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Background: So I'm a software developer nearing the end of my probation period at a company I recently started at. After starting I noticed a few things that made the company not a very good fit for me. Mainly working almost exclusively on a legacy product, with very old web technologies, that was promised to me I shouldn't be spending much time on. Only the occasional bug fix but the product was basically EOL. Second, corporate policies like no working from home and/or abroad and having to clock in and out to measure your hours. After about two months I managed to get an interview via a contact at a company this contact was very happy at. They offered me a very competitive offer which would give me more freedom, working with new tech and a significant salary increase.

Question: In the end I decided it would be for me to move since I'm not very happy about the current job. This opportunity came quite late in my trial period so I'm nearing the end and I'm a bit anxious on how to handle the resignation and how they will respond. Besides pulling my manager aside and breaking the news is there anything I can do or say to not burn any bridge (might not be possible) or to just handle things as best as possible?

Also feel pretty bad about having a gap on my resume now. Is this something I should be worried about or are the reasons outlined good if ever asked during a potential future interview?

BSMP
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Captain Obvious
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4 Answers4

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Besides pulling my manager apart and breaking the news is there anything I can do or say to not burn any bridge (might not be possible) or to just handle things as best as possible?

Just be honest and explain the lack of fit.

That's what probation periods are for.

Joe Strazzere
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Unless this employer is very unreasonable, this shouldn't burn a bridge. You're still in your probation period so no promises have been made on either side.

Also feel pretty bad about having a gap on my resume now.

You don't have to leave this job off of your resume unless you believe that this employer will give you a negative reference during background checks. You've probably seen the advice to "just leave it off your resume" in other questions about short term jobs but that's because those people also had to leave under fairly negative circumstances (a firing, harassment, etc.). They knew their employer was going to provide a negative reference and a short gap is better than a bad reference.

This is just a regular departure. Assuming it happens on good terms you can keep it on your resume. Note that your employer being disappointed you're leaving isn't the same as them being angry. If they're happy with you're work then they'll be upset it didn't work out but that by itself shouldn't lead you to keep it off your resume.

BSMP
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  • That's a very good point, I would assume that because I'm doing it towards they end they're not going to be happy about it. But get your point, all depends on how they'll respond of course. – Captain Obvious Jul 25 '21 at 18:25
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    Thing is a 2 month gap won't raise eye brows, its normal for people to just want some time off if they are financially good. So I'd consider leaving it off just to save space on the CV and avoid wasting 1-2 minutes of a future interview taking about it – plagiarisedwords Jul 26 '21 at 06:18
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Make sure you notify the company before the probationary period ends. Some places require a longer notice period after the probationary period ends. In some places it might only be a couple of weeks, but in other places it can me one or more months. You don't want to miss the deadline and have to stay an extra month.

Because you are in the probationary period they may decide that when you tell them you are leaving that there is no need to work two more weeks. In other cases they still want you to stay a few weeks to finish up tasks.

There is no requirement to give a lot of details, just tell them you have decided to leave and that you want to talk about when your last day will be.

Regarding a gap in your resume. The resume is what you use to sell yourself. If the job doesn't help you do that, you don't have to include it. You might decide to include it if you are trying to avoid a gap. Or if even its presence does slow you to discuss some task you want to mention. Now if the application, or the background check forms asks you to list all jobs, then you have to mention it.

mhoran_psprep
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  • "In other cases they still want you to stay a few weeks to finish up tasks." That depends on where you are located. In many locations, one of the features of a probation period is the absence of a notification period (which works both ways). – Abigail Jul 27 '21 at 08:54
  • The OP doesn't indicate their location, but in the U.S. at least they can't "require" any particular notice period - you can quit whenever you want. – EJoshuaS - Stand with Ukraine Jul 28 '21 at 13:11
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90% of what you've written in your question is unneeded. We don't need to know about your job, what you did or didn't do, what you liked or didn't like, why you're deciding to move on, etc.

How should you go about resigning? Like this:

"I've decided that I'd like to pursue other outside opportunities. Thank you for the opportunity."

How will they respond? Something like this:

"Thank you for letting us know about your decision. Best of luck to you in your future endeavors."

joeqwerty
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  • No reasonable employer will screw up the formal response. So the formal response does not tell you much about how they really think about the situation... – SelfEnergy Jul 26 '21 at 09:02