WWYD - potential new job

[vanillacourage]

I've been at my current job for 18 months.  Last week I was contacted by a recruiter on LinkedIn about a position that's basically my boss's job, but at a smaller (but still relatively large) company, a direct competitor.  My current job is ok - love my boss, but leadership is terrible.  Nice people, but they are out of step with best practices in the industry (so half the time they literally don't know what they're doing), they create bottlenecks and impede progress, they can't determine a timeline or hold people accountable so projects languish, etc.  Basically, very difficult to work for in the professional sense (not personal - again, they're nice people and have no idea so many people hate working for them).  My boss is great, but she's really unhappy and spends a lot of time venting to me about leadership (as do others) so I wouldn't be surprised if she left soon.  If so, I don't think I'd want her job. 

My concerns are a.) looking like a job-hopper (would have been at 3 companies in 5 years) and b.) leaving a good thing.  I'm paid reasonably well for what I do, and it's a known quantity.  This new job narrows in on about 75% what my current position entails, within a very specific industry, so I'm really committing to a professional specialty and that's a little scary. There are hints that dept leadership may be on its way out (but who knows how long that would take) - if someone else great came in, all my complaints about current role could be resolved, and I'd keep my awesome boss.

New job would represent about an 18% raise.  But, if I stay where I'm at I'm all but guaranteed to get a promotion with an 8% bump in January.

I've had one informational call and have been asked to interview w/the recruiter  - so I'm following the "there's no harm in looking" adage.  Looking more for thoughts on if I were offered the position.

[Linie]

Do you have a non-compete clause in your contract?

[prettyinpearls]

Poor leadership can ruin a department or a company (I'm dealing with this at my job), so I'm in the "it can't hurt to look" camp, especially since a recruiter reached out to you directly.

[vanillacourage]

Aug 31, 2015 11:46:18 GMT -5 Linie said:

Do you have a non-compete clause in your contract?

No. The extent of the conflict is that I'd be walked out after putting in notice. Time to start taking home one plant or desk tchotchke a day!

[achi]

I would at least take a meeting with the recruiter and/or interview for it. It's hard to thrive in a poor leadership environment.

[isabel]

I don't have a lot of insight here aside from your worry about job hopping. Don't stress about it. I think it is more and more the norm now for people to move around a lot. H has done the same thing and it has never had a negative impact on him. He's been at his current job for about 18 months also. This is the longest he's been with the same company in his career! He's had tons of upward mobility and has nearly doubled his salary since he entered the professional workforce about 6 years ago.

He's also likely going to be moving to another company in the next month or two and that will be a higher position and salary increase.

[gretchenindisguise]

I'd interview, and if I liked it, go for it. I had a similar resume with different jobs, but was able to explain each of the moves and they all made sense so it has never harmed me.

[lizard1131]

Our situations sound very similar. I just left a company after only a year. I hope my new job is a better fit. It doesn't hurt to go listen!

[VeryViolet]

I would definitely interview and probably take the offer. Even if you get new leadership in things will almost certainly get worse before they gets better at current company. At least see what the new company has to offer. I think my perspective may be slightly skewed because I work in consulting but I don't think job hopping is as much of a worry these days. People are looking to gain experience and advance their careers. As long as you have a reason for the move (which you do since it would be a management role) you are fine.

[W.T.Faulkner]

Interview and if they offer, leap.

I'm a teacher. Two years ago, I left a school where I loved literally everybody I worked with, and I was doing pretty well. Hadn't been there very long, either - 2.5 years, and it looks BAD when a teacher is leaving mid-year, lol. I left because I could see that the piss-poor management and leadership from my "nice" bosses was going to eventually run me into the ground. In the middle of the school year, I took a job at a new school I knew relatively little about and I can tell you right now it is the best thing that has ever happened to me professionally. Ever. I could have stuck it out at the old place, but I didn't know how bad it really was until I left, you know?

[lolo]

It sounds like your current job is not the right fit, but I'm not convinced the other is. I would likely continue the conversation with the new possible job but I would definitely be actively looking elsewhere.