A month into my new role and I'm frustrated and sadly realizing it's not the right fit.

19 Comments

1. AnonymousMay 8,2024 at 12:32PM UTC

   I’d find another role if you have the bandwidth to do it. In my experience dynamics like this do not improve with time. Your manager may be threatened by you and if you come across as confident, trying to break you down. If you stay in this situation you may not recognize yourself in a year….

2. Rae WagonerMay 8,2024 at 1:00PM UTC

   I am going to give some advice that is contrary to my nature: act your wage.

   If they're treating you like an hourly-wage support staffer, start acting like one.

   Also, some of the best career advice I ever received was "if you're going to fail, fail fast." In this instance, YOU aren't the one failing... I think it can be better interpreted as "cut your losses and move on quickly when you realize that the position is not as advertised."

   A month out of the job market isn't that long. Best of luck.

3. Elizabyth HarringtonMay 8,2024 at 1:23PM UTC

   The best career advice I have ever learned is to set boundaries. If you are overworked, working 50 hour weeks and dreading Mondays this early on, then you need to work on saying no, politely, but firmly. It sounds like they aren't the most organized folks and are treating you like the extra set of hands that they needed months ago. So you have two options - run screaming from the building (not literally of course - have an exit plan, lol) or take a step back, look at the situation and how you can change the behavior. It may be that there is nothing you can do (at which case, see option 1). Or, you might find that by having some conversations with your boss to reset expectations, you may be able to turn things around and make this job into what you expected it to be. Good luck!

4. AnonymousMay 8,2024 at 9:56PM UTC

   OP: Great advice and thank you for helping me reframe my thinking. I've been considering option one as I've received a few offers since starting but I keep telling myself maybe I can make changes.

5. AnonymousMay 8,2024 at 9:57PM UTC

   OP: I appreciated everyone's advice. You've given me a lot to think about while figuring out what I need. Thank you!

6. AnonymousMay 8,2024 at 11:21PM UTC

   I got a massive bait and switch in my current role but the salary is way above average. I am basically being paid for what I did entry-level early in my career and it is painful but it happens all of the time.

7. AnonymousMay 10,2024 at 2:38PM UTC

   I am in the same situation. However, I’m treated like I don’t know what I’m doing and micromanaged on the most menial tasks. I’m getting paid 5 times more than I was when I was entry level and doing the same work. If I weren’t in this position I’d think” perfect opportunity” but its an awful feeling and there is no growth. I’m starting to internalize that I’m not good enough. Currently looking for a new position.

8. AnonymousMay 14,2024 at 12:00AM UTC

   I have a lot of work experience. I am old! Many companies pay on the high end purposely because they know that they are dysfunctional. I have heard executives say it out loud.

9. AnonymousMay 9,2024 at 12:36PM UTC

   I’m going through the exact same thing and this is telling me that people do not know how to interview candidates properly and are not truthful of the true roles the candidates are interceptor but just want to get bodies in a job. I hated every second after being put in a role I didn’t interview for. I’m not putting this on my resume as it too was only a month.

10. GirlBossanova934974May 9,2024 at 12:36PM UTC

    Sounds like you hired into the "Big Corporation" and are now regretting it. The truth of the matter of the "Big Corporation" is that many of them are nothing more than BIG disorganized messes with all sorts of people tripping all over each other and constantly fighting over roles and responsibilities. To get ANYTHIN G done requires a good deal of office politics and maneuvering around the various DUKES and DUCHESSES. That is why every project has equal priority and/or no priority. Priorities shift from day to day. If this is not for you, best to start looking elsewhere. If you wish to succeed, you have to build alliances et al amongst all the dueling middle management.

11. AnonymousMay 9,2024 at 4:02PM UTC

    Taking it from the bottom of your post, yes if you leave remove it from your history. If you are truly a Director, take control of the situation while you are there and put together a spreadsheet and give each project a P level, P0 is do it now, P1 do it within 1 week, P2 do it within a month P3 do it within the quarter. Work only 40 hours and whatever does not get done waits and gets deprioritized. In the other time in between start your job search again. Taking the bandaid off fast vs staying where it is clearly not going to elevate you for the long term is not going to be the right option given your want to move ahead. When and if you leave give them real feedback on the why. Good luck.

12. AnonymousMay 10,2024 at 12:19PM UTC

    It gets getting used to. Director has it's perks. I'm not a director.

    Are there opportunites to to take individual leads on a task?

13. AnonymousMay 10,2024 at 12:25PM UTC

    Is there any way you could better manage your time? Work from home. I had experienced a similar problem it was exhausting. Discuss with your boss. If I had to go back from what I learned which I didn't do before. That maybe there is a need for self compassion. Assess your career goals. Is it a stepping stone towards or away from it. If it's away from it then you could quit. If it aligns with your goal then reorganize?

14. maria roseMay 10,2024 at 4:58PM UTC

    The decision is yours to make if you want to leave but also consider this—when you interviewed for this job were you really listening to the details and demands of the job or was the title of the job your motivation to accept the position. If you had done your research properly and had asked the right questions you might not be in this position now of not liking your daily routine at the job. Interviewing is a chance to get information just like you give them information about your skills. Don’t measure jobs by your ideal view but by the actual way you and they respond in any feedback. Apparently you are working in a different expectation of how things get done—after all you are in a titled position but your assistant is controlling the productivity path and I think that occurred because you didn’t consider how much you were expected to blend in the work patterns—you thought you would ease into the role while someone guided you but they hired you to step up and start working immediately with no adaptation time—based in your presentation of your skills and experience. That’s what is wrong with this present job dissatisfaction. You were expecting a different kind of work environment from the reality of the job. If you are going to change job evaluation of the actual job expectations you need to approach for a better understanding.—good luck

15. Tami L CannizzaroMay 10,2024 at 6:41PM UTC

    From my experience in various corporate marketing and pr/communication roles, this sounds about right. Even for a director title, as I've had many times. There's no "ramp up". It's jump in and manage. Many times, a Manager title is given to a position that *should* be a Director, when there have been budget cuts or layoffs and the company is temporarily restricted from back-filling the position. I agree with others who have stated that it's all about (as one person said, which I love) "Acting your wage" and to me, acting like the leader you want to be. The projects will not stop coming. They will always tell you that ALL are a priority, which of course they can't all be #1. It's your job to figure out how to juggle them and prioritize. I found it best to prioritize based on the most important objectives for the Company/CEO and my immediate supervisor. If those projects take priority - specifically if they increase revenue - you are usually in a good position to explain yourself as to why others may have suffered. If your boss even cares at that point.

16. AnonymousMay 10,2024 at 8:44PM UTC

    I had similar experience, and left within 60 days. Iꞌve never left a role quickly like that. But if you see the things now, it will not get better.

17. AnonymousMay 12,2024 at 6:10PM UTC

    I’m in a simialr situation, and started my job search after my second day when I drove home in tears.

18. Celena BartonMay 13,2024 at 9:44PM UTC

    Move on. We all have had situations like these. I’d leave it off your resume. Really sorry you are going through this. I wish you the best of luck moving forward!

19. AnonymousMay 14,2024 at 12:00AM UTC

    Except they are still jerks and then say it is ok to be jerks because they pay so much.