This article discusses the job seekers’ buyer’s remorse from having left a large financial services company and moving to a startup (loosely defined). After 6+ months there, you may fear you may have made an error.
How will it look if you change jobs now, after this short stint? You will be fine if you handle it well. We teach you how…
Buyer’s Remorse
Don’t get me wrong, I think trying a startup, and deciding if it is for you is brave. However, you may have picked the wrong startup or just feel more comfortable in the hierarchical structure of a larger company.
I find that many professionals don’t go through a rigorous process before they decide to leave. Sometimes emotions come into play and the grass must be greener argument wins out.
However, you may find that as opposed to a hierarchy of slow decision-making, a startup sometimes makes the opposite mistake. No thought, fire, and hire, pivot on a dime may not work for you.
I’ve Been There
Please take a lesson from me on why my transition to startup SolarCity was a disaster…
You Can Save Yourself
The idea that many of us learned in conservative financial services is that you must wait at least 1 year to move. Less than 1 year seems embarrassing and childish; you will be scarred for life.
However, this rule has been greatly relaxed. While a super traditional firm like Goldman Sachs0 or Morgan Stanley may look twice, there is still a worker shortage. Maybe not as much as 3 months ago, but still a shortage.
For those desiring to stay in the startup world, moving quickly is almost a badge of honor! The startup world by definition attracts those pros outside of more traditional conventional thinking. As long as you have a good story to tell, people will listen.
How To Tell Your Story
The key to telling your story is to show that you are in charge of your career and that you make decisions in a thoughtful way. You left a larger company to seek X, Y, and Z in a startup (work-life balance, more autonomy, etc.) Now that you have more experience under your belt, you understand that you need X, Y, and A. Your startup did not provide you with those new skills, so you decided to move.
Notice I took control over the dialogue by saying I was not satisfied. I did not complain that my boss was an asshole or the company is disorganized.
If the company you want to pivot to has some elements of X, Y, A, you’re golden. Believe it or not, if you express your reasoning clearly and directly, people will give you the benefit of the doubt.
Besides, in this world, at the end of the day, people care about what value you can bring to them. “Why am I listening to you Kemosabe” as Michael Douglass says in Wall Street
(original)
New Product Offering
The Cover Letter Pack from Mike Mittleman Career Coaching includes everything you need to write a great cover letter. Purchase the pack and receive three valuable documents.