Should I quit a burnout job after only a few months?
Seven-day workweeks and overwhelming operational challenges can cause severe burnout within weeks of starting a role. People get trapped in these positions because they worry leaving after five or six months will raise a red flag to future employers, leaving them unsure whether to stick it out for a year or take a better opportunity.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Toughing it out for 12-18 months to avoid resume red flagsDid this help you?
- 2Exploring FMLA or asking for reasonable accommodationsDid this help you?
- 3Pivoting into consulting or foundation roles where just having held the title is enoughDid this help you?
- 4Keeping the resume description boilerplate and only elaborating during the interviewDid this help you?
- 5Sticking it out for at least a year so the short tenure doesn't look problematic to hiring managers.Did this help you?
- 6Staying long enough to reach vesting milestones for pensions or other benefits.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Now I'm wondering what I should do if I end up getting an offer. I'm not sure how much I'd actually benefit from staying in my current role longer, but at the same time, leaving after only five months seems pretty soon, and I'm worried it might raise a red flag to future employers.”source ↗
“Would it be better to stick it out for at least a year, or is there nothing wrong with leaving after five months if I get a better opportunity?”source ↗
“I've very quickly hit burnout due to the 7 days a week needs and the overwhelming financial and operational challenges of the organization.”source ↗
“How bad does it then look to have just six months as a FT ED before a drop to PT for a period of time at a non-nonprofit position, before trying to find new work in the field?”source ↗
“I feel like I'm in a similar situation and currently looking for my path out of the organization as well. Except for I've been at my post for 6 weeks.”source ↗