u/LeadershipKnown4618

I’d really appreciate an HR/recruiter perspective on how my resume would be viewed.

I was laid off from a previous role and it took me ~6 months to find another job. I accepted a Series A startup role out of necessity and stayed about 4 months. The pay was low for having 10 years of experience. It ended up being very junior, not much real marketing work, and I was often given off-hours requests (evenings/weekends), had to work holidays. Overall, it wasn’t a fit.

I then moved to another Series A AI startup and I’m currently ~4 months in. This role is more aligned and I am learning a lot, but the workload is extremely intense (working late often, constant task switching, very limited PTO, and frequent travel at dirty hotels, micromanagement). I also exceeded my initial performance targets, which have now doubled.

At this point I’m realizing startup environments may not be sustainable for me long-term, but I’m concerned about optics if I leave again so soon, but I’m struggling on a daily basis.

My question is:
From an HR/recruiting perspective, how negatively would two short stints (~4 months each) be viewed at series A startups? Would this significantly hurt my chances of getting hired for my next role, or is this something that can be explained in interviews? Should I stick it out in my current job?

I’m in marketing and would love perspective from people in similar roles.

I was laid off last year, and it took me 6 months to find another role. I joined a Series A startup out of urgency. I stayed ~4 months. It ended up being very junior (I have 10+ years of experience), I wasn’t really learning, and I was often given random requests outside of marketing (even evenings/weekends) and they didn’t give us holidays off. It was a bad fit.

Now I’m 4 months into another Series A AI startup. I amlearning more, but the workload is intense. I hit and exceeded my first-quarter goals, but my targets have now doubled. I’m working late most days, constantly switching tasks, and I’ve basically have no time for working out, cooking, or anything outside work. I feel pretty consistently anxious/unhappy regularly.

I also don’t get many normal holidays off, have very little PTO, and when I travel for work, I’m required to stay in very low-quality hotels.

I feel stuck because I’ve had two short stints (~4 months each), and I’m worried I have to stay in this demanding job for awhile. But I also don’t think Series A environments are sustainable for me long-term. I can’t go on trips due to the lack of PTO and I am getting married next year and would like to start a family, but this job is unrealistic if I had a family.

What would you do? Should I stick it out?

I’m in marketing and would love perspective from people in similar roles.

I was laid off last year, and it took me 6 months to find another role. I joined a Series A startup out of urgency. I stayed ~4 months. It ended up being very junior (I have 10+ years of experience), I wasn’t really learning, and I was often given random requests outside of marketing (even evenings/weekends) and they didn’t give us holidays off. It was a bad fit.

Now I’m 4 months into another Series A AI startup. I am learning more, but the workload is intense. I hit and exceeded my first-quarter goals, but my targets have now doubled. I’m working late most days, constantly switching tasks, and I’ve basically have no time for working out, cooking, or anything outside work. I feel pretty consistently anxious/unhappy regularly.

I also don’t get many normal holidays off, have very little PTO, and when I travel for work, I’m required to stay in very low-quality hotels.

I feel stuck because I’ve had two short stints (~4 months each), and I’m worried I have to stay in this demanding job for awhile. But I also don’t think Series A environments are sustainable for me long-term. I can’t go on trips due to the lack of PTO and I am getting married next year and would like to start a family, but this job is unrealistic if I had a family.

What would you do?