u/Odd_Bat_8923

They’re still introducing me to the team, and I’m already planning my resignation.

I started roughly three weeks ago. Another interview process that began before I joined has now turned into an offer that’s a much better fit for my career. I’ve accepted it, signed the contract and cleared the checks.

I’m in the UK, have one week’s notice and plan to tell my manager on Monday.

The decision is made, but I feel guilty about the time they’ve spent hiring and onboarding me. How do you actually say “thanks for hiring me, but I’m leaving” without launching into a ten-minute apology?

Anyone left a job this early? What did you say, and how did your manager react? Managers’ perspectives welcome too

Posting this for anyone currently stuck in the middle of a job search, where you are doing everything you can and nothing seems to be working.

I work in Customer Success within B2B SaaS in the UK and have a few years of experience. I became unemployed roughly two months ago and started applying seriously from day 1.

Around 160 applications led to 25 recruiter or first-stage opportunities, about 20 completed conversations, several later-stage processes, multiple assignments and presentations, and finally one offer.

Most rejections were the usual “another candidate was more closely aligned.” One company chose someone with experience across a broader range of projects. Another paused the role (after I completed the final stage) because its hiring plans changed. Some gave no feedback at all, and others simply stopped responding.

There were definitely points when I thought none of it was going to lead anywhere.

One practical thing that helped was keeping a detailed master CV, then tailoring it for the roles I really wanted (seems long but it’s helpful for some roles). I also used ChatGPT as a second pair of eyes, asking it to act as the recruiter or hiring manager, compare my CV with the job description and tell me honestly why it might reject me. I used the same approach to challenge my interview answers and presentations, but every fact and example came from my actual experience.

Another thing to add is that I had a bank of answers ready for common questions - all the “tell me about a time when…” style Qs that were real.

I now have one offer and, fingers crossed, may receive another at the end of this week.

I know “keep going” can feel meaningless when your inbox is full of rejections, but a quiet week or a failed final interview does not mean the whole search is going nowhere. Sometimes it takes far more applications, conversations and disappointments than anyone talks about before one company finally says yes.