How long should you be at one job before looking for another?

>2 months
You're delusional. 6 months minimum, a year to be safe.

>inb4 I hate my job
Beggars can't be choosers, sweetie. Would YOU want to hire someone who couldn't work somewhere for more than 2 months?

>>17530799
>Would YOU want to hire someone who couldn't work somewhere for more than 2 months?
someone looking for a change in career, yes (which is what it sounds like)

sweetie :)

>>17530799
> Would YOU want to hire someone who couldn't work somewhere for more than 2 months?

I've fallen into this trap as a student where I only looked for work during the holiday periods, so over the past 5 years, I've just ended up with a resume full of 12+ employers with only a few months work experience, because I was only taken on as extra help on the holiday period. Doesn't mean I don't have potential, but it doesn't look good either, I guess :( .

>>17530804
>two months at a job
>no previous work experience
You'd have to have an IQ of 4 to interpret that as a change in career, sweetie :^)

>>17530804
I am looking for a change yeah. I've only really mentioned it to one person and they think a month or two is enough and that I really just need to mention that I'm looking for a change or took what I could get at the time.

>>17530808
Summer/holiday jobs are different, especially if you can explain to them that they're seasonal or that you were studying between those bouts of employment. But just upping and leaving your first and only job after 2 months doesn't look good in other circumstances

>>17530810
Nigga have you ever decided on a career, started it and then decided to change when it turns out to be shit? It happens to a lot of people.
If OP wants to do something else, he can. He doesn't have to be stuck in the same shit like you because you chose and decided that was good enough.

[insert obligatory sweetie :-) here]

>>17530811
What's the job? What are you looking to do instead?

>>17530813
What about if they didn't know that there was no previous job?

>>17530816
Trainee mechanic. It's not what I wanted to do at all but kind of got forced into it by family, I've now ultimately decided that I just can't do it. I'm not sure what I'd like to do instead but I do know I want it to be a cleaner job i.e not coming home drenched in oil and engine fluids every day.

> 2 months
No way, looks bad on the resumé, unless you got a supporting degree in business to take you forward. You are just being stupid right now when you should be trying you hardest, getting more trust from your employer, becoming a manager etc.

When those months become years, then its time to switch.

>>17530815
Bitch please, no one changes jobs after two months for a 'career change'. And no employer's going to hire someone if they don't know if this person will suddenly want a 'career change' on a whim two months down the track after hiring them. I'm sorry you know nothing about the real world but you can't switch jobs every few months and expect everyone to be okay with that. Don't comment on shit you know nothing about.

>>17530823
>What about if they didn't know that there was no previous job?
How do you mean?

>Trainee mechanic. It's not what I wanted to do at all but kind of got forced into it by family, I've now ultimately decided that I just can't do it. I'm not sure what I'd like to do instead but I do know I want it to be a cleaner job i.e not coming home drenched in oil and engine fluids every day.
I can understand why you'd want to leave, but you're best leaving it off any resume or CV if you do. That said, don't leave without having another job lined up, that's just dumb.

>>17530832
>How do you mean?
Wouldn't they be more focused on what I last did/what I'm currently doing than what preceded it?

>>17530832
>I can understand why you'd want to leave, but you're best leaving it off any resume or CV if you do.
What jobs would be fine with a blank resume though? I won't have any referees or of course experience and I don't know what jobs would be beginner enough for that.

>That said, don't leave without having another job lined up, that's just dumb.
I know, I plan on staying while I try to figure out where to go from here. It's not easy though. I'm feeling worse every day and everyone I know says I looked burned out and depressed.

>>17530837
>Wouldn't they be more focused on what I last did/what I'm currently doing than what preceded it?
Well what did you do?

>What jobs would be fine with a blank resume though? I won't have any referees or of course experience and I don't know what jobs would be beginner enough for that.
Have you studied anything? The only real way to get a proper job without work experience is to have some sort of qualification, though many fields do expect you to have relevant work experience, and most employers who employ people right out of college expect some sort of work experience even if it's irrelevant. Otherwise, the only jobs would be wageslave shit unless you have connections to get you in.

>I know, I plan on staying while I try to figure out where to go from here. It's not easy though. I'm feeling worse every day and everyone I know says I looked burned out and depressed.
If you gotta leave, then you gotta leave, but like I said in my first post, beggars can't be choosers. You can't be too picky about who you work for if you don't have any experience or qualifications.

2 months will not look good on a CV at all, no matter what reason. You really do want to have at least 6 months, realistically 12 months, and for it to look good, for it to be over two calendar years (e.g. a 12 month job from 2015-2016, no mention of months on the CV)

I know you want to market it as a career change, but most, if not all employers would just see it as not being able to hold a job. And it would make them ask "What if he decides to career change out of this job as well in two months?" You might know in your heart that you want a new field, but your employer will have serious doubts, no matter how passionate you sound.

Also as the above poster said, have a job lined up before you leave the current one. Job gaps, especially in otherwise empty CVs, are a major turnoff for employers. Not to mention you'll be out of pocket between those jobs.

TL;DR
Stay for at least 6 months, 12 if you can bear it
Score a new job before you quit this one

>>17530844
>Well what did you do?
Prior to this, a gap year and some travel. Before that I was a student and studied business.

>proper job without work experience is to have some sort of qualification
I know. My business qualification never got me anything unfortunately. Ever since I started this job, it's made me realize and really think about going back to studying and considering the future strongly.

>If you gotta leave, then you gotta leave, but like I said in my first post, beggars can't be choosers.
I understand that but I'm really struggling with it. Safety has also been a concern among people I know since they play pretty fast and loose. For example, there are no fire extinguishers and they never did a safety induction.

>>17530856
>Prior to this, a gap year and some travel. Before that I was a student and studied business.
That's something you could put a positive spin on. Travel looks good as personal development, but if you've been out of school for a few years and all you've done is travel for a year, that alone is not going to save your resume/CV.

>My business qualification never got me anything unfortunately
Did you finish it? If not, I do think you should seriously consider doing so. If that's not what you want to study, study something else.

If you don't want to study but want to work instead, or don't know what you want to study, maybe something like fast food or retail is something you can do. Boring, mundane, underappreciated work, but at least you're not a trainee mechanic anymore.

>>17530864
I'm considering the retail side as a temporary but paid way of getting away from the dirty work of being a mechanic. I did complete the qualification but it's not a great one, that and I've forgotten most everything I've learnt.

I'm considering going back and studying something else but I'm afraid of the debt since both study and work will be difficult. I feel pretty screwed honestly.

>>17530891
You're not screwed, everything will be fine. It won't happen overnight, but things will fall into place if you just keep looking forward.

Definitely look into getting another job, whatever it is, while you get your bearings. How long ago did you get your qualification btw? You can still list it as a qualification on your resume/CV, you're only limited by it in relation to how much you can rely on it to get a job. As for studying something else, can you get some sort of loan or other financial aid, if money is such an issue? Studying and working part time is absolutely doable btw. Also what's your living situation like? Living with your parents while you study is an option that'll save you a fair bit.

>>17530908
The qualification is just over 3 years old. I know it won't happen overnight but I find it hard to imagine what happens next you know? I realize most people natuarlly progress to what they are today but I just find it hard to imagine what happens between point A and point B. I just don't know how those small gradual changes happen that lead to major changes later on in life. It's all daunting to me and not knowing how it all happens is stressing me.

>>17530937
Start by getting a new job. It'll probably be shit, but less shit than what you have now. Then consider study options, or evaluate where you can go with the job you have. Also really think about what you want to do in life. Ask yourself questions like: Where do you see yourself career-wise in 5, 10, 20 years? What's your passion? etc. Good change will happen, but only if you make the effort.

>>17530945
>Where do you see yourself career-wise in 5, 10, 20 years? What's your passion?
That's where it gets tough. It's like my head just overfills with thoughts, ideas and doubts and it's just a mess and I can't really think anything through.

I'll at least try finding a new job but I'm still in the dark about what happens from there. For some reason I just can't imagine my future or even try to decide on what to do and it really worries me that I can't even do something so simple.

>>17530958
Well it might become easier once you're actually working. That's why I didn't suggest you do it now, but rather once you're working. That way, you have some sort of idea of what working is like, and there'll probably be some aspect you like of it. For example, you might find that as a cashier you like talking to people, or if you work other retail, you might find that dealing with stock can be enjoyable. That then gives you an idea of where you might like to go. It's more about the skills btw, so with the cashier example, you might want to work somewhere where you can really use your interpersonal and perhaps even leadership skills. With the other example, it might be that you really enjoy some sort of logical system, so that might indicate that's something you'd like to do.

>>17530970
I do like logic, professionalism, etiquette and that kind of thing but I'm not sure how I can figure out a job or career from that. It's like I know how I want the job to be but not what the actual job would be, if that makes sense.

I at least know I don't like hands on, being dirty or being unprofessional/around unprofessional people.

>>17530977
Lots of analysis or advisory or consulting type jobs use those skills, but you're limited by your lack of degree (I'm assuming that your business qualification isn't a degree?) and your lack of work experience. That's definitely something you can change though, you can always study further and get a job.

>>17530988
No, it's not a degree unfortunately. That's a good start but I'd still need to figure what I'd consult on or analyze exactly. I think I just need some time to think, I feel that right now I'm just trying to solve my entire life and future all in just a few hours when I'm pretty certain it'll take more time than that.

Getting this current job has just hit me and made me realize that I've really fucked up and need to do something. Figuring out what is going to be tough.

Should I just tough it through the job right now and in my free time go out and apply to some jobs? Omitting my current work of course since a gap would look better than a jump ship after 2 months.

>>17531002
>Should I just tough it through the job right now and in my free time go out and apply to some jobs?
Definitely. Retail isn't really that bad of a job, and while fast food isn't great, you'll probably hate it less than the job you have now.

I guess there are other jobs like security guard, but given the amount of responsibility they give you and your lack of anyone to vouch for you, it might be tough to get a job like that. Plus, it'll have fewer skills that you can use to move forward.

>>17531007
That's a thought too. Something I can gain skills from would be good, which I assume retail can help with. I'm not sure where to go from there but you've given me some good starting ideas. I can't really do fast food however since those jobs are incredibly scarce around here and pretty much reserved for highschoolers. What are some retail ares where I might have a chance with no experience?

>>17531012
Supermarkets aren't that bad. You might start off pushing carts or just bagging groceries, but you'll probably find yourself moving to cashier or something quickly, especially if they're aware of your business qualification. Otherwise, you can just go to a mall and ask around for someone who's hiring. Another option is waitstaff at a restaurant, which'll give you lots of examples of 'times you were working under pressure' or 'handled a difficult person' for future job interviews.

>>17531018
I've tried to apply for waiting but they always want experience, I'm not sure how to get into that one. I'll attempt supermarkets though, there's one nearby me that encourages people to come in directly instead of applying online so that's an advantage for me since I present well.

>>17531022
Go for it, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain from it

>>17531031
Thanks anon, I'll go for it. I feel a little better now that I know it's not the end for me. You've really helped me out and inspired me.

>>17531043
No problem anon, good luck. You'll have to work for it, but things'll work out in the end, I promise.

>>17531044
I hope so anon. I already feel a bit better so that should help me get through the week. I'll go out the very next day after work and apply to a few places I know and then make a list of other potentials to visit.

Not reading the rest if this cancerous shit.

A good application shows a consistent job history. You can rationalize away why you quit all day, but a year is the minimum you should be at a job, and honestly, it should be double that.

An experienced hiring manager once told me that she looked for applications that showed a duration of time worked at a current job that was at least double the duration worked at the previous job. It's indicative of a person who knows what they want, has a plan to get there and the ability to commit. In addition it shows that the applicant researches their prospective employer and wants to be employed there.

Honestly dude, that advice was from a fortune 50 company manager. My first job was running a gas station, and I wouldn't have hired you to work there. 2 months ain't shit.