How do you balance gratitude with being in work that is far below your skillset and pay grade?

14 Comments

1. AnonymousMay 11,2025 at 11:49PM UTC

   You change your perspective. You view this position as a place holder until you can find a more suitable position. You accept this position with gratitude as funding of your life while you keep up your search.

2. AnonymousMay 12,2025 at 12:49AM UTC

   Perhaps partner with an executive level search firm.

3. AnonymousMay 12,2025 at 12:13PM UTC

   IMO if you're using 'contract' the way it comes across, that means a lot for me, as a professional recruiter, and the expectations during contracts. With your level of experience you shared not sure why you're surprised, and you accepted the role with that title. humbling, I'm sure. Work with an exec firm for your next role.

4. AnonymousMay 12,2025 at 12:32PM UTC

   If you are a "contractor," then hold them to the contract. Perhaps you can refer someone as a middle manager who can pick up the slack if you are doing the work of both, or if those duties keep you from your assumed duties. I hope your contract allows you to bill 50-55 hours instead of a flat weekly rate. If your contract does not stipulate well enough to hold them to their initial promise for the position, consider this a lesson learned for the next time. Hang in there, and good luck.

5. AnonymousMay 12,2025 at 4:11PM UTC

   I took a postion at a company and after a 1 year and a half they asked me to take a postion that was not what I was hired for. I needed the paycheck and frankly should have left earlier. Same issue the pace was crazy, systems were not ideal which meant we did a lot manually. While not easy I would give yourself grace, apply for positions that you are interested in and be consistent in searching. If you can afford to walk away and devote time to job search you are fortunate. Otherwise do what you can to manage the current position, take from it what you can in terms of skills, learnings, take time for yourself. Sending good thoughts your way.

6. lorilucasMay 12,2025 at 4:43PM UTC

   Following- I'm in the same boat

7. AnonymousMay 14,2025 at 12:46PM UTC

   I was in a similar position until I was laid off ten months into the job. Previously, I held VP and Director roles, and at my last role I was a senior manager. The only exception was that I had nothing to do because much of my work depended on output from SMEs, who basically ignored the content needs. I spent most of my time either babysitting them with reminders that I needed the content or approvals. The only time they responded to me was to do something that purely administrative.

8. Ashwini VasudevanMay 15,2025 at 8:44PM UTC

   This is what a career coach told me, when I was in a similar position. Determine how many hours you want to give to this job, and try to carve out 10 hours within your 9-5 to find a new job. This way, you won't hate it so much and will still be able to contribute as required, since you believe you are more senior than the role needs. I started blocking time in my day to focus on myself, and it reduced my frustration substantially. Best of luck!

9. AnonymousMay 16,2025 at 12:36PM UTC

   This is bad advice. How can you hide 10 hours a week at your job searching for jobs, especially when many jobs have trackers on the staff computers that track your activity? Or are you suggesting that she be open about it? If the OP gets caught doing this, it will cost her her job. The OP is seeking senior-level positions, so I hope she already knows this.

10. AnonymousMay 16,2025 at 8:18PM UTC

    It's excellent advice! She's clearly quite capable of compressed time management. And using her lunch and breaks to focus on her plans for her career as well as before and after her work will allow her to experience a since of investment in herself and her search plans. I would include a day off here and there to really tackle items like tailoring her resume to specific positions, researching and targeting certain ideal companies etc.

    Finally, to the poster below who isn't thinking practically, the OP would use her own laptop of course.

11. AnonymousMay 31,2025 at 12:34PM UTC

    I am the poster below, and any employee who has two free hours each day to search and apply for jobs isn't doing either their job search or their job very well. Additionally, the risk of getting caught and fired for doing it probably outweighs the benefit of this. Job search is not very effective if it is in 10-15 minute time slices. It requires focused time if done right. Spending time on a personal computer at work is hardly a stealth move, as everyone will know she is doing personal business during the time she should be working.

12. Susan MatheyMay 24,2025 at 4:48PM UTC

    I was in the same boat as you just last year. In fact, the position I held was even lower level than yours. I was afraid I’d lose all my skills, and honestly, I was treated poorly. I was working 50-hour weeks in a fast-paced environment while still actively job hunting. It was tough—sneaking away for interviews, having to clock in and out, and staying on top of a heavy workload.

    I ended up staying there for 9 months and had almost given up hope… then I got an offer. Looking back, I can now see how I gained experience—maybe not the kind I wanted—but valuable nonetheless. The humility and perseverance I had to show ended up being good for me.

    If you're in a similar spot, my advice is: keep searching, and have faith that something better will come along. Try to be grateful for the lessons your current role is teaching you—you’ll come out stronger on the other side.

13. AnonymousMay 27,2025 at 1:53AM UTC

    Boundaries. Stop working more than 40 hours a week, and don't apologize for it. No excuse for that at a VP level (sorry, not sorry!). Keep networking, but stop looking. Something amazing will find you. Let it.

14. AnonymousMay 28,2025 at 12:11AM UTC

    This is terrible advice. "Be grateful"??? Yes, I'm certain you'd be grateful being overworked and underpaid. You missed the point.