Why I left my job without a new one lined up

“Oops, I quit my job.” Katherine Stevensen’s Facebook status casually proclaimed that she had made a potentially life-changing decision. For one thing, she had no new job lined up. I wanted to know why.

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10 thoughts on “Why I left my job without a new one lined up

  1. I quit a 30-year career to move out of state to be with my terminally ill sister. Right as the true scope of our latest Great Recession was becoming clear. I will give my ex-employer credit – they worked hard to help me find a solution that didn’t involve quitting (what a great group of caring people!) but in the end, I took the leap.

    2.5 years later, I no longer have my sister, but I love this city and this state. I managed to escape total burnout by involving myself in a whole new career in a whole new industry. Yes, it was scary. No, I would never have had the courage to do something like this if not for my love for my sister.

    In hindsight, my sister managed to save my life, even during the process of losing her own. I am profoundly and eternally grateful.

    1. What a lovely tribute to your sister. I’m so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your story.

  2. I would not hire Katherine. To me it is a flag if she has left 2 former positions without another lined up; it makes her seem flighty and unstable. If this had happened once, such as the first instance with the poor work environment, ok. But to me she is a retention risk and I would choose other candidates who do not have such a record (that they disclose, anyway).

    1. The first job was temporary and she did have another one lined up. But you’re right. Short term jobs and gaps on the resume are always suspect.

  3. Ms. Stevensen gives me the distinct impression that she’s merely grazing at the buffet of life. If true, that will discourage hiring managers.

    After saying that her Japanese language skills are not strong enough to work as a translator, I was truly hoping to read that Ms. Stevensen was actively working to improve them so she could work in her preferred field.

    Maybe Ms. Stevensen needs to significantly raise her motivation by moving lower on the scale of Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy. I wonder who is covering her living expenses so she can enjoy grazing at her preferred level of comfort.

  4. I’m torn. On the one hand: No, I probably wouldn’t hire someone with Katherine’s work history. On the other hand: I wouldn’t want to retain someone who is not relatively happy in their job – this type of person, if as unhappy as Katherine indicates she was, can be highly contagious to the rest of the team.

    All that HR stuff aside, I kinda have to respect Katherine for owning her destiny. How many of us sit day-to-day in jobs we hate because we are unable or unwilling to change our circumstances? Something to be said for taking a leap, I think.

    1. A lot of the emails I get are written by people who feel trapped and that they have no choice in their situation. This is generally not the case.

      Heck, my husband just told me tonight that a friend had called him saying, “My boss has been treating me terribly and telling me that I was overpaid and no one would hire me for as much as I was making. Turns out that’s false.” He has a new job offer.

  5. I was hoping to find something before I left Exjob, but they laid off a couple of people, me included. As I search for a new position, it occurs to me I don’t want to do this anymore. I dearly wish I could get by on part-time work, but I’m getting older and I really do need insurance, which is prohibitively expensive. So I guess I’ll just prostitute myself some more. At least Katherine can get a part-time food job; I was thinking about this myself, but shoulder injuries have made that kind of physical work impossible now.

    On the bright side, at least I’m out of a place that was hurting me. 🙂

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