the data you receive is current and, most importa ntly, accurate. Understand the Fair Credit Reporting Act Before Background Checks The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) was set up to protect a job seekers privacy rights and to give them recourse if an employer makes a hiring decision based on inaccurate data found during background checks. First, an employer must get a job seekers written consent to perform background checks. Second, if an employer makes a hiring decision based on information found from the background checks, they must inform the job seeker of the source used for the background checks (which is where the instant sources and databases can get your company in trouble). Compliance with the FCRA is easy once you know what to do and a good background checking company will help you as well. Pay for Only the Background Checks You Need One common trend in companies that do background checks is to encourage businesses to purchase every piece of information they can find about a potential employee and charge a lot fo r behauptung background checks. If your business needs to know everything about a potential employee, by all means, go pay for these extensive background checks. However, if you are hiring a teleworking employee to program your website, as an example, a reference check, a criminal background check, and a technical certification background check should be all you need. Supplement Background Checks With Web Searches You can and should supplement your background checks with a web search. Since anyone can enter anything they want on a social network profile, doing a Google search is not a source of trustworthy information about a potential employees background. However, the web search is a great supplement to background checks because you can obtain insight into who the person is and what types of things they blog about or write on their profiles. Dont just look for reasons not to hire the potential employee, however you might actually confirm your hiring decision. You may find that , in addition to his or her positive background checks, your potential employee is extremely smart and passionate about their profession and that your company cant live without them. You can create a happy ending- for both the employer and the employee- through effective background checks. DisclaimerPlease note that the information provided, while authoritative, is not guaranteed for accuracy and legality. The site is read by a world-wide audience and employment laws and regulations vary from state to state and country to country. Please seek legal assistance, or assistance from State, Federal, or International governmental resources, to make certain your legal interpretation and decisions are correct for your location. This information is for guidance, ideas, and assistance.