curiousapplicant wrote:
Dear Riverripper,
From what you have gathered is it frowned upon to leave the company after a rotational training program if one is no longer enthralled by that company's culture? Would searching for a job after not accepting a rotational training program be a disadvantage or advantage if properly explained? Thanks river.
I don't get exactly what you are getting at...are you talking about finishing a rotational program then leaving or leaving part way through?
Leaving afterwards is fairly common from what I have seen...plenty of people leave after them. Companies & Headhunters will try to recruit people finishing the programs too. An interesting thing from what I saw, is some programs hire lots of people but people seem to bail right afterwards. GE was very much like this, a lot of people suffer through the four 6 month rotations and then leave soon after finishing. Very few Kellogg grads who started with GE lasted beyond 3 years before leaving.
As for leaving during a rotational program...why suffer. If you hate it then leave. If you can make it through it probably will be better for your career but you never know. You may get a far superior job during a program and at which point why not leave.
It really depends on the person, the situation and the opportunities. Right now in my company the opportunities are way better internal to where I am than if I left. However, in 2 or 3 more years they might not be and at that point its wise to evaluate what is best for you. One of my mentors said you have to always do whats best for you in terms of your career. Whether its taking a lower position to have less stress even if it is a drastic cut in pay, or leave a company because someone gives you a much better offer and it wont be matched. Senior managers understand, and as long as you are honest and dont burn bridges people wont hold it against you (some vindictive people might).