On the Job by Anita Bruzzese You Hate Your New Job -- Now What

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese You Hate Your New Job -- Now What With a low unemployment rate, some employers are pulling out all the stops when it comes to recruiting workers, such as offering perks and higher salaries. But sometimes the hiring manager goes a bit further -- and doesn't present a realistic picture of what you'll really be doing if you take the job. So, on the first day when you show up and expect to begin working on exciting projects, you're told that those projects are sort of on hold. Instead, you'll be doing some routine work. OK, you think, I can do that. I can hold on until the real work begins. Only the real work that you were expecting never seems to materialize. Instead, you're given constant excuses about it's delay and instead take on more and more tasks that you hate. Then, it dawns on you: You hate your new job. Now what? First, don't panic and head for the nearest pub to drown your sorrows for the next week. Second, don't quit. Third, take a deep breath. Now, it's time to: 1. Take stock. Think about the company culture, the people you work with, the new contacts you've made and the new skills you've learned. Have you been given a chance to travel more, which you love? Have you been offered cross-training in other departments? Are you learning new skills to add to your resume? When you make an honest assessment, you may come to realize that you're learning something valuable, and the job isn't a total bust. 2. Speak up.If you're not getting to do the things you were promised in a job interview, then you need to get to the bottom of what is happening. Meet with your manager and explain how you were told you would be doing X, but you're really doing Y and Z. The boss may or may not be aware of what you were promised, but you need to explain that you want to do well but you are confused as to why you're not doing the job as it was explained to you in the hiring process. 3. Have a plan. If you're really doing something that isn't in your career plan -- and you just don't like it -- then you're going to need to make a game plan about how long you'll stay and give your boss a chance to make it right. If you were lied to about the job -- or somehow the hiring manager was less than transparent -- the company may try to fix the problem and hang onto you. If, however, you believe they don't really care about you or fixing the problem, it may be time to start looking around. You may be nervous about leaving a job after a short time, but you can explain in future job interviews that the employer was not transparent about your real duties, and the job wasn't what you were told. That puts the next employer on notice that they need to be honest with you -- and will remind you to do your due diligence to truly understand the parameters of another job offer.