My brother accepted a new position a few months ago at his job. Ever since then, he has realized it was a mistake as he doe not know how to do the job and is not happy. His boss is preparing to right him up next week and he wants to pre-empt that by resigning. My question is: Should he resign without having another job in place?He reasons that he does not want a right up or termination on his record. My other question is: What would he tell a new employer, on an interview, when they ask why he left the other job? He's got to tell them he resigned - but what's an acceptable reason? Thanks for any info - I just don't want him to mess this up as this is only his second job.
Always a tough situation! If he has the financial ability to resign without another job then the right thing to do is to go to his boss and say that he feels that the job is not a good fit and suggest that they part ways. As he's not qualified to perform the job, it's ethical and also shows character - his current boss may actually even give a positive reference. Assuming he is qualified for his next job then all I would say is that he realized that his previous employer wasn't a good fit and that he was looking for another opportunity. This is where it helps to leave on good terms as a check would turn up exactly why (and how) he left. This happened to me back in the late 80's. After a month on the job I didn't think it was working out well so I went to my boss and told him. It turns out that he was about to fire me but was impressed with my candor and later found me a different position that fit my skills better. Cheers, Mark
Thanks. I think that's what's been stumping him. He doesn't have the money to really quit, but the stress is not helping his job search. On top of that, he's really tried at the job and feels bad about "letting them down".
It's professional of him to want to do a good job, but at the same time it takes both sides to make this sort of error. If they had conducted their hiring process competently, they would have known which candidates were prepared for the position. -=Steve=-
I think he should go to his boss and just say he does not feel it is a good fit. A new position will probably be found for him. Abner
My wife recently had to resign from her job. She felt/knew she wasn't performing up to her boss's satisfaction, and knew in the future she would probably be let go. When she went looking for another job in the same line of work, she took her time to find a job that would fit her better. Her old boss made a wonderful reccomendation for her and said that she was overmatched...but knew that in the new place she was applying for that it would suit her very well. Walk on your own terms or get canned...as long as ya learn from it is what matters.
He could tell his potential employer in the future that he is not normally a "job hopper" but instead he saw the job change in which he thought the grass was going to be greener on the other side of the fence but after a few months he realized it was a little brown around the edges. Gavin
It's always difficult to accept higher position and change job just because of inability to line up things. Ask your brother to upgrade his skills and not to resign as this will polish his career, altough it requires lot of hardwork and many other things, but he got the opportunity do not waiste it just because you are unable to handle it at the moment, just keep trying and the situation will be under control one day
I have felt like that in my current job (never having really worked in finance/government contracting) but I have been reading alot, taking alot of notes and am in a graduate business program trying to upgrade my educational credentials. I still don't feel completely comfortable, but I think the reason is that my job changes daily, and is heavily research-based. After thinking about it, it suits my personality greatly. I am always looking to do new things, try stuff out, and to absorb knowledge all the time, and embracing my current position allows me to learn new things every minute of every day. If he is truly unhappy though, and really feels he cannot learn the job, I would start looking elsewhere. I never like to quit a job (and never have) without having another one lined up, but that's just me.
This advice is probably too late to help, but this situation can be explained either to the previous employer to try to get the old job back or to a prospective employer during the search for a new job. The candidate should state as a reason for leaving that the company is excellent but that the job required by the manager was different from how it was recruited for and presented by the human resources department, so a new job search seemed like the best option for all concerned. Nothing more needs to be said about the position in the absence of direct questions. Dave
