Is My New Job Right for Me?
Starting a new job can be both exciting and terrifying – along with a lot of other emotions – but after the excitement fades along with the novelty of being a new employers, what if you find you aren’t quite as happy in your job as you were or thought you would be?
If you are still wondering whether your new job is right for you, try and consider the following points:
- How long has it been?
Regardless of the industry, there is one universal new job truth – the first few days will be tough.
You have to learn all their rules and regulations, learn the names of all your new colleagues as well as learning the basics required for your job.
Much of the first few weeks are likely to fly by, leaving you very little time to take everything in. sometimes that’s always worth bearing in mind if you’ve started suffering from ‘second-thoughts-on-the-second-day’ syndrome.
With that in mind, always be careful not to base any rash decisions on gut feelings alone and leave enough time to let your surroundings sink in, stop learning and actually start working.
- Have you given it a chance?
If you start a job with negative thoughts, it can be hard to think about your job in a positive way. Often this leads to over analysing and over worrying which fuels your negative outlook.
Therefore, the best thing to do is to be as positive as possible in the first few weeks and approach each day with an optimistic outlook and give it a good chance before making any big decisions.
- Are the people the problem?
So maybe these negative thoughts weren’t there to begin with… have the people in the company made you feel uncomfortable? Are you finding it hard to adapt to the culture of the company? These can be a cause for concern – but these things don’t always last.
Try and reach out to new colleagues and get involved in the social aspect of your job and the company to make friends and avoid being the “newbie” for too long. You can’t expect to be everyone’s best friend – especially not on your first day. These things take time so give it a chance.
- Were you mis-sold the job/company?
Do you feel like the job is completely different to the job description? Don’t be too quick to worry about this. You may be given a slightly different duty to begin with in order to understand the company or get a feel for the department.
If after a few days you feel your expectations for your job aren’t being met, try and speak to a member of the HR team or your line manager and tell them your concerns. If you don’t ask you may just be jumping to conclusions.
- Are you getting bored?
Your duties and responsibilities may be exactly as described, but the job may differ from your expectations.
If boredom is a problem, you should discuss this with your line manager. It may be another case of slowly being introduced to your role so they can help with moving it along quicker and giving you more to do.
If not, ask if there is any other work you can take on – not only will it help to reduce your boredom, but it will also be a positive reflection of your attitude and work ethic.
- Are you ‘out of your comfort zone’?
If you’re used to feeling on top of the situation, finding yourself somewhere new can often make you feel uncomfortable. You may have taken the knowledge you’d acquired through your previous role for granted, but when you don’t have anything to fall back on, a new situation can seem scary.
Even something as simple as knowing where things are kept or what the correct protocol is in different scenarios, can go a long way to making you feel out of place.
- Were you just running from the problem?
Firstly, try and evaluate why you really wanted this job in the first place.
Was it for career progression?
Because you wanted a more challenging role?
Did you want to work for a well-respected company?
Wanted to move into an area you were really interested in?
Whatever the reasons, think long and hard about whether your new job ticks all of the boxes. However, if you only found yourself looking for and accepting a new job because you couldn’t stand working for your previous employer any longer, it may be that quick move and desperation to get out that has led you to take on a role that maybe isn’t right for you.
Think about where you want your career to go – not just about moving on from where you’ve been.
If you’ve read this and still feel like you’re in the wrong job, it’s important to be honest with yourself – and your employer. Sometimes it won’t be the right job for you and it isn’t worth forcing yourself to like a job you hate. You won’t be giving 100% and it will soon be noticed. It isn’t fair on you and it isn’t fair to your employer.
So if you’ve really given the job a chance, and still feel unhappy it may be time to be brave and move on.
Source: Reed.co.uk
