Why do people leave jobs so soon?

[cdon]

I’ve noticed a number of people on LinkedIn that have moved between some AAA companies only spending 3-6 months at each (Engineering/Motorsport/Automotive).

I could understand if these were smaller/stop gap style roles but they’re big Engineering roles with the big companies - and aren’t listed as being contracts.

So short of not making it past your probation period or being a short contract why would people do this? Surely 3 months isn't even long enough to even get going in some of these places.

Is it not liking the job? Moving somewhere better? Or just wanting the name on your CV so mission accomplished?

[MC Bodge]

cdon said:

I’ve noticed a number of people on LinkedIn that have moved between some AAA companies only spending 3-6 months at each (Engineering/Motorsport/Automotive).

I could understand if these were smaller/stop gap style roles but they’re big Engineering roles with the big companies - and aren’t listed as being contracts.

So short of not making it past your probation period or being a short contract why would people do this? Surely 3 months isn't even long enough to even get going in some of these places.

Is it not liking the job? Moving somewhere better? Or just wanting the name on your CV so mission accomplished?

Sometimes jobs are not what you think they might be. A big company doesn't necessarily make for a good role.

[cdon]

MC Bodge said:

Sometimes jobs are not what you think they might be. A big company doesn't necessarily make for a good role.

I appreciate that, but I’ve never been ‘mis-sold’ on a job. Generally you have a fairly good idea of what they do and what you’ll be doing day to day by the end of the interview process, especially with the bigger companies.

[Carbon Sasquatch]

3 months or less - to me that implies someone else they had started the interview process with whilst looking - it just took longer & the offer came in after they'd started their new job.

Closer to 6 months implies they didn't like the role - whether they were mis-sold is an opinion rather than a fact - and they went looking after a few months in.

Either way - you can probably do it once. Make a habit of it & you'd be lucky to get an interview.....

[anonymous-user]

It could be for any number of reasons, from my own experience some of the reasons I have left roles within 3 months:

The actual role has zero resemblance to the role applied for. (this one can be dual edged, sometimes its a PITA and other times a great opportunity)

The job, I really wanted have been v slow in the recruitment process, and as soon as it lands I am off. E.g. Current company I am at, i received a start date 6 months after being told I was successful at interview, so to fill the gap I took another job and jumped as soon as I received a start date.

The "exciting and innovative project using cutting edge technology" in reality is terminally dull, lacking in any form of innovation and uses tools that were cutting edge in 1992.

The culture is toxic/ snr mgt are muppets

[lyonspride]

There are lot of clueless folks out there, lets call them "degree qualified burger flippers", who go into a company, find themselves in over their heads, decide to leave in the hope of securing a senior position where there actually level of ability can be hidden.

[TCX]

Firm I worked for went into administration,quite a few are now on third job since,was kind of friends n family firm so guess their getting found out

[sociopath]

I never explicitly detailed my contracts as being contracts, so my linked in would look like that, because it was the experience that was useful for your next role, not which consulting agency you worked through

[xjay1337]

I was in a job for 6 months - role got made redundant.

I had applied for a position but didn't hear anything (through a friend of a friend) - I'll get to this later.

Then in a new position, I was there for around 3.5 - 4 months.

I was told I'd be doing things straight away but I instead sat infront of my PC at the office doing literally nothing for many months. caused my anxiety to get sky high.

then i was told I'd be expected to travel across Europe, was not advertised to me at all or I'd not have taken the job.

I left to work for another company. was there 8 months, and left, because i was offered a position that was through a friend of a friend. I only took this position as it secured me a £14k payrise which was vital at the time as I was looking to buy a house.

[lyonspride]

I did get taken on to do a role as a full time manufacturing engineer, I fixed all their process/manufacturing problems over the course of about 9 months, I started to get wind of something strange going on, something didn't feel right, I got to the 12 months mark, they made a bunch of pathetic excuses and I was out.
I later found out that my role was originally advertised as a short term contract, but they didn't get the right sort of interest, they also didn't want to pay contract wages, so they lied and got me.

Of course try explaining that in an interview and nobody will believe it, so then I had to lie about why I left that job. Making out that it was a contract role, and sounding like a bit of an expert consultant type, seemed to go down best