After rounds of interviews, you finally managed to snag an offer for what you thought was a great career move. Now, it’s less than a month into the job and your optimism is gone. Many of us find ourselves in the wrong job at some point during our professional lives, whether it’s the office culture, a boss who is not supportive or a role that just isn’t what you thought it would be. But what are your options if you’ve made the wrong career move? We have a few suggestions.
1. Reassess your situation and try to make it work
If you aren’t entirely sure if the position is right for you, don’t immediately jump ship. Giving the situation some time is a good strategy if you believe that there is a decent chance you can make the job work. Make a list of all things that describe your ideal job situation and compare it to your current situation; perhaps your dissatisfaction is just based on one particular issue that could be solved over time. Identify your primary problems and see if it’s possible for you to develop a plan to overcome them.
If the solutions require more than just your effort, don’t be afraid of talking to your manager about your concerns; after all, if your manager doesn’t hear from you, they won’t know that anything needs to change or that you’re struggling. Be prepared to talk about aspects of your job that are not working out for you, and see if you can brainstorm together about actionable steps to improve the situation.
2. Reach out to other employers
If despite your efforts, you still feel like you’re not in the right place, then it’s time to start looking for another job. Reach out to prospective employers you interviewed with prior to accepting your current role and let them know that you have a sincere interest in exploring any opportunities they still haven’t yet filled. But in addition to that, start reaching out to recruiters and just back to checking your preferred job sites – there is probably a dozen new jobs you can apply to.
3. Making the best exit
It is important to leave on a good note and not taint any positive relationships you have to build with your colleagues and team. Continue to do your best work and cultivate good relationships with people in the company, as you never know if you might work with them again in the future. Also keep in mind that once you’ve made the firm decision to leave, the sooner you give your notice the better so that you don’t waste the company’s time.
