Why you should explain yourself when you leave a company before two years.
Today I’ll share a few things you should consider when explaining why you left a job after less than two years of employment.
One of the biggest challenges with the youngest third of the workforce is that they don’t always feel the need to explain job changes based on the time they stayed there. Most hiring managers come from a time when people were in positions longer, so they have different expectations around tenure.
“Be careful about saying you moved to get a bump in salary.”
You should be prepared to explain yourself when you leave a company you’ve been at for less than two years. Some reasons are better than others, but there’s no perfect answer. You could point out that the company was acquired and changed significantly—that’s generally a good reason. Most salespeople move when their territory gets slashed while their quota increases, and that’s not a terrible reason to move either.
However, there are a few reasons you want to avoid. Don’t just say your manager was terrible. It’s not that people won’t believe it; it just brings an air of negativity into the conversation. Also, be careful about saying you moved to get a bump in salary.
Give some thought as to why you left your position, and maybe run it by a colleague or two. If you have any questions, feel free to call or email us. Happy hunting!