Dislike new job
What To Do When You Hate Your New Job
Career & Finance
written by SIMONE SCULLY
Source: Stocksy
Usually, getting a new job is exciting. After all, you survived a long interview process, you’ve said goodbye to your old gig (and all the things that drove you crazy about it), and you’re ready for an exciting new opportunity. But then, you get there and you realize that you hate this new job. What do you do?
Well, first, you breathe. You’re definitely not the first person to take a new job, then realize it’s a mistake. It happened to me, for example, and I had no idea what to do. I felt ashamed that I had made such a bad move.
But here’s the thing: It’s OK to be upset, frustrated, or disappointed with a new job. You can’t know everything about a company from the outside, and while you’re putting on your best face during an interview, there’s a good chance they are too. It’s also helpful to remember that there are things you can do to make your situation better—you just need a proactive plan for yourself.
I spoke with Cristin Downs, executive coach and founder of the Women Leaders School, to get her advice for figuring out your next steps. Here’s what she recommends:
If you think the problem is the job, you’ll notice red flags right away
Some of the red flags might have even been there during the interview process, but you ignored or missed them because you were excited. But now that you’re here, you’re realizing they’re a much bigger deal.
For example, are the work hours terrible? Are your manager’s expectations unreasonable? Does management reward overwork, even if it means no one goes home or signs off until late at night? Does the company encourage people to keep working when they’re sick? Are there company policies or people who make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe?
“I remember being introduced to one of my new employees on my first day at a new job, and the executive handling the exchange told me afterward that the woman’s best friend was in the hospital, dying,” Downs said.
“She finished the comment with, ‘she’s not usually such a downer’—that was a red flag.”
Ultimately, if you don’t feel respected at work, if the job or the company doesn’t align with your core values, or if Sunday nights bring you to tears, it’s unlikely to get better—and you might want to start looking at your options to leave.
Be honest with yourself about what you’re feeling
New jobs bring change: You’re meeting new people, you have a new manager, you’re using new software, and you’re learning new workflows. Heck, the company culture and values are probably different too. Plus, the new job might feel like a stretch of your skills. This leaves a lot of room for self-doubt or imposter syndrome to set in.
So ask yourself: Do you like what the job could be but hate the fact that you feel unsure of what you’re doing? If so, there might be things you can do to acclimate faster, such as talking to your manager and colleagues and asking them for help.
If the job is good, your team should want you to succeed, and ultimately, you’re going to settle in and be glad you stuck it out.
Ivan Samkov | Pexels
Figure out how quickly you need to act
As tempting as it is to just quit, acting impulsively might hurt your career and your finances. Sometimes, the best course of action is to figure out ways to make the job survivable while you look for something else.
For example, if you’re feeling lonely or ignored by your colleagues, try reaching out to a trusted work friend at a former job or a coach. “It helps to have someone else to talk to, and those relationships can help you process what is happening right now,” Downs said.
But if the job is toxic and harming your emotional and physical health, there’s no such thing as quitting too soon. You just need to figure out how to do so in a way that you can afford.
Tap your internal networks for help
In other words, reach out to former colleagues, managers, and work contacts and see who’s hiring.
If you don’t think you can stay at your current job while going through a long interview process for a full-time role, ask about contract or short-term work to hold you over financially and get you out of the unhealthy workplace as quickly as possible.
“[Short-term work] has worked for my clients and given them much-needed income, and quite frankly the confidence, to quit and look for something else,” Downs said.
Consider reaching out to your old employer
Asking for your old job back might feel a bit like trying to get back together with your ex, but depending on why you left your old gig and your relationship with the company, it can be an option—especially right now during the Great Resignation.
To many large companies, Downs said, “getting an already trained employee is like Christmas morning.”
Just be sure to be honest with yourself about the reasons you left in the first place. Do you really want to go back or are you just desperate to leave this new company? If the idea of going back makes you feel like a failure, you might want to avoid it, but if it feels like going home to a team you were sad to leave in the first place, reach out.
If they haven’t filled the role and you were in good standing, they might take you back.
Color Joy Stock
Update your resume and start applying
Whether you go back to your old job, find a new one, or quit to freelance, remember that you are under no obligation to include every job on your resume. If you weren’t there very long and find a new job right away, it’s OK to leave it off—especially if the short stint at this job isn’t experience you really want to highlight anyway.
That said, if you stay at the new job you hate while looking for something else, it’s best to leave it on your resume for right now. You can, however, remove the months on your resume, and then if you get the job interview, be honest about why you’re looking so soon.
In general, though, the Great Resignation as well as the trend toward job hopping for career advancement have made some employers a little more comfortable with things that would have previously bothered them about job candidates.
Learn from the experience
The good news is that you will get through this, and one day, the experience will be nothing more than a memory and a learning experience.
I look back on the job I regretted taking as something I could learn from. Now, when I apply for roles, I take the whole idea of “interviewing them while they interview you” a little more seriously and look for red flags that might suggest I’ll end up being unhappy in the role or at that company.
In the end, we spend way too much time at work to be unhappy—so it’s OK to be picky when looking for your next opportunity.
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‘I Hate My New Job. Can I Quit Yet?’
Ask a Boss: ‘I Hate My New Job. Can I Quit Yet?’SubscribeGive A Gift
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Workplace advice columnist Alison Green answers all your questions about office life.
Got a question for her? Email [email protected].
Workplace advice columnist Alison Green answers all your questions about office life. Got a question for her? Email [email protected].
Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images
Dear Boss,
I recently finished my second week at a new job, and I absolutely hate it.
It was sold to me as an editorial writing role, and it’s turned out to be essentially admin and data entry, with most of my time spent on the phone trying to get information from people who don’t even pick up half the time.
I’m already working into the evenings and weekends to get things done within very tight timelines, and because I’m at the mercy of third parties, there’s not much I can do to manage my time better. I know it’s normal to be stressed about a new job, but I really don’t think this one is a good fit for me.
The salary is higher than my last position, but the title is much more junior and less aligned with my long-term career goals. Is it better, from both an etiquette and a résumé perspective, to quit now and leave it off my résumé, hoping to find another position quickly and that interviewers assume I took some time off between jobs? Or should I stick around longer, and then have to include it and explain why I left after, for example, three months?
Even though I hate the work, I also feel bad quitting so soon given that they waited through my notice period at my previous job and have planned out my (packed!) work schedule for the next few months already.
I’ve considered telling my manager that I’d be willing to stay on until they find a replacement, but honestly I just want to be out the door ASAP.
I’d talk to my manager before formally resigning, but so far it’s been difficult to raise concerns because she’s so busy and is always rushing or postponing our meetings, and also because I’m on the phone to suppliers most of the day. I’m also conscious that I raised both of those concerns (workload and the nature of the work) during the interview process, and both my manager and the managing director assured me it wouldn’t be … well, exactly the way it is.
Should I just be grateful to have a job and wait to see if it gets better as I settle in, even though right now that thought fills me with dread? Or should I cut my losses fast?
If you’re ready to leave, you can leave. You don’t need to wait longer for either etiquette or résumé reasons — in fact, it’s better on both of those fronts if you leave faster. You might have other reasons for waiting, like if you want to have another job lined up first, but you don’t need to worry in these two regards.
Résumé-wise, if you’re sure you’re going to leave this job pretty soon no matter what, it’s better to do it sooner. That way, you can easily leave the job off your résumé completely and not have to explain in interviews why you left so quickly. (To be clear, having that conversation isn’t likely to be a big deal — you’d explain that you were hired to do X but the job ended up being Y instead, but there’s no point in getting into all of that if you can just skip it entirely.
) On the other hand, if you stay there for months, you’re more likely to want to leave the job on your résumé to explain what you were doing during that time.
Etiquette-wise, if you’re sure you’re going to leave pretty soon, it’s easier for your employer if you let them know now. Otherwise, they’re going to invest more time in training you when you know you’re not staying … and if they act quickly, they may even still be able to hire one of the candidates who was interested in the previous hiring round, rather than starting again from scratch. That shouldn’t be your primary consideration when you resign — you get to do what’s best for you, just as they would do what’s best for them — but since you’re asking about the etiquette of it, know that you’re not wronging them by not dragging things out.
It can feel a little weird to tell your manager at a brand-new job that you’re leaving — that might be the element of etiquette that’s actually gnawing at you — but it’s entirely valid to leave when a job turns out to be utterly different from what you were promised (always, but particularly when you were reassured in the interview that that wouldn’t be the case!). In fact, if anyone has committed an etiquette breach here, it’s your company, by selling you on a job that has been exactly what they promised you it wouldn’t be. That’s on them, not on you, and you don’t need to stick around when that happens.
That said, since you’re only two weeks in, it’s smart to stay at least somewhat open to the possibility that what you’ve seen so far isn’t how the job is intended to remain.
For example, could they be waiting until you’re more fully trained before setting you loose on the rest of the role, or might you have been pulled in as temporary cover for someone else without realizing it? Given the specific details you shared, that’s probably not the case, but it’s worth being sure before you make up your mind, and the easiest way to do that is by having a straightforward conversation with your boss about the mismatch, in case the issues can be fixed or are temporary.
Since it’s been hard to meet with her because she’s always rushing or postponing meetings, you’ll need to make it clear that there’s something important you need to discuss. Can you send an email that says, “I know you’re swamped, but could we please set aside half an hour this week to talk about how things are going? The job has been mostly admin and data entry so far rather than writing, and I want to get a reality check from you about what’s needed in the role.
” A decent manager who gets that message will make time to sit down and talk.
When you meet, you should lay out the situation as clearly as you can; don’t dance around it for the sake of delicacy. Say something like, “I raised these concerns in the interview and at the time it sounded like the job was definitely writing-focused and ____ (fill in with whatever else has turned out not to be the case). Realistically, is it possible for me to do the role as we talked about it then, or are the needs really the data entry and admin I’ve been doing instead?”
Who knows what will come of this. Maybe it’ll turn out there’s an easy fix because your boss didn’t realize how much admin work has been piled on you, or because no one told the person who assigns work to writers that you had come onboard.
Or maybe you’ll get vague promises to get you more of the work you want, without any concrete indications of a timeline or next steps to ensure that happens. Be skeptical of the latter; there’s a reason you were worried about exactly this outcome in the interview process, and I’d put real weight behind the fact that those worries have been borne out by your workload so far.
If nothing said in that conversation gives you confidence that things will soon change, at that point you’ll have done your due diligence. If it’s clear that what you’ve seen so far is the job and that’s not a job you want, it’s okay to be up-front about that and move on as soon as you decide you’re ready.
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What to do if it turned out that the new job is not right? contribution. Didn't come true? Work.ua offers solutions.
So, your long efforts and searches have been crowned with success. You have received the desired position, it seems that now life will get better, and everything will be fine. However, after the first working day, there was no trace of inspiration left: the manager turned out to be incompetent, the team turned out to be unfriendly, new duties are not encouraging, there are nuances with salaries, you have to hand over money for water in the cooler, and the windows in the office do not open.
Trust me, you are not alone. Many employees, after starting work in a new place, are surprised to understand that everything is not so good. Work.ua suggests what can be done, depending on the time after which you came to this disappointing conclusion.
Five days later
The sudden feeling that taking this job was a huge mistake may visit you in the very first week of work. By the time you reach the five day mark, you will most likely begin to suffer from the "grass used to be greener" syndrome. After all, while we are just getting ready to move from one workplace to another, it is not difficult to concentrate on the positive. And as soon as we take on a new position, the shortcomings begin to be evident.
But even new shoes feel tight at first. When faced with a situation like this, the most important thing to do is to focus on the positive aspects of the new position. Why did you want to get her? Soon you will realize that the doubts in the first week of work were just an emotional outburst, or, on the contrary, you will come to the conclusion that they signal big problems. Either way, you can move on with a rational plan (even if it includes preparing for a quick exit) instead of just panicking.
Five weeks later
If you've been working at a new job for more than a month and it didn't live up to your expectations, try to pinpoint the source of your frustration as accurately as possible.
Put emotions aside and analyze: Are you not getting enough responsibilities? Can't get along with your colleagues? Disagree with company policy?
Once you are clear about why you are unhappy, think of solutions to help you improve your situation. Talk to the manager, perhaps he just did not know about this problem, and your suggestions and comments will allow you to change something for the better. For example, if you're not doing the job you wanted, find out what skills you're missing, or maybe it's because you're still considered new.
With colleagues - try to find common interests. As for things that you cannot influence: the functioning or mission of the company, try to maintain a broad outlook. A month is not so much to understand how everything really works. Just because a company doesn't function the way you're used to doesn't mean it's bad or wrong.
Five months later
After a few months of work, you should already feel quite comfortable in your new place.
If you still hate your job and this feeling only grows stronger, and you do not find any reason to stay, quit. This position is not suitable for you, and it will only get worse. So why pull? Just when leaving, don't slam the door. Try to explain to the employer what prompted you to take this step. Perhaps this will benefit the company.
Have you had any unfortunate job changes and how soon did you leave an unsuitable position?
Read also
- 8 phrases that will help you change jobs
- I'm tired, I'm leaving: how to decide to quit when you no longer have the strength to stay
- 5 tips on how to choose a job from two or more options
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What to do if you don't like your job, but you are afraid to leave - Work.ua
Career
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Amy Reese Anderson, Forbes
Do you wake up every morning feeling unhappy because you have to go to work that you don't like? There are only two ways out of this situation.
If you don't like your job, if you struggle to get through every working day in order to get home as soon as possible, have a rest, and experience the same thing tomorrow, then why haven't you quit it yet? The answer is simple - change is scary. You want to quit, but you're scared.
You have to ask yourself what scares you more: living each day unhappily or stepping into an uncertain future.
People say that "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know." Of course, you may be unhappy now, but what if your new job makes you even more unhappy? You know how bad management and colleagues you have, and you know that they will not be worse. And at least you know what you have now, but you are not sure that you will not be fired from a new place in a month, leaving you with nothing.
Now look at it the other way. What if the new job is great? What if the new leadership will help you achieve success, and colleagues will support you? What if the new company values your skills and rewards you accordingly? What if every morning you wake up in a good mood and love every day of the week? What if this is what lies behind the "undefined future"?
In fact, you will never know which path is best until you make a choice.
You have only two ways out of this situation: you can find a new job or change your attitude towards the current one.
If you decide that changing jobs is your best bet, here are 5 things to consider.
- It is easier to find a new job when you are employed. A new employer will rate you higher if you already have a job. This means that someone has already appreciated your skills and is still willing to pay you for them. Also, the new employer will feel like a participant in some kind of competition, and if you leave to work for him, he will win. So try to find a new job before you leave your old one.
- Make a list of factors in your current job that make you feel unhappy. Is it the responsibilities you have, the people you work with, or are you dissatisfied with the area of work in general? Figure out what you're unhappy about so you can avoid it in your new job.
- Make a list of people who could help you with your new job. Your professional social circle is a great way to find a new place.
It can even be your clients or partners with whom you are in contact at your current job. Don't let anyone out of your sight. - Money should not be the main motivator for changing jobs. A job that pays less but makes you happy might be worth it. The pattern often works: the happier you are, the more efficient and productive you are, and the more likely you are to succeed. Even if the initial rate is lower than what you have now, but there is an opportunity for growth, do not immediately discard this option.
- As soon as you decide to find a new job, you will notice that there are a large number of different opportunities around you that you did not notice before. You will begin to view everyone with whom you communicate from a different angle. You will begin to notice various activities that were previously indifferent to you, and now look like great opportunities to learn something new. Looking for a job will open your mind to new exploits, you will want to learn something new, you will want to improve and develop, you will feel a surge of strength, you will want to live again.
