Is Getting A Job You Plan To Leave Within 3 Months Unethical?

by focusedlife

Posted: 10 years ago 13 replies

OFF TOPIC

I'll admit it...

I got a job to supplement Internet Marketing efforts.

I've done this a few times.

Why?

Quick and guaranteed cash. $10,000....over 3 months....with potential for more depending on my effort (I'm a smarter worker aka lazy).

I'm not too proud to get a job if I need quick cash, if I need a little boost or if its just to buy the toys I want, get the discount that I want from the provider or....

Just to pay for im marketing traffic, etc.

Why not?

I'm curious how many people are doing the whole internet marketing thing and are struggling to pay their normal bills, yet are reluctant to get a job for fear that they'll feel like they were failures?

I'm also curious to know how many folks actually have jobs, already, but are afraid to leave their comfort zone because they're afraid they'll fail, so, instead, they keep themselves happy as professional students...

Always learning....never actually following through...really.

Do any of these describe you?

I'll admit, I've sold thousands of dollars of products, sold coaching, had partners, lost partners, made money, lost money, and although I'm not a multi-millionaire, I am rich in knowledge, rich in understanding and keen on helping others, if only to help them try something....even if that means they might fail forward.

I'm not big on too much hype (anymore, lol) nor advocate for those that are hypey (although I have worked with some in the past).

I'll also admit that I'm not opposed to taking on odd jobs that pay well...or at least well enough.

Why?

Its money.

Its a means.

Its not something I'm stuck with forever.

Its an opportunity.

Its a chance to network.

Its a chance to learn.

Its a chance to be around others.

Its a chance to focus without distraction.

Its a chance to change it up.

I've worked an offline marketing company and had many different bosses, but one thing I've learned is that unless you know what you want your business to be when you grow up, you can't properly manage expectations...because:

A) You don't have realistic or even ANY expectations so you're just floating or

B) You haven't clearly enunciated the "why" you're doing whatever it is you're doing and if you're not sure where you're going, you might end up somewhere else.

I also NOW know that for me, at least, I'd rather sell in business but not from a point of desperation.

Desperation is repulsive, it breeds bad decisions, wards off good luck and is the perfect setup for failure.

If you're broke...get a job.

If you already have a job... get a plan.

If you already have a plan....put it into play. Start doing!

I wrote this post to hopefully help some of you struggling with the whole make money online thing...

...And to find out if I made a WSO that shows how you can get these types of "disposable" jobs that you can either jettison at any minute that pays a few thousand dollars or a decent enough wage for most folks to help them get going along with a plan of attack on how to do it, and a plan I'm following that allows me to kick the jobs to the curb or get another one almost instantly..

Would any of you be interested in this topic?

Hope this was helpful and would love to get your feedback.

Regards

Los

#get a job fast #how to get money #instant cash #job #leave #make money faster #months #plan #unethical

Jcedric Banned 10 years ago

This is actually something that I have put a lot of thought into as of late. Although I am only 18, i've worked the minimum wage job, the restaurant jobs, etc. BUT even at 18 years old, I cannot fathom working like a machine day in and day out making minimal income. I ended up getting fired from my last job because of a schedule flaw (also why I now work for myself) and now haven't worked in 2 months. I had around $1,500 in the bank which I knew would last me a few months because my monthly expenses are only around $200. It is not getting to the point where i am down to my last few hundred dollars and Im beginning to tell myself that I have to get a job / do odd jobs to supplement my side business (eCommerce store) until i can at least break even for the first few months. I don't want to get a job however because like you said, ill feel like i failed myself. What do you think I should do?
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- focusedlife 10 years ago
  
  @Jcedric - Congrats on starting your own thing!
  
  As far as advice goes, here's what I recommend:
  
  1. Look for jobs that you can do to square some money in the bank and that can stablize you for a little while WHILE working on your IM thing...but you MUST be able to WORK on your business after work hours.
  
  You MUST devote some time to planning and growing your business otherwise you'll be floating around like a life raft without oars.
  
  2. Everyday - look for problems that you can compile solutions for and start working on products.
  
  -Make books that solve problems and put'em up on Kindle, Smash Words, etc.
  
  Turn those books into course products you can sell on sites like WSO, Udemy, etc.
  
  3. Get yourself setup on at least 2 or 3 freelance sites...I include fiverr in this.
  
  Make sure you are reaching out to folks that need help and respond to AT LEAST 1 job you can do per day on those sites.... things that can be done remotely and on your own time are probably best.
  
  4. GET A MENTOR!
  
  I hope some of this stuff helped you and others.
  
  As far as the product I'm working on goes....would showing you how to land these type of multi thousand dollar disposable jobs seem like something you might be interested in?
  
  Regards
  
  Los
  
  Thanks
  
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Hopeless Bromantic

10 years ago

I'm not sure how your post ties in with the title, but I agree with most of the points you made.

To address the question, I'd say that in a time when employers can and do downsize on a whim, I don't see how it's unethical for workers to have a similar attitude toward their jobs. (Which is all the more reason to have something like IM on the side.)

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MikeAmbrosio

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Hopeless Bromantic

I would agree here. Companies hire people to fulfill jobs that will help them make a profit. If they don't need you, their loyalty is to themselves first. Survival (or profitability) of the company comes first.

I always did the best job I could when I worked for others, but if I found something better, or found I didn't like the job/company, or was offered more somewhere else, then my loyalty went to me and my family.

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Dan Riffle

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Hopeless Bromantic

I start getting nervous when I agree with Hopeless, but I think he's spot on. Unfortunately, loyalty is a thing of the past. Companies want you to be loyal, but they don't reciprocate.

My only issue would be if you lied about your intentions, ie. the company asked you directly how long you planned to work for them.

One more thing: this thread could get nuked. You're walking a fine line regarding self-promotional posts.

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llfleming

10 years ago

I wonder how this will effect your ability to be rehired. I know your goal is to do IM full time but what if you need a job again? They will say, why did you leave your last job. Then what?

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Hopeless Bromantic

10 years ago

Originally Posted by llfleming

I wonder how this will effect your ability to be rehired. I know your goal is to do IM full time but what if you need a job again? They will say, why did you leave your last job. Then what?

There's nothing wrong with listing yourself on your resume as the owner of a fledgling business. Most new businesses fail anyway, so it's unlikely that someone would hold that against you. Failing more than once could conceivably be an issue, however. It depends a great deal on the industry you have worked in.

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focusedlife 10 years ago

Thanks for the feedback, folks.

I was curious to find out where most people were in their online marketing endeavors and from what vantage point.

When I first left the work for someone else world, I had no point of reference.

I was setting off into the unknown.

I had no idea what to expect and was simply afraid that I couldn't make anything of substance or consequence in this online thing.

Boy I was wrong.

4 years later, I can safely say that I now have perspective beyond what I could've imagined.

The things I look for now are the "hinge hacks" and "shortcuts" that help you skip steps to your destination.

Getting a job is one of those...for me at least.

There are more folks making money teaching than doing, unfortunately...which has left me a bit jaded with hypey online ventures.

The ones making money actually DOING are fairly quiet and/or are on a different track.

I've rubbed elbows with many and have an understanding of why that is now.

Hustlers hustle.

Some are flea markety...some are smooth.

Its a matter of how you want to position yourself and be perceived.

A little bit of oscillation, mystery and show.

I'm trying to gauge how many folks would be curious as to how to actually make these little quick hit "work for someone else" money fits.

At the very least I'm trying to gauge interest in cutting to the front of the line for a potential job hire position?

If there is interest on this forum I'll work at it, but I won't know unless I ask...right?

Anyways, hope my posts are helpful and thanks for all your feedback.

Regards

Los
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TracyBelshee

10 years ago

As someone responsible for hiring and training new people where I work, I'd say yes, it's unethical to take a job you plan on leaving soon unless you tell the hiring person up front.

It costs quite a bit to go through the hiring/training process and every dollar we spend doing this for short timers is money we can't use to grow the business or pay current, long time staff more.

I work in a high turn over rate field and it's pretty stressful constantly hiring people, taking my time to train them for several weeks, finally getting a set schedule for people, only to have them quit within a short time and have to start over again.

It's not even about what you believe is right for the company. It's also about what's right for the people you will work with for a short time that have also invested their time and personal attention helping you to grow into the family, so to speak. When your few months is up, you leave them all hanging and back to square one, yet again, often making them change their personal plans because they are now required to fill in where you dropped out.

If you take a job and decide it's not right for you, or a much better opportunity comes along, by all means, take it. It's your life.

But taking a job short term, knowing up front that this is your plan without saying so up front is pretty low in my book.

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AprilCT

10 years ago

Originally Posted by TracyBelshee

I'm sure that kind of honesty would work out well for you although not so much for someone needing extra income for what they think is a short period of time. The bottom line is that you and a prospective employee already know he won't get hired at all.

Perhaps you need to take a deeper look into the company's operations where you work why you have a high turnover rate? There are usually pretty good reasons for that, and not necessarily on the part of wrongdoing or failure of employees. This problem might mainly belong to your employer.

People looking for work know most any employer will callously kick them out to the curb given even a small chance of a few pennies extra to their bottom line, the remaining employees picking up the duties of those fired and usually without a raise for the extra work.

Quite frankly, many businesses have brought this situation on themselves through their own mismanagement or just out of greed for more money for themselves. It's certainly no secret. How "low in your book" are these kinds of employers? It applies both ways.

Instead of lying to an employer asking such questions, perhaps the job seeker can use the same type of language used by businesses to their benefit. "For the foreseeable future" they plan to work, just like they have a job for the foreseeable future on the employer's part.

It's all subject to change on either side on short or no notice at all. With the way the economy is going, prices escalating and just the curve balls life throws, someone thinking maybe a three or six month job will give them a sufficient boost could find himself more or less permanently staying.

By the way, I'm not looking for a job or working for an employer.

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TracyBelshee

10 years ago

Originally Posted by AprilCT

Perhaps you need to take a deeper look into the company's operations where you work why you have a high turnover rate? There are usually pretty good reasons for that, and not necessarily on the part of wrongdoing or failure of employees. This problem might mainly belong to your employer.

I don't disagree with some of that. But, the field I work in takes a particular kind of person. We are on call 24/hrs and day every day we work, so finding people for that is rough.

But I know from many of the people we have hired, once they left, it often came out they took the job while waiting for the one they were really looking for. I don't fault them for taking the better job, but unfortunately, for the number of those people who take this type of job as a stop gap of sorts, it causes yet more undo stress on those who actually take the job because they are interested.

This means more rapid burnout, etc.

We are a small business, not a big company, so maybe it hurts us more, IDK. Either way, I personally disagree with taking a job you know you don't plan to keep.

Course, I'm the kind of person that only applies to a job I'm pretty sure I will enjoy. I look into it first and only apply to a small selection of jobs. Never been one to take the approach of throwing resumes out there hoping for the best.

I can't tell you how many applications I go through that don't even know what they have applied for

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AprilCT 10 years ago

Originally Posted by TracyBelshee

...

...I can't tell you how many applications I go through that don't even know what they have applied for

Tracy, unfortunately, until the majority of employers treat employees as real, live human beings with families to raise and bills to pay, job seekers probably aren't going to change. This is certainly not an accusation against your employer, just an observation in general from what I do know.

Perhaps people are sending out resumes in great volume because they just can't find anything worthwhile and are desperate for income. What person could remember every place they were sent? While that doesn't excuse someone from doing their homework on your company before an interview, it's just very possible your company name over the phone jogs no memories.

Your company seems obviously not off-shoring work once done by American workers and taken from them. Losing industries to off shore is one of the many reasons why the economy is in such rough shape and people do things in a different manner than if good jobs were more readily available. It is just the times we live in. It's hard to blame people in need of an income to just get by.

Your bottom line is figuring out what changes you can make or get your company to make to solve your particular problems.
***********************
This comment is not directed to you, but another observation in general. Many companies have refused to hire people out of work for more than six months as if something were wrong with these people many of whom have done everything right and still can't get hired.

This observation was in the news quite a few times. The total buttholes doing this have only shown their own failure to understand when an economy has too few employers paying an actual living wage and too many job seekers. It's just one more thing that has created an adversarial situation. And, again, it is reflected in the way job seekers do things.
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focusedlife 10 years ago

@Tracey - I understand what you're saying and where you're coming from.

My post was made in an effort to get an understanding of where people currently are in their "IM" career.

More like data collection.

I'm also of the opinion that should you need money while trying to make this "thing" work then I think it would be unwise to not consider every option, including punching a clock, if even for a little while.

Now, I'm not judging one way or the other.... I'm curious to see what the general consensus is.

Personally, I think getting a job is no different than having your own consultancy or being a freelancer.

In one case you have just ONE boss.

If the job is available, and you can snag it...I'm one to say "GO FOR IT."

In business today, there does not seem to be a whole lot of loyalty on either side of the table, whether you're the employer or the employee.

I suppose that doesn't have to be and the more admirable the one who does pride themselves on incorporating this attribute into their business dealings, but that still does NOT have a bearing on whether or not you feed your family tomorrow if you're not capitalizing on a better alternative.

Big things happen for individuals AND companies that take advantage of opportunity while being prepared.

The whole "dig the well before you're thirsty" thing applies.

If you're trying to make ends meet and can't seem to rest, wouldn't you want to know what you could do to not only survive, but how to accelerate your rate of success and take advantage of every overlooked advantage available to you?

I know I would.

Just wondering if others also feel this way.

If you could get a job that pays you the money you need to pay for advertising or copywriting or whatever you need to help you promote your businesses, your opportunities, your products and your services....isn't it worth it?

Opportunities generally happen when you take risks.

For both the employee...and the employer.

For the product creator and the buyer.

Shortcuts, these are some of the things that most of us on this forum are looking for, aren't we?

Thanks for all the feedback folks.

Regards

Los
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Is Getting A Job You Plan To Leave Within 3 Months Unethical?

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