Quitting job without another lined up

SlyReaper

SlyReaper

SlyReaper

Soldato
Joined
26 Apr 2008
Posts
6,653
Location
Bristol, Old Blighty
I'm thinking of quitting my job without having another one lined up. Am I crazy for even considering it?

I'm suffering a serious crisis of motivation at work. I won't go into the details, but I find it both difficult AND uninteresting, because it doesn't fit with my skills and mindset at all. I never get to do anything that I'm actually good at. Everything's an uphill struggle, and I just can't bring myself to care about the outcome of what I'm doing.

I've applied for an internal transfer to something that would definitely be a better fit, but I know I'm not the only one applying for it, so it might not happen. If I don't get it, I'm thinking of just quitting my current role anyway.

I have enough savings to last me at least a year. Maybe a little less if I go travelling. I have no debts, and nobody but myself depending on me having an income. I think if I dedicate most of my time to job hunting (which I can't do while already holding a full time job), I shouldn't have too much trouble finding a new job long before I run out of savings. It's a risk, but I feel like if I don't role that die, I'm just going to be stuck in this unhappy situation into perpetuity.

Am I being silly? Will future prospective employers look unkindly on there being a gap in my CV?
 
Nope.

I've done it at my previous role, ended starting my company a week later and not looked back since.

As long as you're not a moron with your savings and can actually stretch it until you find a new role and not waste it, there's no issue.
 
You have enough to cover yourself for a year? You shouldn't have any worries then as long as you have a skill set which is in demand then finding a new job shouldn't take too long.

As for the gap in your CV, I've just done something similar and when questioned about it in interviews I just told them I came to a cross roads with previous company, decided to go travelling as it was something I always wanted to do and now I can concentrate on my career. Which was mostly true and they seemed satisfied with it.
 
Have you talked about your current situation with your manager?

If you haven't, or you don't feel you can approach them about this subject, then you're definitely in the wrong job (or have the wrong manager, or both).

Gap in the CV is fine - if it comes up in interview just be honest about the reasons, I've never had any reason to reject someone just because of a non-employment gap.
 
Just be aware that the JobCentre can delay JSA payments for up to 26 weeks if you resign without a good reason (and according to the DWP , there is never a good reason).
 
It is a pretty big step even if you are a confident person with in demand skills and savings behind you.

Unless there are significant issues at work I wouldn't be in a hurry to leave though - maybe take a couple of weeks off and take a proper holiday abroad see how you feel (sometimes just having a break from work can give you perspective and an idea what to do next).

Ultimately I doubt anyone will look back on their life in the long run and regret taking a year off to travel (most employers will understand taking a year off to travel and can be a positive thing in some industries aslong as your CV isn't full of time off from work).
 
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Mr^B said:
Have you talked about your current situation with your manager?

If you haven't, or you don't feel you can approach them about this subject, then you're definitely in the wrong job (or have the wrong manager, or both).

Gap in the CV is fine - if it comes up in interview just be honest about the reasons, I've never had any reason to reject someone just because of a non-employment gap.
Click to expand...

My manager is aware I'm unhappy and knows I've applied for this internal transfer. He isn't thrilled, but seems sanguine enough about it - when I leave, he may be able to fill the role with someone more suited to that kind of work.

As for JSA, I'm not planning to rely on it. My "live for a year on savings" calculation doesn't factor in JSA at all, so if they give me anything at all, it's a bonus.
 
Telling a prospective employer that you have applied for the position due to your appetite for a new challenge is a bit different from.... telling said prospective employer that you are applying because you have been unemployed for the last 7 months because you resigned your position.

Find another job, then move on.
 
yeah it is usually a bit silly, I'd at least try applying for external roles first as you're often in a much better position to negotiate when already employed

having said that, if you're not getting anywhere or need more time to concentrate on job searching and work is affecting your health (mental or physical) then maybe it can be a good decision for you

going forwards it is often a good idea to keep linkedin up to date, keep in contact with recruiters and maybe attend an interview every so often even if you're not really looking - firstly you never know if you might suddenly find something that makes you want to move, you also get a good idea of your current worth in the market lastly if a situation like this occurs you'll be able to move fairly quickly and so won't have this sort of dilemma to begin with
 
One thing I didn't mention is, yes, I've been applying for external jobs too. Had one interview a couple of months ago, but wasn't offered the job. The main problem is I can't take calls from recruiters at sensible times because I'm at work. By the time I get home in the evenings, I'm too mentally exhausted to do much more than return missed calls.
 
Can you not just slack off at work to give you a chance to focus on looking for a new one? The disciplinary wheels should turn slowly enough that by the time anyone is thinking of taking real action against you, you can be gone.
 
not a bad idea (assuming the industry isn't too small), so long as you still do the work but just let productivity slide it would probably take a while to go on a performance improvement plan then you'll have 6 months of that before being sacked... and you really ought to be able to find a new job well before that happens
 
Did it myself last month. First time I have felt free in all my life. I've literally done about 5 years worth of stuff I'm been meaning to do, but work had my mind and body occupied more than I knew.

I wouldn't have considered it had I not had sufficent funds for 6 months down the line, but I did have, and with a new baby coming in June I wanted to be there properly second time round, 2 weeks paternity is not enough imho. I also would not have done if my wife wasn't so supportive and still has a long term career in education to go back to.
 
I've left a company without a job to go to twice in ten years of employment.

The first time was when I was 17 and 'fell' into an agricultural engineering firm, I detested the job and felt bullied by the other lads I worked with. I left with giving my entire notice, and proceeded to find another job. It took a few months, but I ended up going back to the job I had before the engineering role. I was fairly fortunate!

Second time was when I left a job after a week of working there because I couldn't hack it. This was only seven months ago... I had nothing to go to and didn't really want to go back from where I had come from. Again, quite fortunate to find not one, but two jobs in the space of a couple of weeks. The benefit, no doubt, is that I had time to sharpen myself up in terms of my CV, my applications, the calls I could take and the availability I had.

Get your CV up on CV Library too, so employers can find you (this is how I got my current job).

It's always a gamble but with your situation I'd say ride it out. Life is too short to be miserable and you've got an opportunity to do something about it.
 
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