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adytum

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see317

I'm thinking that the simpler and less specific reason you give, the better. Your line about not fitting in with the corporate culture would work well.
If someone wants to read more into it, then that's on them.

Don't burn bridges. And don't give the people you work with any matches either.

Dhalphir

Do you even have to tell them until its a done deal with the second new job?

wonderpug

You're supposed to say you're going to doctor appointments when you skip work for interviews.

Deebaser

"The position isn't a good fit."

No one's really going to hold it against you, unless it's a pattern.

Heir

wonderpug wrote: »

You're supposed to say you're going to doctor appointments when you skip work for interviews.

Yeah don't let them know you're looking for another job, not a good idea at all.

adytum

I meant respond in an interview, not to my current employer. Sorry if that was unclear.

noir_blood

Maybe to late for this, but just don't include your current job in your resume?

Dhalphir

adytum wrote: »

I meant respond in an interview, not to my current employer. Sorry if that was unclear.

Oh.

I would just be honest, but not detailed.

Something like "The role was radically different from how it was described to me when I accepted the offer, and the changes meant that it was no longer a role that I felt comfortable with"

Jam Warrior

Exactly as above. Up front and honest is a much better impression than any kind of evasiveness or cover up. For the same reason absolutely do NOT leave the current work off your CV. If they find out that you are hiding something they will just assume that it is because you are hiding something terrible about yourself.

TheRealZyconis

Unless there's a large gap between your current job and the previous one, maybe just not mentioning your current one, (like noir_blood already suggested.)
Chances are that after such a short time, it probably won't do much to improve your chances of being picked for the new one. If I were interviewing someone and saw that they were already looking for something new, I'd wonder if they were going to do the same to me.

That being said, if there is a large gap between employment, or if you feel the experience from your current job is relevant, the line about not fitting in with the "corporate culture," at your current workplace is probably sufficient. Be vague about it, but don't lie; a good interviewer can tell if you're BSing.

Figgy

"This position is a much better fit for me. While I did just start at my current position, I can't pass up this opportunity."

And you can say the same thing to your current employer once you're hired at the new place.

Jam Warrior

Really can't recommend enough aginst the lying on your CV suggestions (which omitting your current employment is). One lie leads to another as they ask in the interview what you're doing at the moment, try and schedule the interview around the work hours you claim you don't have, have to make excuses why you can't start immediately as you're working out your notice on the old job.

Then if you do get caught out they could justifiably fire you for fraud on your initial application, even long after you have the job.

Just not worth it.

wonderpug

Dhalphir's quote is the way I'd handle it. While I like Figgy's, too, it runs the risk of them thinking "well is he going to leave as soon as he finds something better than this position?"

Darkewolfe

Figgy wrote: »

"This position is a much better fit for me. While I did just start at my current position, I can't pass up this opportunity."

And you can say the same thing to your current employer once you're hired at the new place.

Based on experience, they'll want you to be a bit more specific than this. What Figgy just said is vague, and they're going to see through it. What they want to hear is something about why you bailed on your old employer and why you won't leave them. The explanation about how the work environment wasn't as described is the way to go, as long as you think they'll agree with you. They're just going to be afraid to hire someone who isn't loyal, or who will jump ship for a better salary as soon as it becomes available.

FANTOMAS

Companies are not families, no one gives a crap if you "jump ship", hell, its economically profitable if employes quit after a couple of years and new ones get hired. As long as you werent fired, and as long as you are not suing your employer you should be absolutely in the clear by telling the truth, and being honest is always apreciated.

wonderpug

What? Companies absolutely care about people leaving quickly, and not because they think you're family. It costs a lot of money to get a new employee up to speed, because the new employee both isn't working at the level the position requires, and he or she is draining other company resources due to others doing the training or picking up the slack. If the employee leaves quickly, the company has to A) have an empty seat for a while, spend time & money finding a new new employee, and C) go through new employee training all over again.

adytum leaving his old job after a few months is exactly the nightmare scenario the new employer is going to worry about him doing again. A few months of training and then off he goes again to greener pastures. They want their investment (hiring him) to pay off, which is why they want assurance that there was a good reason for adytum leaving his previous job so quickly.

Jam Warrior

Depends a lot on the position. In a serious job with training involved wonderpug is right, in a high turnover minimum skill job FANTOMAS is correct.

wonderpug

Good point

Kias

Yeah, going to chime in on the "don't lie on your resume/CV" as its just a terrible idea.

Other than that, be honest but brief. I would say a combination of the previous job environment not working out and the opportunity to work at the new place being too good to pass up, though make sure these are tailored to fit the company you are interviewing for and not left vague, or the interviewers will likely just ask you to be more specific and you may end up looking silly if you don't have an answer ready.

Always tailor your responses to fit the job/company you are interviewing for. A little pre-interview research can go a long way, though how far depends on the field I suppose.

Julius

adytum wrote:

I accepted a position a few months ago that has failed to live up to its expectations in every way. It's been an unmitigated disaster at every turn.

Having said that, I'm lining up other interviews, and in fact I have one tomorrow! I'm at a loss for how to politely and satisfactorily respond to questions of why I'm seeking alternate employment after such a short time. Would something as simple as "I don't fit in well with the corporate culture" work, or does that leave too much room interpretation?

Cheers!

Just say that your boss had a problem with you sleeping with his teenage daughter.


I wouldn't say that you didn't fit in with the culture unless it is a very different culture in the other company. In fact, your first line in this post is a good explanation already. The job wasn't what you were told to expect. Just make sure that they don't think you're quick to leave.

143999

Figgy wrote: »

"This position is a much better fit for me. While I did just start at my current position, I can't pass up this opportunity."

And you can say the same thing to your current employer once you're hired at the new place.

This, more or less. Talk your head off about the good points of the job for which you're applying, and minimize talking about your current position.

If pressed, I'd suggest trying to frame the job you're interviewing for as a potential endgame and the job you're currently in as a stepping stone, but YMMV on feasibility in your situation.

Gaslight

Don't lie and leave the current job off your resume/CV. Getting hired is easier if you're already employed, even if you haven't been at the current job that long. The advice for what to say about the current job which has already been offered is pretty good, I think.

Deebaser

Gaslight wrote: »

Don't lie and leave the current job off your resume/CV. Getting hired is easier if you're already employed, even if you haven't been at the current job that long. The advice for what to say about the current job which has already been offered is pretty good, I think.

:^:

Also, to reiterate, just say "My current position isn't a good fit". That effectively conveys that you are not happy with your current position and at the same time shows that you are not the type to bitch about work.

neville

I'm doing the same thing, but it's been a month.
My line is simply it's not a good fit... which makes them go "Can we ask why?"

It's easy to tell the truth for me, b/c current job doesn't care about quality.
As someone whose title is Software Engineer, Quality Automation... that kind of makes my job pointless.