Job hopping etiquette

Question

I need to get out of a bad situation at my current work - I like the work, but they've been jerking me around with contract extensions coming at the last minute. I've been offered a job at a different company that doesn't look as interesting, but it's a chance to learn a few technologies I was interested in learning. It's "6 months contract to permanent" - does that mean that if I decide it's hopelessly boring and quit after the 6 month contract period that it won't reflect too badly on me and ruin my reputation in the town? What if I quit earlier than that?

Edit I should mention that I don't think there will be one right answer, so rather than accepting one answer, I'm going to vote up the good ones.

Answer 1

Yes, if it's a contract position and you decide not to join full time, that's entirely normal. Contracting positions are not designed to be long-term, and "contract to permanent" actually offers both parties a good chance to get comfortable with one another before a big commitment.

By the way, when you list it on your resume, just list it as a contract position, not as "contract to permanent but I decided not to join". There's no need to explain.

Answer 2

In my opinion, this all comes down to setting expectations....both in your current position and the one you are considering. You should be able to have an open conversation about your concerns and set expectations properly in both directions. In the end, if they live up to their commitments to you, then you need to live up to yours with them. If you live by this pricinciple, I don't think you will have to worry about your reputation because everyone always ends up also learning who the bad customers are as well.

Answer 3

This is coming from someone who's only been in the job force for a few years but I feel like if they're going to do the six months contract to hire thing then the knife can cut both ways. Don't lie or manipulate, but if they're going to treat it as a trial period on you then it makes sense that you can treat it as a trial period on them too.

Answer 4

As someone who often screens/interviews consultants where I work, if I see many multiple assignments that last less than six months I consider it to be a red flag. No one likes it when a consultant jumps ship unless less there is a very good reason (family illness etc...). Your reputation may take a hit depending on the size of your market. If you live in San Francisco you have nothing to worry about. If you live in Sioux Falls you may have to worry about it.

That being said, if you hop after a couple months, do not list it on your next resume after you jump. What I mean by that is it is fine to list it on your resume as your current position when you are looking for a new position, but after that I'd rather see a gap in your resume than a short stint unless there is a good explanation for it.

Answer 5

@Daniel Auger

I've had that situation where I was in temporary contract and found out pretty quickly that I didn't want to work there (too far from my house, too corporate). That's not getting a separate listing on my resume, it gets rolled up into my 'freelance' work, not even a lie since I was merely a temporary employee.

Answer 6

Brad Wilson's answer is pretty good. I'm on the IT company side of things (staffing & recruiting). The 6 months to perm gig is a great deal for consultants (like you) and companies. One, you get a nice check and paid for OT. The company gets to evaluate you for 6 months and if they don't like your work, etc. they call us and say fire that person and replace them with someone new.

Sometimes if the contractor is exceptional the client will "take them early" and pay a pro-rated fee for doing so.

In the meantime you are free to go to another gig but be warned if you bail out of the contract without a decent reason the staffing company that placed you there might not be so willing to work with you in the future because you caused their sales and recruiting folk a lot of headache by jumping ship a few months into the contract.

This help some?

~Allen

Answer 7

In my humble opinion, you always need to maintain professionalism and follow through with your commitment. If you sign on a contract for a certain duration, complete it and evaluate your options later on. Contract to permanent means after the end of your contract, you have an option to discuss with the relevant company to either provide you an extension or making you permanent. But then, it takes two to tango. So if you decided not to join them, you can always say no without ruining your reputation.

It is also good to have a legitimate reason for not following through your commitment, because breaking a contract causes issue between related parties.