How to Quit a Job You Just Started Without Burning Bridges

Quitting a job you've held for years is hard enough. But what about quitting a job shortly after starting?

If you're in this position, you're not alone. A 2022 survey from Jobvite found that 30 percent of workers have quit a job within their first 90 days.

Hear from career and recruiting experts about reasons you should leave a job you just started, what to say to your boss and how to explain your short tenure in job interviews.

Good Reasons To Resign from a Job You Just Started

Newsweek spoke to Matthew Wohl, the vice president of Business Development at recruiting firm The Wohl Group, about the reasons why people leave jobs soon after starting.

"Not only is it becoming more and more common for people to work for shorter tenure these days, but there are so many variables that go into why someone may have left a job after a few months," he said. A few common reasons stand out to Wohl, based on his experience as a recruiter:

• Company downsizing or restructuring. Even if you aren't laid off, a negative outlook at a company is a good reason to consider other opportunities.
• Toxic work environments. Toxic workplaces can drain your mental and physical health. They reduce job satisfaction and cause symptoms like headaches, migraines, ulcers, panic attacks and eczema, according to Dawid Wiacek, an executive career coach.
• Relocating. Remote work is one of the most sought-after job benefits, but some employers are bringing their teams back to the office. You can start a job remotely, but they may ask you to relocate near their home office against your wishes.
• Personal, family or medical reasons. Life is unpredictable, and some events—like your spouse getting a life-changing job offer in another city—are good reasons to leave a job you just started. Even if you like the work, the company and your coworkers.
• Getting a better offer. It's normal to cast a wide net and apply for many positions when job hunting. Plus, employers can take months or weeks to get back to you. If you receive a better offer after starting a new job, it's fair to take it.

How to Quit the Job You Just Started in 6 Steps

Follow these steps to quit your job professionally without burning bridges:

1. Make the Decision to Quit

Don't take this step lightly. Consider your reasons for quitting—are they fixable? Or is it easier to find a better opportunity?

Make sure you have good reasons for quitting. Otherwise, you could regret changing jobs.

2. Find Your Next Opportunity

Unless your job is affecting your health, it is usually unwise to leave a job without having something else lined up.

The good news is that, if you just started a job, you have lots of recent experience navigating job search apps and interviewing. You can also use the same references or letters of recommendation from your latest job hunt.

As you search for new opportunities, you might wonder if you should even list your current job. If you only have a few months of experience there, you might worry about how it looks on your resume.

Wohl recommends including it, but only if the experience is applicable to your job hunt.

"My recommendation is for job searchers to be as honest about their past experiences as possible while remaining mindful to provide information that leads to more answers, not more questions," he said.

3. Announce Your Resignation

"Talk with your boss in person on video chat and explain you have accepted an opportunity at a new company or that you will be departing," career coach Marlo Lyons told Newsweek.

In this meeting, don't go into detail about your reasons for leaving. It's okay to say that the role is not a good fit and leave things there.

Immediately after the meeting, send a formal letter of resignation to your manager by email. This letter should state:

• Your intention to resign.
• Your last day working at this company (usually two weeks from the day you send it).
• Your gratitude to the company for giving you this opportunity.

4. Keep Doing Good Work

Even if you have only been at this company for a short while, you still want to maintain good relationships with your manager and coworkers.

Continue giving your full effort up until your last day. You may return to this company, work with these people at other firms or need them as references in the future.

5. Complete an Exit Interview

Some companies will conduct an exit interview on your last day, where they ask about your experience at the company and your reasons for leaving.

You don't have to fully explain your reasons for leaving. But if you're leaving because of a mismatch between this job description and the role's actual duties, this is a good opportunity to set the record straight. Help them write a better listing to find the next person for this job.

6. Reflect on What You Learned

Quitting a job a few months after starting is not the norm, and it's not healthy for your career to do it frequently.

Think about the things that led to this situation. And what you can do to avoid making the same mistakes in your next role. You might come away with:

• New questions to ask in job interviews. You may want to ask about the things that bothered you at this job when interviewing for your next role, like remote work policies or benefits.
• A better sense of your values. Lyons recommends identifying and defining your values and seeking jobs that align with them.
• A better sense of yourself. The inability to maintain long-term work relationships is one sign that you might be a toxic coworker. If you frequently leave jobs you just started, think about what you can do differently in the workplace.

Pros and Cons of Leaving a Job You Just Started

How to Explain Your Short Tenure to Hiring Managers

Every recruiter or hiring manager looking at your resume will have the same question: you didn't stay at this company for long—why is that?

It's best to anticipate this question in your resume and cover letter.

"I encourage job searchers to be as transparent and honest as possible," Wohl said. "Provide as much information as you feel comfortable doing."

What if it comes up in the interview?

"I recommend shaping your answers to include accomplishments and skills gained during your short tenure to highlight the positives of that experience," Wohl said.

Hiring managers and recruiters are sympathetic. They understand that things don't always go perfectly and are open to hearing what you learned from a short job experience.

It's normal and acceptable to leave a job after just a few months if things aren't working out. If you find yourself in this position, make sure you have a good reason for leaving and remain professional in your final weeks so you don't burn any bridges.