NEW JOB PROBLEMS

[newtofl]

I started my new job on May 1 with lots of promises of doing work that is different then what I was doing at my former job.  I would have more responsibility, etc.  I am now in my third week and have not seen yet that I will be doing more. In fact, I saw my job listing on the shared drive and saw what I will really be doing which is much less then what I was doing at my former job.  

I have talked with my new boss about getting more work and they state that they do not want to over work me.  Meanwhile, I do such mundane work which makes me miss my former job more and more especially since I did so much more work there.  Oh and to top it all off, the "boss" swears like it is just part of his vocabulary and that is the only way to express himself.  I was told before I started about this and thought that it would not be too bad but it is and there is nothing I can do about it.

I have lots of regrets for leaving my former job and have had people from the old company call me stating that they are swamped with work, the temp is not working out and they all really miss me and want me back.

I have sent an e-mail to my former boss stating that I would like to come back but have asked for a couple of things (like more money - which is part of why I took this job and the ability to take a class and become an insurance adjuster - which is the other reason I took this new job).  I sent this on Tuesday and again on Wednesday (not sure if she got the first e-mail since I got an error due to computer problem at new job) and have not heard back.  

I am not sure if I can handle staying where I am if I am not offered my former job back.  Can anyone give me suggestions on how to handle my new job?  Also, I have a resume and cover letter that I was using and would like to update then, can anyone help with that?

Thanks for letting me vent.

Susan

[bluefire21]

Susan,

I'm sorry that your new job hasn't worked out for you.  When you interveiwed did you get a written job decription?  Was there an outline of your duties on the offer letter?  That may help you get more duties and responsiblities.  

As far as your boss swearing, how did they present it to you?  Did they say he swears like a sailor, or was it more like he sometimes just let the f-word fly when he's frustrated.  

I'l love to take a look at your resume and cover letter.  Please PM me if you would like me to look at them.  I'd like to offer you more advice, but I need a few more details.

Ellen (Bleep Bleep) in TX

[Katie G]

(((Susan)))

I'm so sorry this has turned out badly for you.  Your disappointment comes through loud and clear in your post.  And you were so excited about it.....

If your former company really wants you back, perhaps you could call them on your lunch break (from a cell phone, outside the building, if at all possible.)  Just to check and make sure they received your emails.  

Don't know what else to offer, except encouragement and good vibes.....

[raindance]

"More work" does not necessarily mean more responsibility. If your new employers "promised" you certain responsibilities and you are not actually undertaking them, then you need to have a frank discussion with someone in HR as to whether the job was misrepresented to you.  You can then decide what action to take.  

Swearing is something I would not accept - whether or not I had been told about it during interview.  Swearing, shouting, bullying and bad manners are just not acceptable in the workplace and you don't have to put up with it.  All you need to do, when he next swears in your presence, is to say you would prefer he didn't swear.  He might not like it, but he will get the message.

With respect to your old job, I would like to advise you to ask yourself why you left, and whether you would really be thinking about returning if the job you are in now was a little better.  What would you gain by returning?  Would it be better if you looked elsewhere?  Everyone is allowed to make mistakes, so if you applied for other jobs, all you explain is that the job content was not as had been described to you.  

I'm sorry things are not working out for you, Susan, but I am sure you will make the right decision for you.

Best wishes,

Raindance

[queenbean]

I agree with Raindance, I think going back to a previous company is a bad move because there must have been very valid reasons to move in the first place.  And it's true that most people have made a mistake at some point in their career and moved to a role that just didn't work out as they had hoped.  I certainly did!  I was with a company for over 5 years and when the time was right for me to move I decided to try a completely different type of organisation in terms of structure (basically I went from working for an entrepreneur to a government-type company).  The salary was considerably higher, and the job content sounded good, but on my first day I knew they had completely over sold it and I had made a huge mistake.  I was terrified that it would look very bad on my cv if I left immediately so I stuck it out 3 months.  When it came to interviews I was very honest and explained that what seemed a good opportunity on paper turned out to actually be a big step backwards, but the positive outcome from the experience was that it taught me exactly what sort of organisation I was suited to.  Potential employers didn't seem to be phased by it, so much so that the first job I applied for I got (and am still here 6 years down the line).

I would raise your concerns with someone appropriate, either HR or your boss, and if it doesn't come through then I would look to move on.  Life's too short to be in a bad job.

QB

[newtofl]

Thank you all for your support.  

I have thought about all of your comments and have decided to really think through whether or not I want to go back to the old company, stay with the new and if so for how long and then where will I go.

I know I made a bad decision when I left so quickly and went to a job that I was unsure of the moment I made the decision to take the job - I felt great because someone wanted me and sought me out and then I felt that chocolate high then chocolate low feeling.  I wish I could change back time and never take the position but now I have to figure out what is best for me and my family and not just jump into something else or something old.  

I have already sent a couple of e-mails stating that I would like to go back to the old company and have not heard back so I will just wait it out and not pursue it anymore unless I decide that the old company would be the best place for me.

Thanks again for your support.
Susan

[geminigirl]

Hi Susan

For what it's worth, my take on this is:  We've all made decisions, some bad some not so bad, to get away from a place that we're dissatisfied with.  Been there, done that and we've probably all wished we'd not left a job we'd maybe just grown out of.  

However, I think it would be a really bad decision to go back to a company - and especially to the same job - where one had been before.  I think that could then put you in a position, if you did go back there, to be very much taken for granted.  After all, "she left here once and came back, we don't have to worry too much about her ..."

There's nothing wrong in admitting to potential future employers that you'd made a mistake, that you'd been missold a job, and that you'd decided to cut your losses and find something more suitable.  If there's only one such entry on your CV / Resume, that's not going to look as though you're a Job Hopper.

Hope things work out for you!

[msmarieh]

I took a job once and realized by the end of the first week that it was completely the wrong place for me. At the end of the first week, their suggestions for improvement were perhaps I shouldn't use humor in the office and I shouldn't make suggestions for process improvements. I replied that these were the two qualities that had been most appreciated in every other job I had held and that it was unlikely I could change these fundamental parts of my personality.

I found a new job within six weeks and left that one. I never even put it on my resume/CV. No one says you have to include very single job you have ever held!

Marie

[dettu]

I agree with Marie--if you find another job quickly, just leave this off your resume. I was once let go after four days at a new job (I've never really figured out why, but it might be because I wore trousers as all of my skirts were at the cleaners and this was the 1980s in a highly corporate environment). I worked as a temp until I found a much more suitable position a few months later, and just explained that I'd decided to work as a temp to gain broader experience in a wider range of fields.

I wouldn't go back unless you were offered a promotion and more money. THAT would look okay on a resume and you could still keep looking for work at a higher rate of compensation.

[newtofl]

Thanks everyone for your help.  It is now a new week and now I have a new look at my job situation.  I have decided to stay with this new job for at least 3 months and see if things get any better or if I do not get more claims adjuster like work to do (which is what I was promised when interviewed).  I do however have my resume on 2 websites, will update them and if I get a call in the meantime for a job worth looking at, I will go for it.

I'll keep you all updated.
Susan