What to do if you start a new job that isn't the right fit for you
Finding your ideal job that ticks all the boxes that are important to you can be a journey. You might know exactly what type of role you’re looking for, what salary and benefits are important to you, and what type of company culture and leadership you jell with.
But sometimes, despite your best efforts to carefully evaluate a new role, you might find yourself in a job that just isn’t right for you.
If you find that weeks or months into a new role, it just isn’t quite right, here are a few things you should consider as your next steps:
Identify what isn’t working
Evaluate whether it is the position itself, the environment including the company culture, management styles of your leader/s, or job benefits such as work flexibility. Are you feeling uncertain, unhappy or anxious about being in your new role, and is this something likely to change as you gain confidence and find your feet in your new role? This is where our career success coach is an invaluable tool to guide and support you through one of the most potentially challenging times in your career. By identifying what isn’t working you can address the problem and evaluate whether this is something that can change.
Talk to your direct reports / leader
Having open honest conversations with your direct reports, which may feel challenging at the time, can open doors to a better solution and strengthen your professional working relationships. If you both understand and evaluate what is and isn’t working, you can negotiate a solution.
Explore options to make things better
Rather than quitting your job, you may just need additional training, to adapt your job role to best fit your skills and strengths, or a move to another position within the company. Or perhaps you need to explore a different way of working together with your team and/or direct reports that suits both your styles of working.
Give yourself a time frame
Most of our candidates find the first 3 months of a new role the most challenging. You are likely building your confidence in the role, developing relationships, and possibly increasing your skillset. You may also be discovering parts of the role you find tedious, all which is a normal part of any role. Your new role may also be a stepping stone to another role you really have your eye on. In any case, give yourself a time frame of at least 6 months to really determine if it is the right role for you.
Look for professional development opportunities
Perhaps you feel your role isn’t fulfilling enough, or you don’t have enough opportunities to further develop your skills. This is where looking for professional development opportunities or other projects you can get involved in within your business can provide you with more of the challenge you need.
Give conscious consideration to your next steps
Setting yourself a timeframe allows for conscious decision making on whether the role is really right for you or not, and helps with planning on your next steps. If you do decide the role isn’t for you, take the time to search for a role that will be better fitting. Asking thoughtful questions in the interview process can be helpful to gain a more transparent understanding of the role and company (read more on interview questions here).
What we do differently
Our goal at Reimagine Talent is to match candidates with not only a job role that is suited to their unique skills and wants, but also an employer, company culture and management style that is best suited to the candidate. That’s why we use profiling via Talogy to discover your unique skills and strengths that will best place you in the right job role. And we provide a transparent and detailed experience for both our candidates and businesses so you know exactly what a job offer entails.
We further support our candidates once they have been successful in a role, by providing a career success coach. Our candidates have indicated the first 90 days of a new role is the most challenging. That’s why we match you to a coach that will mentor and support you through your first 90 days of your new role, so you hit the ground running with confidence.
Remember, the Reimagine Talent team are always here to help and we’re passionate about helping you find the right next step in your career, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.