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I’m concerned about my short tenure at my current job, but I’ve been approached by a recruiter at a company that I’ve long admired and aligns with my future career goals. Is it too soon to jump ship?

Elaine Varelas advises on important considerations if you are contemplating making a job move when you’ve been at a company less than a year.

Ask the Job Doc. Boston.com

By Elaine Varelas

Q. I’ve been at my job less than a year, but a recruiter at a company that really interests me has approached me and invited me to a recruiting dinner. Does working at a job only for a year look bad on your Resume? I’d have to stay a full year at my company or pay back the moving expenses my company paid me.

A. It’s always flattering when recruiters contact you, so congratulations on being visible enough to have someone invite you to a recruiting event. There’s a significant difference between one month on the job and 11 months on the job, so it all depends on where you are in terms of your year. Now you can understand why companies say, “You have to stay a full year, or you have to pay the moving expenses back”. They want to make sure that the investment that they made in you pays off.

You haven’t said anything about how you feel about your current company and your current job, so I would absolutely start with that. Are you enjoying your job? You moved for this role. Are you happy on the job? Are you learning? Are you contributing? What’s similar between your current company and the company that has you interested? These are all questions that need to be answered, but that’s not your question. Your question is, does working at a job for only a year look bad on your resume? If you have a number of jobs where you have stayed less than a year, then it raises red flags for any hiring manager or recruiter. They will question your ability to commit to an organization, your ability to develop long-term relationships, and they’ll wonder if the grass is always greener at another company in your view. But employers generally understand that there are various reasons for job changes.

Leaving a job that’s horrible and a company that you’re unhappy with and changing jobs can be explained in terms of why you moved or that you were recruited for a great opportunity all makes sense to anyone who might question why you left in less than a year. If a company is extremely interested in you and has a great opportunity for you, you could ask them to pay the moving expenses that you would owe your current company if you took the new offer. The position may also come with a significant salary increase. Weigh your options and the financial implications of switching jobs before your full year is up.

One of the challenges about these kind of public hiring events is your willingness to consider a new job becomes visible to people who might be at your organization or know people at your organization, which might jeopardize the organization’s feelings about you staying and about them giving you projects that are long-term projects that are highly visible and important to the organization, the kind that most people crave when they’re working at a specific company. But being invited to a recruiting dinner doesn’t mean you’ll get an offer, and it doesn’t mean you need to accept an offer. Even if you don’t decide to pursue a job with the company right now, it’s a good opportunity to learn more about the company and network for a future move there. Just be prepared to answer any questions about why you attended in case you run into someone you’d rather not know you are attending.