• Research suggests workers have increasingly been leaving jobs within a year of starting.
• But career strategists say it's important that short-timers exit with dignity.
• Communication, professionalism, and gratitude are key — and be sure to give ample notice, too.

Edward never thought of himself as the kind of person who'd quit a job seven months into it. But can you blame him when he got a better job offer, complete with a remote-work option, an elevated title, and a $30,000 raise plus a sign-on bonus?

"It's the best decision I've made in my career," said Edward, a 31-year-old senior account executive at a public-relations agency, who requested anonymity. 

Edward briefly worried that his short stint wouldn't look good on his résumé. "But I talked to recruiters and they said they're seeing this more and more," he said.

Amid a labor shortage and at a time when many people are recalibrating what they want from work — and willing to leave their employers to get it — research suggests workers have increasingly been quitting within a year of starting a new job.

A LinkedIn article published in September said that the short-term-tenure rate — or the fraction of positions held for less than a year — for LinkedIn members began rising in August 2021 and peaked in March, when the rate was up by 9.7% year over year. Workers are still leaving their roles more quickly than last year, according to the report, but that growth has been slowing.

Robert Kelley, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, chalked up all this quick quitting to dramatic shifts in how people think about work. "So much of the way we hold down jobs today was a historical legacy, but COVID has shaken us out of that," he told Insider.

"Now people are sorting through so much: What do I want to do with my life? Where does work fit into that? And what are my options?"

It's not a shocker that lots of people answer those questions by switching jobs at a faster rate. But Kelley and others say it's important that short-timers exit with dignity — no need to burn bridges, after all.

Provide plenty of notice and express gratitude

"Job hopper" might no longer be a dirty word, but other ones might stick to you if you don't leave on good terms.

As a short-term employee, you don't have much of a track record and likely haven't built up a reservoir of collegial goodwill. Your swift resignation might be the one thing people remember about you, and so it's important to leave on a high note, said Vinda Souza, a recruiting expert. 

"It's all how you handle it," she said. "Communication, professionalism, and gratitude have not gone out of style."

For starters, write a letter of resignation and have a conversation with your boss. Your tone should be gracious and respectful. There's no obligation to say where you're going — and frankly, it's not necessary.

Two weeks' notice is not a legal requirement, though it's common practice and a courtesy to your organization, particularly in light of your (ahem) abbreviated tenure. Kelley advised offering to stay even longer even if it means delaying the start of your next job.

"People will remember that you did the right thing," he said.

Then it's important to wrap up your projects and assignments in a way that reflects well on you and upholds your reputation, said Sophie Theen, an HR expert who wrote "The Soul of Startups: The Untold Stories of How Founders Affect Culture."

"Remember: Your aim is to get a positive reference from your future ex-employer," Theen said in an email. "Often when someone gets a bad reference, it's because they haven't done their best to provide a quality handover."

Finally, say your goodbyes to your colleagues, your team members, and your boss' bosses. Thank them for the opportunity and share what you got out of the experience. Don't skip this, especially if you're staying in the same industry.

"Keep in mind that it's a small world" and people talk, Kelley said. "Someday you might want to come back to this organization."

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