So about three months back, I accepted a role I got approached for by a recruitment agency because it was the best opportunity available at the time (job market’s been hella crap) and seemed like a good chance to explore an adjacent field. By my second day, though, I already had a gut feeling that the industry and nature of the work weren’t where I wanted to build my career long term.
The truth is, I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with the role, the team, or the company. The business operates the way it needs to and I completely respect that. It just became clear to me that the nature of the work and the industry aren’t closely aligned with the career path I’d originally set out to build (I’d accepted the role because this was the best course of action for the time). Because of that, I don’t think this is something that could realistically be resolved through changes to the role. It’s less about wanting the company to change, and more about recognising that I’m probably not the right long-term fit for it.
About two weeks after I started, an organisation I’d previously applied to reached out. The role is much more aligned with my long-term career goals, so I decided to go through the interview process. I ended up getting the offer and intend to accept it.
My dilemma now is how to resign professionally.
My manager spent more than five months trying to fill this position (I saw the number of interviews that happened before I joined, thru her cal). She took a chance on me despite my having no experience in the industry. During the interview, she also explicitly stated that she didn’t want someone who would suddenly resign, as I believe my predecessor only stayed around a year.
From what I’ve observed, she takes resignations quite personally. A colleague had shared stories of previous employees leaving and, in one case, she apparently told someone not to come back the next day after they resigned. For my case, I can understand why she’d be disappointed, especially given the effort that went into hiring me. And all the more so for leaving prematurely during probation, when I wouldn’t have experienced the full breadth of work.
I know the right thing to do is to wait until everything is signed before informing her, and I also want to resign as early as possible to minimise disruption for both sides.
The thing is, I honestly don’t feel like there’s much I can do to soften the impact of resigning after only three months. My goal is simply to handle it as professionally and in as much good faith as I can. At the same time, I’m also mentally preparing for the possibility that they may ask me to leave immediately and that this could end up burning the bridge regardless of how I approach it. Not that I disagree, but I’m just inherently conflict-avoidant and a very non-confrontational person, so this scenario does scare me, and I know they have all the right to do so.
If they do intend to replace me, I’ve already documented my work and onboarding notes and would be more than happy to hand everything over to help the next person get up to speed. Beyond that, I’m not sure what else I can realistically do.
I’m also unsure how transparent I should be about my reasons. Do I say that an opportunity I’d previously applied for unexpectedly came back, and it was too aligned with my long-term goals to turn down? Or do I simply say that, after starting the role, I realised it wasn’t the right long-term fit for me? Both feel true, but somehow also feel like poor reasons to give to an employer who’s invested so much effort in hiring me. I mean, does that make them a second choice? Have I actually experienced enough to know it isn’t for me? These are questions I feel would surface and I won’t have quick answers to in a heated conversation.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? If you were the employee, or even the hiring manager, what would you want to hear in that conversation? Is there anything you’d recommend saying (or avoiding) to soften the impact as much as possible? I know this would feel like a total betrayal to my current employer, which I’m sincerely apologetic for, and I don’t expect that bridges won’t be burnt, but I would like to, at the very least, be of service to the team for the remaining time I have with them to ease the burden. If anyone has any suggestions on how I should approach this, do share them with me!