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I recently started a role for a new company. When I interviewed it was sold as a technical lead role, they seemed keen to implement new ideas and improve quality. After nearly three months at the job however it is apparent that this is absolutely not the case. The only focus is on getting things done as soon as possible and that leads to inevitable drop in quality.

I've always been proud that the code I wrote was of high quality and I was hoping this role would allow me to progress to the next level but I feel like I'm becoming a code monkey and rather than my skills improving I fear they are going to decrease as I'm just concentrating on doing things quickly instead of well.

I understand that in any business there is a fine line between speed and quality, but this just seems to too far the other way.

I'm therefore considering moving on. I'm nearly halfway through a 6 month probation period and after that expires then I have an extended notice period.

My question mainly concerns how I approach this scenario with potential new employers. I've got an unblemished record in the 11 years of my career and my last role prior to this one was 6 years so it's not like I'm a habitual job hopper. How can I explain to potential new employers my reasons for wanting to leave without sounding negative?

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    there's a duplicate of this question somewhere i think
    – Kilisi
    Commented Dec 8, 2018 at 10:00
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    If you have an unblemished record why do you worry for this? This would be a problem if this "incident" would strengthen the idea that you are a job hopper, but given your record that is not the case.
    – Bakuriu
    Commented Dec 8, 2018 at 14:31
  • @Kilisi There are a few, but the top-voted answers to all of them focus heavily on the specific details of the question instead of trying to answer the more general question, thus making them terrible duplicate targets, like many questions here.
    – Bernhard Barker
    Commented Dec 8, 2018 at 16:50
  • Remember to get a new job first, even if your a desirable candidate, having a job currently usually makes one more enticing for hire.
    – Mark Rogers
    Commented Dec 8, 2018 at 17:41

2 Answers 2

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Explain the issue you had, why this was an issue, how you discussed with your boss to try and resolve it but it was not resolved, why you decided to leave because of it, and what you are looking for in your new role.

This shows that you are proactive and tried your best to make the situation work. It also makes it clear what you want from your new role so you don't end up in the same situation again.

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    This is the approach I used in my last interview and I believe it made me look strong and experienced. Show you are able to learn and reason. Wording is very important so it does not come off as whining, I said upfront that I did not want to go into too much detail but that we could discuss the issues on a high level.
    – Emil Vikström
    Commented Dec 8, 2018 at 10:36
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When asked why you want to move on, just say it wasn't a good fit and don't go into more detail as you don't want to come across as a whiner.

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    "Wasn't a good fit" is very vague. Isn't there a risk that will be interpreted as that you were fired or you might've had issues with coworkers, thus you could be difficult to work with? What if they ask you to elaborate?
    – Bernhard Barker
    Commented Dec 8, 2018 at 10:44
  • @Dukeling that's a risk - going into more detail might dig you into a hole you might not be able to get out of. You could be somewhat more honest and say "the work wasn't as interesting as I initially thought it would be", but at the end of the day it is incredibly rare that work is interesting at all.
    – user1666620
    Commented Dec 8, 2018 at 11:40
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    @Dukeling reverse the situation - the company is going to let someone go during probation period. How often do you think "you aren't a good fit" is used? Remember, probation periods aren't just for the company to make sure you are a "keeper" - it gives you the worker a chance to determine if this is a company you really want to work for
    – ivanivan
    Commented Dec 8, 2018 at 15:06
  • @ivanivan That doesn't seem to contradict anything I wrote in my comment. I do hope you can appreciate the difference between when a company is firing an employee and when you're explaining why you are leaving or have left to a potential employer, and how it doesn't make sense to indiscriminately use the same approach for both.
    – Bernhard Barker
    Commented Dec 8, 2018 at 16:46
  • @Dukeling - I interpreted the answer as to be part of an exit interview, or when the questioner was actually giving notice. Also, when it comes to letting someone go, I see a difference between not making it out of the probation period (good worker, done on time, has skills required etc. but just didn't "mesh" w/ corp culture, etc) vs. doing something that deserved firing or having your position eliminated.
    – ivanivan
    Commented Dec 8, 2018 at 23:00

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