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Topic: New Job Not a Fit. When to Leave?
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| confuzzed | Posted – 10/16/2007 11:03:14 PM | show profile | email poster I worked for many years as an editor for various Web companies with great success. Over the summer, I lost a job after being with a company for only a short time. I was worried about how long I'd be unemployed, but I tried to be selective in my job search. I was unemployed for a few weeks, and then was offered a job as "New Media Director" for a non-profit org. I accepted the job offer and had to wait a couple of weeks before they wanted me to start. During those two weeks, I took down my resume postings and told anyone who called that I had already accepted an offer. I was under the impression that this would be a creative job which would involve writing, working with editors, and directing other creative types. I started the new job and immediately found that it was not as advertised. There is no writing and no editorial at all. My job is to run a department that posts text and graphics to the organization's Web site, but the creative materials all come from other departments. It's not an editorial job at all. It's not what I want to be doing now and it's probably not a good stepping stone to another job in Web editorial since I'm not doing any. So what would you do if you were me? I see three options here: 1. I could quit right now, go back to being unemployed, leave this job off of my resume, and pretend I have been unemployed since my last job. Disadvantges are that I'd be lying, I'd be out of work with no unemployment benefits, and I turned down a number of jobs after I accepted this one so I can't even apply to those employers again. 2. I could start looking for a new job without quitting, but who would call me for an interview if they knew I was looking for a new job after just three weeks? 3. I could resign myself to being miserable and doing work that has nothing to do with what I want from my career. Then, after some period of time, I can start looking for a job again. However, at that time, I will have this job on my resume and this job is actually moving my career in the wrong direction so it's leading me down the wrong path. And how long do I have to wait before it's acceptable to put the resume out there again? Six months? A year? Longer? It feels like a prison sentence and, just like a prison sentence, when I get out my reputation will actually be worse than it was when I went in, because I spent all this time NOT being an editor and NOT doing creative work. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 10/17/2007 12:13:48 AM | show profile Three weeks isn't even a blip. If you can manage financially, I'd leave right away and look, as though I'd never done the hiccup. Unless the community is so closely connected that EVERYONE would know -- like in a small town. See if the other employers are still looking -- I decided I needed to be in (the field they're looking to fill) because it's what I'm the very best at. If they think you're flaky, well okay, you earned that. People omit things from their resume all the time. That's not lying, per se. Looking for a new job without quitting can be explained this way: "I took this job under the assumption it would be as described -- it's clearly not the right fit or what it was promoted as, but I wanted to do the right thing and give notice and not leave them in a lurch." This option could give you time to talk with your boss and explain your assumptions and ask if you could tailor the position to suit by taking on more responsibility -- and here's how the company benefits. I mean, it's a lesson in persuasive dialogue and negotiation, if nothing else, right? Unless you can help it, I wouldn't resign yourself to being miserable and doing work that has nothing to do with what you want from my career -- unless you see some remote way that it benefits your resume and will ultimately lead to the job you want, like a particularly smelly rung on an otherwise perfectly decent career ladder. Again, This option could give you time to talk with your boss and explain your assumptions and ask if you could tailor the position to suit by taking on more responsibility -- and here's how the company benefits. I mean, it's a lesson in persuasive dialogue and negotiation, if nothing else, right? If you do this for the security and money, do something creative on the side. Write a book -- write a blog -- whatevah. If you choose the stick-it-out route, a year or two would be ideal -- or at least get into January so on a resume it reads 2007-2008. Works like a charm. Oh, and if you think what YOU"RE doing is a waste, check out your fellow unemployed journos working as barristas at Starbucks or cleaning houses or whatever it takes to feed the kids. Work is honorable if it puts food on the table, and many of us have been THERE. Good luck. |
| ladyflash | Posted – 10/17/2007 10:40:31 AM | show profile | email poster New Job Not a Fit. When to Leave? I feel your pain. I have some experience in this arena, and am happy to chat with you about it if you want to email me- having a job that's the wrong fit can be depressing and demoralizing. You have to think about your health, particularly if you think you can't "just get through" for a bit... |
| catlondon | Posted – 10/17/2007 11:05:10 AM | show profile Someone just left my company after four weeks because she just didn't like it and didn't want to string it out. If you leave now, the org can probably revisit some of the runners up and not have to launch a whole new search. |
| nandy | Posted – 10/17/2007 12:39:12 PM | show profile I resigned a job after a month because it was obviously not a good fit, either. The director talked me into staying on for another six weeks while she completed her maternity leave. That was a mistake. The reason for the misfit...other employees who saw me as a potential rival for the director's favoritism...reared it's ugly head. They did not know I was going to leave on the return of the director and so they undercut me, backstabbed me, and helped create a $10,000 fiasco. I can't imagine what it would have been like if I had stayed! Anyway, the 2-3 months I was there only appear on my resume within a freelancing period. I will never use that company on my resume! In fact, I have so-o-o blocked that experience from my mind, I have trouble recalling the company name. |
| AWC | Posted – 10/17/2007 4:00:09 PM | show profile People leave jobs after just a few weeks all the time -- it's really no big deal. It's good for you to get out and avoid being miserable; and it's OK for your employer as well -- they probably had other viable candidates that still may be interested in the position. If you can afford it, just leave the job now. And if you can't afford to leave, start looking for a new job anyway. I can tell you first hand that most reasonable people will not judge you harshly for this -- you're simply taking responsibility for your career and that includes recognizing when things are not working out. And go ahead and reapply to those other employers if possible. There's no shame in just admitting that your current job wasn't what you had hoped it would be. |
| foodlit | Posted – 10/17/2007 5:56:02 PM | show profile My advice, as a headhunter and from corporate hr. If you don't need the money, then leave, as it is always easier to do a full on search when you're not working, but that's also a risk as you don't know how long it will take to land a new position. I'd personally probably stay until I landed something new. A few people have suggested that the new employer could revisit other candidates if you leave now....that's nice, but not your problem. Especially if you were given the wrong impression of the job. It's also a long shot. What usually happens in this case would be they'd start the search over, rather than settle for someone who was a runner up...unless they really loved that person...and if they did they would have hired him/her. So, I'd look, put this job on your resume, and be very truthful about the simple fact that it's not a good fit, not what you are looking for and you thought it best to focus on finding something that is, so that you can stay long term with the organization. You're much better off leaving after a short time, than staying for a year...you look like more of a hopper if you stay a year at a job, especially if you knew from the outset that it wasn't a good fit. Leaving after just a few weeks/months shows that you are professional and can make a decision, rather than staying with something that isn't what you really want. Good luck! Pam |
| Xenophiliac | Posted – 10/17/2007 7:38:43 PM | show profile | email poster Sorry to hear about your job disappointment. I was in the same boat three years ago. I chose to stay at the job and make the best of it, and ended up getting fired after 8 months because it was a bad fit. Had I quit voluntarily, I would have been ineligible for unemployment benefits, and that was one reason I stayed there. (Your state may have different unemployment laws). Your decision should depend on the job market and whether you can collect unemployment even after voluntarily quitting the job. Good luck, I know how much it sucks when bosses do the "bait and switch" and then you're trapped. |
| confuzzed | Posted – 10/17/2007 9:27:06 PM | show profile Technical versus Creative Work Thanks for all the advice. The interesting problem I have is that, in working in online editorial, I have always benefitted from having a mix of technical know-how and editorial talent. I enjoy working with writers and I can hold my own and enjoy working with code too. The problem with the job I took is that it's totally a production job. I thought I was getting real creative control over all aspects of a site -- the code, the design, and the editorial. Instead, it seems that what is being asked of me and my dept is to be implementers rather than creators and that's very frustrating and not what I expected at all. Other people write the text and set the direction for the site; we are a service bureau and treat them as clients. Maybe this is inherent in the organization. It's not a media company like I've worked for in the past. It's a non-proft and publishing is not its purpose. The Web site is there to provide information, but not necessarily to attract a large audience with compelling content. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to meet the people I'd be working with or visit the office before accepting the job offer -- the boss felt it would "hurt morale" if a candidate saw the office and then didn't take the job afterwards. I would recommend to anyone that you not take a job without getting a good look at the office environment and the people in it. The day I walked into that office and met the people -- nice folks, but mostly not creative types -- something felt wrong, like I didn't belong there. Now, I worry that I will be heading down a completely production track and never get to do creative work again and that really bothers me and keeps me from really getting "into" my job. In addition, there's something soul-sucking about the office environment itself. Everything is highly regulated and monitored -- almost as if I were working as a cashier at Wal-Mart. One of my tasks as a manager is to carefully keep track of employee timesheets and make sure nobody takes too long a lunch or a smoke break. Before I got there, the previous boss had made a "no talking, only emailing" in the office rule and apparently that is typical of this organization. I am used to a creative environment where employees are treated as adults, people work extremely hard, but don't punch a clock and try to look busy. Sitting in this basement office with no windows and no creativity allowed, it's hard to immerse myself in work and I find myself staring at the clock and waiting for 5:00 pm when I too can dash out the door and try to forget about my work until the next morning. It's hard to imagine a year or more of this. |
| Astera | Posted – 10/17/2007 11:15:21 PM | show profile I'd say get out while you can. I once took a job for a company that created direct mail pieces for non-profits. I was told I'd be involved in the creative and copywriting process, but instead, I was expected to be a production persion. I was upfront in the interview and told them that I was a writer and that I knew Quark enough to input edit changes and fix orphans and widows and stuff like that, but when I started, I was expected to flight-check files and get everything ready for press! I knew within a week that this was the wrong job for me. I approached my manager and asked when I would get to do more writing, but it became clear that production was the bulk of the job. I tried to stick it out but I left/was fired (weird circumstances) after about six weeks. Needless to say, I don't put that job on my resume. The fact that you weren't allowed to see the office or meet the people you'd be working because it might "hurt morale" with raises huge red flags. And no talking, only emailing? That's ridiculous! I also once worked at a place that treated its employees like children and I was very unhappy there. It was a small office, but the publisher was so worried that his employees were cheating him that he hired an off-site consultant to monitor our Internet usage. If the consultant saw something on our screen that he didn't like, he would shut down our computer remotely. No warning--just blank screen! It was insane. Anyway, I think you're better off looking for a job you like (or can at least tolerate) rather than staying in such a bizarre atmosphere. Best of luck. ------ www.adventuresofastera.blogspot.com |
| AWC | Posted – 10/18/2007 2:39:24 PM | show profile I've never heard of any employer intentionally keeping job candidates from seeing their offices. That would be a major red flag for me that something was seriously wrong. |
| confuzzed | Posted – 10/18/2007 7:32:02 PM | show profile How to talk at interviews So last night I was emboldened by all your comments and I applied for a job I saw listed here on MB. I did not put this new job on the resume. However, the person emailed me back at 9:30 this morning (when I was at work and can't check my email) and I didn't get it until tonight. I wrote the hiring manager back and said "I am doing some temporary work so it would be best to meet early in the morning or later in the afternoon." Assuming we finally schedule the interview, what should I say? I'm a bad liar, but I already ommitted this job on my resume and I haven't quit yet. I know it would be most honorable to march in tomorrow and resign, but I am doing a capable job right now and I am getting paid a good salary to do it. If I quit tomorrow, I have a new set of problems: 1. I could be out of work for months, without unemployment or severance and while I have some savings I don't particularly want to burn through it all and be left without a safety net. 2. The fact that I'd be out of work and earning nothing would encourage me to compromise and take a less-than-appropriate job again, putting me back in the same situation. I'm not a good liar. How do I deal with this? |
| UGoGirl | Posted – 10/19/2007 1:16:39 AM | show profile Option 2, and you are under no obligation to tell people you are currently employed. |
| ISR | Posted – 10/19/2007 8:30:00 AM | show profile Tell the truth. They'll understand. Just be clear the job you applied for is very much not the job you're doing, and you feel it's not a good environment. You could also tell them that you've notified your employer that it's not right, and have already given them notice (whether it's true or not---if the new employer's interested in you, and follows up, I'd take the risk and do that). |
| confuzzed | Posted – 10/19/2007 5:55:01 PM | show profile So I have an interview So good news, scary news. I have an interview on Monday at 5 (will have to cut out early which is difficult at this job, because everything is highly monitored and time-sheeted). Now I'm not sure what to say. By nature, I'm an honest person and a terrible liar. I know the most honorable thing to do would be to march into my current job on Monday morning and resign (I doubt they would let me stay another two weeks, because they'd probably think I haven't been there long enough to be useful for them for a short period). But I'm sure we'd all agree that we work for a variety of reasons: 1. We work for personal fulfillment, a creative outlet, etc. 2. We work because it gets us out of the house and into a social environment with other people. 3. Most importantly, we work b/c this is a capitalist society and we all have bills to pay. So if I were independently wealthy, I would only care about #1 and #2, but I'm not. Truth be told, I was probably a bit hasty (and not careful enough) in taking this job in the first place b/c I had been laid off from a prior job over the summer and I needed and wanted to get back to work. If I had known that this was going to be a totally non-creative job or I had seen the totally depressing / soul-sucking office environment, I probably would have let myself continue to be unemployed for longer. But here I am getting a paycheck and supporting my family. Shouldn't another employer be able to understand that? Nevertheless, I have been a hiring manager many times and I would never want to hear from someone "I'm just doing my current job for the money until something better comes along." |
| noname1234 | Posted – 10/19/2007 6:15:08 PM | show profile first, congrats on your interview! My suggestion is not to overthink this. You took a job that you recognized immediately isn't what it was cracked up to be. You don't have a contract there, so you're not obligated to stay (think of it this way: If they weren't happy with you, they'd most likely have no qualms about firing you either). You're not the first employee to look for another job, or to quit -- your current company was fine before you got there and will be fine after. And the comany you're interviewing for won't be shocked or turned off by your situation -- as long as your resume shows one or two longer-term positions on it, you'll be fine. Don't stress too much and good luck -- you're doing the right thing to get your career back on track! |
