
Ask HN: CTO quit a week after I joined and I don't like working there anymore - startupnewbie
Sorry if this is not allowed here.<p>Long story short, I joined a startup as an SWE 3 months ago and the CTO who I was supposed to work under quit the week after I joined. I primarily work closely with another guy (small startup) now and although he&#x27;s really good he has a tendency to hide things he&#x27;s working on from me and kinda micromanage me even though he&#x27;s not my boss. I don&#x27;t enjoy working with him and  
I&#x27;m considering quitting in a month. Does it look bad if you quit after 3 months? This is my second job after grad school. I was at my previous role for 6 years.
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JSeymourATL
> the CTO who I was supposed to work under quit the week after I joined.

THIS happens ALL the time.

The entire Reporting Relationship/Team Dynamic changed.

That's a valid reason to move on.

Incidentally, might be worth connecting with the former CTO via Linkedin.

While he may be contractually prohibited from employing you in his new role.
He could serve as professional reference.

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lacker
_While he may be contractually prohibited from employing you in his new role._

Typically nonsolicit agreements only prevent the CTO from reaching out and
trying to hire you away. If you, the disgruntled engineer, reach out to your
former CTO and ask them if there's a job at their new company, the CTO will
typically not be prevented from employing you.

~~~
JSeymourATL
> _the CTO will typically not be prevented from employing you._

It could happen.

And yet, relationships with Ex-C Level Execs can be oddly toxic. Even up to
spiteful litigious situations.

The Ex-CTO may be receptive your call.

But likely he'll wait out a cooling-off period to avoid the 'appearance' of
solicitation.

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thiago_fm
I'd look for a new job and quit. But it's my own opinion, you know your life
better.

As you worked before 6 years on your job and tech is a good market, I'd just
mention that when I do an interview:

\- I've worked 6 years on that company... I wanted to try something new, but
shortly after I've joined, the CTO who hired me quit and I no longe see a
great future for X company. This is why I'm applying to your company, which I
believe has a good product because of X Y Z etc.

I believe if you explain it well, it could be even positive to you in a new
interview for a new job, because you show them that you are quitting for your
own good, with positive intentions, because also what you wrote here tells me
what you are doing it for a good reason. I'd hire you if I could :-)

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seanrrwilkins
A couple questions to ask yourself before your leave:

1\. Why did you join this company? Was it a personal connection or admiration
for the CTO? Or do you actually like the company/product/service you're
working on?

2\. Are you mostly unhappy with the working relationship with this one person,
or with the full company? If it's with this one person, that's fixable with
some effort and conversations with other leaders to restructure the operation.

3\. What have you learned from this to take forward? If you decide to leave,
what learnings are you taking from this experience to better qualify and
understand the future roles and organizations?

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d--b
No it doesn’t look bad. It’s a startup, so people understand that things can
go sour quickly. Especially since you’ve been at the work before for 6 years

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sciencewolf
> I was at my previous role for 6 years.

You're fine. Recruiters and hiring managers are scared of people who
chronically leave after 6 months, not once a decade.

~~~
davismwfl
This is the key. If you did this every 3-6 months where you bounced than it
could be a problem, but overall doing it once in awhile is not a big deal. And
you can easily address it in a cover letter if you felt necessary, or even in
the position description. I'd leave it alone unless/until asked personally.

You can also leave it off it you really felt it was a problem, or do some A/B
testing with it and different employers. I personally think people get way too
worked up over their resume usually, the exception being when you only have a
couple of positions to list then anything "different" can stand out so then it
is totally worth giving it a little more thought.

~~~
startupnewbie
Yes, that's a good point. I actually interviewed recently for a startup with
this experience on my resume and they seem to want me on board. If everything
goes well and the fit is good, I might take take up that offer.

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quaquaqua1
If you do find a better job, you can just simply leave this one off your
resume.

If you don't, then be happy you can collect the paychecks from this one :)

~~~
catacombs
> If you do find a better job, you can just simply leave this one off your
> resume.

Won't future employers ask about the random, three-month hole?

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quaquaqua1
I would either extend the dates a bit, or simply say that you relocated during
your job switch.

At one point I had an extremely patchy employment history over 2 years where I
was job hopping every few months. I now just wrap it all up into one
experience under one employer. Nobody has ever cared to question it, and if
they did, I would explain that I relocated twice and that what's more
important is the current skill set I bring to the table.

~~~
gwbas1c
After reading that, I looked up someone on LinkedIn who we (my employer) fired
who I worked closely with.

Yup, he did that.

In such a situation I'd just omit some of the short stints from my resume, and
then when questioned, I'd be honest. Say something like, "I had a rough period
where I really hopped around. In my opinion, listing every short stint on my
resume would make it too hard to read."

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mharroun
Is a replacement coming? Do you like the company otherwise?

If your only issue is the other guy then in theory this could workout better
for you as when the CTO's replacement comes in you all have nearly equal
footing.

Who is your boss post his departure the CEO? If so be proactive and set time
up with them to ask questions and voice concerns. You could possibly carve
yourself a comfort zone.

~~~
startupnewbie
The replacement isn’t coming soon, maybe in 6-8 months. We’re in a vital stage
in the next couple of months where we will be delivering to a client soon. I
currently report to another cofounder. I like the other people I work with and
the company is definitely on the right track but I don’t see myself learning a
lot here though.

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Raed667
This is a totally normal and valid reason for leaving a job. Be honest about
why you're leaving and start looking for a new job. If someone refuses to
interview you because of this, you're probably better not working for them
anyway.

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apineda
A developer we recently hired explained during the interview why he got fired
from his previous job. He's been with us for several months now and has been a
great asset. As long as you interview well and explain yourself you should be
fine in whichever direction you wish to go.

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aqsis
I wouldn't stress it too much. It used to be that a lots of places on your
work history was frowned upon, but in my experience as a hirer, it's not such
a big deal these days. It shouldn't affect your hireability in the future in
any measurable way.

~~~
greenie_beans
what about for a junior dev? i've been at my first real development job for
five months (before this job, i was doing web design with html and css but not
actual development). i'm not happy with the mentorship i'm receiving. i want
to find another job so i don't miss out on crucial mentoring at this early
stage in my career. would it look bad to a recruiter if i've only been here
for 5 months? in my time here, i've been productive and contributed (far past
their expectations), so it's not like i'm wasting my current company's time. i
just want to learn the craft of good software development and not learn bad
habits, and don't think that will happen here.

~~~
algaeontoast
I’m in your exact position, it’s okay to leave. Life is too short to work for
shitty people / orgs.

Best of luck!

~~~
greenie_beans
thanks! ditto

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codingdave
This wouldn't be a red flag in my mind. You are clearly capable of sticking
with a job, but this one just didn't work out. It happens. Move on, and in a
few years, this job will barely be a blip in your memory.

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algaeontoast
Plain and simple, leave now. Things aren’t going to get better, you owe your
employee nothing. Just don’t put it on your resume.

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more_corn
Totally valid reason.

In other news, I work at a place with a great culture. Drop me your resume and
I'll get you in the pipeline ;- ) hn-expedited@envoy.com

