Published on Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008
Mr. Verma’s energy and enthusiasm is at an all-time high as he lands a plum new job. Ceremoniously quitting the old job, he excitedly embarks on the new journey.
But, the party goes bust in less than a week. Two weeks down, he dismally decides that the new job is quite different from what he had expected. Disillusionment sets in making him wonder how he ever even thought that this job was perfect!
Sounds familiar? Sometimes, it so happens that a new job fails to work out as anticipated. There often is a frustrating disparity between the job you thought you were hired for and what you actually have to do. Before you start kicking yourself for the mismatch, consider this:
Hang in there – Starting a new job is an awkward phase; don’t judge in haste or start panicking on the very first day. You have to be patient and give yourself time to acclimatise with the new environment, colleagues and processes. Learn to courageously cope with the change even when you are overwhelmed with unexpected responsibilities. Maybe all that our Mr. Verma needs is to get to know his co-workers better or take the time to adapt to the new company culture.
For all you know, you may even be displaying classic withdrawal symptoms of the previous workplace. Just remind yourself of why you left the old job every time you hanker to get it back! Give it a chance and things will settle down soon, the new job may even turn out as a better fit than you expected.
Experts suggest sticking it out for at least 90 days, especially as the first six weeks are used for training new hires. Making this initial phase an unreliable representation of how a job will eventually play out.
Take matters into your own hands – Even if things don’t get better, it’s up to you to pull yourself out of the pit. Speak to the manager; express your concerns and dissatisfaction without griping.
The situation is still salvageable if you can work on the problems together to make the work more challenging.
You can try tweaking the job priorities, commitments or even goals a bit and voila, there’s your perfect job.
Be flexible enough to adjust to an alien work atmosphere, pay discrepancy, unusual job demands or new skill requirements, especially if the job has future potential. Try to endure the struggle as you can work your way up the career ladder inching towards more responsibility or greater satisfaction.
Square pegs, round holes – Six months in, and things still fail to evolve. Well, it does not take extra intuition to figure out that the new job was a mistake. Do not try to force fit yourself in a dead-end if there are genuine adjustment problems, unacceptable work demands, lack of respect or appreciation, unorganised structure or the corporate culture clashes with your values. Once you have done everything in your power to make it a better experience, its high time you move on. As a job consultant observes, “If you’re worried about what you’ll lose if you leave, think what will you lose if you stay?”
If you resigned gracefully and parted on good terms in the old job, you may even get it back. Else, discreetly start circulating your resume and network with ex-colleagues, old bosses, alumni and other contacts. Also, be prepared to justify to your prospective employer as to why you are looking for another job only after a few months into a new one. You can honestly explain that the job was a bad fit (read: decision) and you would like to pursue other options.
Where did you go wrong? “What looks great on paper isn’t necessarily great in reality”, aptly applies to a job search. Avoid career pitfalls from such mistakes by taking a hard-nosed objective look at the jobs on offer. Thoroughly research the company mission, vision and organisational structure, evaluate the position and responsibilities, and talk to co-workers and supervisors before signing on the dotted line. Self-qualify yourself for openings and target only those companies where you can both fit in and succeed.
All said and done, you deserve to give yourself better. Find something that will utilise your expertise, achieve your objectives and is in tune with your personality. The possibilities are infinite, go ahead and find a job you enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment