What to Do When Your New Job Isn’t Right for You

You were thrilled to land a new position. You arrived on the first day, and unfortunately, the job isn’t what you thought it would be. What should you do?

Stay Calm

Your first thought may be to quit, but this isn’t the best idea. Your industry is smaller than you think, and you don’t want to burn bridges or earn a bad reputation. Take a deep breath and push through the first day or the first week. Give yourself some time so you can make a smart decision.

 

Evaluate the Situation

Usually, a new job failure fits into one or more of the following categories.

    1. The job description and/or interview process were completely misleading.
    2. The job is too difficult or too easy.
    3. Your new co-workers and/or supervisors are awful.

Once you’ve identified the problem, decide if it is Fixable or Not Fixable. If the company intentionally sold you one job, then gave you another, this probably is Not Fixable. However, if you simply need time to grow into the actual role, this could be Fixable. Difficult colleagues could be the result of a bad culture fit (Not Fixable), or you may need a few more weeks to get to know everyone (Fixable).

 

Consider Your Options

Once you’ve resolved to stay or go, ask yourself some tough questions.

If you’re planning to leave:

Will you resign immediately?
How long will it take you to find another job?
Do you still have other offers on the table?
How long can you survive without a paycheck?
Can you manage working and job searching at the same time?

 

If you’re planning to stick it out:

Are you comfortable meeting with your boss to figure out what went wrong?
Does the company seem to be willing to work with you to solve the problem?
How long will you wait for things to get better?

For example, even if the job is Not Fixable, you may need the money. (Remember, in most cases, you can’t collect unemployment if you quit.) Therefore, you may want to keep working while job searching. On the other hand, you may think things are fixable until your boss refuses to address any of your concerns. In this case, you should start your job search sooner rather than later.

 

Plot a Course & Reevaluate as Needed

Regardless of what you decide to do, you’ll need to stay focused. You don’t want to find yourself unemployed for an extended period or stuck in a dead-end job. Write down your goals and stick to them. Also, make it a point to thoroughly reexamine your situation every few weeks. You may need to change your approach depending on how well (or poorly) things are going.

 

Do You Need to Find Another Job, Fast?

If you accepted the wrong position and you don’t know what to do, BOS Staffing is here for you. We place clerical workers, medical professionals and light industrial employees in Duluth, Georgia, and the surrounding areas. Learn more about how we can help you land the right job!

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