Hey all, would really value your quick advice. I started a new AE role about a month ago and was unexpectedly let go this morning. I was never given a quota or formal ramp, didn’t have a 1:1 with my manager yet, and most of my first few weeks were CKO + onboarding travel. It was framed as a “fit” decision around engagement, which caught me off guard. I have an interview today with GoFundMe (I was previously in process before their hiring freeze). They’ve asked whether I took another role. How would you recommend I position this short stint? Acknowledge it briefly and frame as misalignment? Keep it high level? Thanks in advance!
You could always frame it around something that is important to you ie "I found the culture there to not align with what I'm looking for in a company so I decided to continue my search"
For roles less than 2-3 months, you are generally not obligated to “claim” them on your resume. If you had it on your LI, obviously it’s out there, but if you didn’t update that, it’s ok to just not mention it. One other approach you can take is the “consulting/advisor” approach, most of those are well known to be short term engagements. Little harder to do credibly for an AE role, but you could frame it as “I accepted this as a short-term exploratory role for a new market / product / vertical / etc. that the company was exploring and it quickly became clear that it would be a non-viable motion, so we decided to part on mutual terms”.
Hey Marielle W. -Unless you did something you are proud of and want to talk about in that 1 month, I would just drop it from the conversation, your resume, and your linkedIn. I see on LinkedIn you are at Square?
Thank you again for all the suggestions, I really appreciate it. Heather W. I was at Square for over a year and left on January 15th for an opportunity in edtech, but after a few weeks, it became clear that the company culture and expectations weren’t aligned with what I’m looking for long term, so I made the decision to step away (which is not true, but that's what I plan to say) Right now, I’m being very intentional about my next move, I’m looking for a role where I can truly plant roots, build long-term partnerships, and grow within the organization.
