How much time do you give a job that isn't right before you move on? (employee, alternative)

[Stagemomma]

I've changed jobs recently...left my last job under a cloud of shame as my last supervisor and I did not see eye to eye. I was essentially invited to resign rather than be fired after 2 years on the job. Unfairly, IMHO, the boss was not very effective at communication or leadership. The job was very stressful...about 75% of it I was really good at and I struggled with the rest. Relocated 3x in 3 years........very stressful.

Now I'm settled in a new town with a new job. Took a chance on both. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic there is not much to do at work but sit at a desk and hope people ask me to do something for them. I do crossword puzzles and read books, but the bottom line is the job is boring. Nice people, nice environment, just not enough work to do. And I've been really, really depressed about it. Dread going to work (also dread going home due to loneliness).

A few times I have gotten ideas for interesting projects and run them by my division manager only to be shot down. No encouragement. I have expressed that I am feeling unchallenged and asked for advice on what I could be doing with my time. No response. My immediate supervisor is sympathetic and kind but powerless to help me feel more fulfilled in the job.

Today at work I decided to look at the job postings for my area. Found a job that I am overqualified for but is similar in pay to what I am doing now. Would involve a 35 minute drive to work (I currently have about 12 min drive). Might have opportunity for advancement. It would be closer to my previous position but a step down in responsibility (I would essentially be the assistant instead of the lead person)

How do I know if changing jobs is going to be a plus for me? What if I am out of the frying pan, into the fire? How can I judge an unknown environment compared to what is known but appears to make me unhappy? Don't have a lot of options here in my current town or anywhere else for that matter so I went ahead and applied.

I can't imagine doing this for 12 more years. Do I take a chance on the unknown even if I don't feel confident about taking chances?

Is 9 months on the job enough to know that you aren't going to be happy? Even when the pandemic ends I don't foresee really enjoying this job.

[Ellis Bell]

Originally Posted by Stagemomma

I've changed jobs recently...left my last job under a cloud of shame as my last supervisor and I did not see eye to eye. I was essentially invited to resign rather than be fired after 2 years on the job. Unfairly, IMHO, the boss was not very effective at communication or leadership. The job was very stressful...about 75% of it I was really good at and I struggled with the rest. Relocated 3x in 3 years........very stressful.

Now I'm settled in a new town with a new job. Took a chance on both. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic there is not much to do at work but sit at a desk and hope people ask me to do something for them. I do crossword puzzles and read books, but the bottom line is the job is boring. Nice people, nice environment, just not enough work to do. And I've been really, really depressed about it. Dread going to work (also dread going home due to loneliness).

A few times I have gotten ideas for interesting projects and run them by my division manager only to be shot down. No encouragement. I have expressed that I am feeling unchallenged and asked for advice on what I could be doing with my time. No response. My immediate supervisor is sympathetic and kind but powerless to help me feel more fulfilled in the job.

Today at work I decided to look at the job postings for my area. Found a job that I am overqualified for but is similar in pay to what I am doing now. Would involve a 35 minute drive to work (I currently have about 12 min drive). Might have opportunity for advancement. It would be closer to my previous position but a step down in responsibility (I would essentially be the assistant instead of the lead person)

How do I know if changing jobs is going to be a plus for me? What if I am out of the frying pan, into the fire? How can I judge an unknown environment compared to what is known but appears to make me unhappy? Don't have a lot of options here in my current town or anywhere else for that matter so I went ahead and applied.

I can't imagine doing this for 12 more years. Do I take a chance on the unknown even if I don't feel confident about taking chances?

Is 9 months on the job enough to know that you aren't going to be happy? Even when the pandemic ends I don't foresee really enjoying this job.

Originally Posted by Stagemomma

How do I know if changing jobs is going to be a plus for me? What if I am out of the frying pan, into the fire? How can I judge an unknown environment compared to what is known but appears to make me unhappy? Don't have a lot of options here in my current town or anywhere else for that matter so I went ahead and applied.

While you wait, research the company on sites like Indeed.com or Glassdoor, find employee reviews. That might give you an idea --- all in all though imo, it is a crap shoot.

"How much time do you give a job before you move on?"

ASAP, or at least before you need to give them as a reference and/or list them on your resume. Rule of thumb less than three months. If your still there, hang in there until a more appropriate time so as you don't come across as an unsatisfied character. I'm old and a frequent job changer, do not make my mistake. Unless you really like the challenge and stress of looking for a job and explaining the situation to someone else.

[Serious Conversation]

Some of that is going to depend on how you feel about the job.

I switched jobs twice in 2016. The first time I went from a software company that felt like the frying pan to a retail bank's IT department that seemed perfect on paper.

I knew I had made a mistake in less than a week. The job never recovered from that bad start. I mentally zoned out and started looking elsewhere.

You may want to give it a couple more months, but there is going to be a point where it's apparent the job is something you can live with or not.

[jobaba]

Originally Posted by Stagemomma

How do I know if changing jobs is going to be a plus for me? What if I am out of the frying pan, into the fire? How can I judge an unknown environment compared to what is known but appears to make me unhappy? Don't have a lot of options here in my current town or anywhere else for that matter so I went ahead and applied.

What do you mean out of the frying pan?

You are not doing anything at work.

Jobs where you get paid money to do nothing are still RELATIVELY rare, though CD seems to get posts about them very often.

So, I would ride it out as long as you can.

The alternative is being ridden by bad ownership until you burn out.

A job with good work life balance/semi-interesting work/good co-workers is the goal, but a rare bird.

If you'd rather take the chance at bad co-workers/being ridden like a horse, then do that.

You may also get paid at a lower pay scale where jobs with some downtime are regular. Even so, I'd stick it out for a while.

[sandsthetime]

Originally Posted by Ellis Bell

ASAP, or at least before you need to give them as a reference and/or list them on your resume. Rule of thumb less than three months. If your still there, hang in there until a more appropriate time so as you don't come across as an unsatisfied character. I'm old and a frequent job changer, do not make my mistake. Unless you really like the challenge and stress of looking for a job and explaining the situation to someone else.

Another thing to keep in mind is that should you leave a new job after a few months, prospective employers will wonder why you didn't go back to your old job. They may assume you left on "bad terms" when you reveal no interest in going back to an old employer. I've had that happen once a few years ago when an interviewer tried to make me "feel guilty" by not running back to my old job when a new position I took didn't pan out.

[GSPNative]

Originally Posted by Stagemomma

I've changed jobs recently...left my last job under a cloud of shame as my last supervisor and I did not see eye to eye. I was essentially invited to resign rather than be fired after 2 years on the job. Unfairly, IMHO, the boss was not very effective at communication or leadership. The job was very stressful...about 75% of it I was really good at and I struggled with the rest. Relocated 3x in 3 years........very stressful.

Now I'm settled in a new town with a new job. Took a chance on both. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic there is not much to do at work but sit at a desk and hope people ask me to do something for them. I do crossword puzzles and read books, but the bottom line is the job is boring. Nice people, nice environment, just not enough work to do. And I've been really, really depressed about it. Dread going to work (also dread going home due to loneliness).

A few times I have gotten ideas for interesting projects and run them by my division manager only to be shot down. No encouragement. I have expressed that I am feeling unchallenged and asked for advice on what I could be doing with my time. No response. My immediate supervisor is sympathetic and kind but powerless to help me feel more fulfilled in the job.

Today at work I decided to look at the job postings for my area. Found a job that I am overqualified for but is similar in pay to what I am doing now. Would involve a 35 minute drive to work (I currently have about 12 min drive). Might have opportunity for advancement. It would be closer to my previous position but a step down in responsibility (I would essentially be the assistant instead of the lead person)

How do I know if changing jobs is going to be a plus for me? What if I am out of the frying pan, into the fire? How can I judge an unknown environment compared to what is known but appears to make me unhappy? Don't have a lot of options here in my current town or anywhere else for that matter so I went ahead and applied.

I can't imagine doing this for 12 more years. Do I take a chance on the unknown even if I don't feel confident about taking chances?

Is 9 months on the job enough to know that you aren't going to be happy? Even when the pandemic ends I don't foresee really enjoying this job.

If a job isn't working out, move on as soon as you find one that you believe will work out.

However, how many jobs have you held for short periods? If you keep job hopping and you're over age 30, then it's time to approach finding a new job differently so that the next job "sticks".

[Ellis Bell]

Originally Posted by Ellis Bell

ASAP, or at least before you need to give them as a reference and/or list them on your resume. Rule of thumb less than three months. If your still there, hang in there until a more appropriate time so as you don't come across as an unsatisfied character. I'm old and a frequent job changer, do not make my mistake. Unless you really like the challenge and stress of looking for a job and explaining the situation to someone else.

Originally Posted by sandsthetime

Another thing to keep in mind is that should you leave a new job after a few months, prospective employers will wonder why you didn't go back to your old job. They may assume you left on "bad terms" when you reveal no interest in going back to an old employer. I've had that happen once a few years ago when an interviewer tried to make me "feel guilty" by not running back to my old job when a new position I took didn't pan out.

If you take a job and are there only 90 days, before benefit package, no one ever has to know about it. A person may still need to account for those 90 days on their resume with an activity, but other than that I see no issue with it coming up in an interview. Let me put it this way --- it never did for me. My old school (1992) Instructor recommended that jobs that only lasted 3 months, to exclude them from the resume.

The part that did it in for me is being on a job for less than 2 years and leaving.

From the mid 90s to 2001, it was an employee market. People not staying at a job for longer than 2 years was not frowned upon. However, after 2001 the market changed to an employer market, time on a job became an important issue.

Also as a person ages the companies that they worked for 5-10 years back, sometimes they close, which leaves a resume with no character references to vouch for them. As well, proving you actually worked for the company that you've listed on your resume. By 2003, my references were gone and I had reached the age of 40. Had I stayed at the last company that had employed me in 2000 and not quit I would have been able to continue working in accounting fields.

As it was the company that hired me, could not make payroll on time and sometimes a person would go 30 - 60 days working without pay. None of that I could I mention to a perspective employer, because another rule of thumb, you never ever talk bad about your previous employer. Doing that will make them wonder, if you leave them, what would you say about them.

The reason I played russian roulette with the job market, was because every time I changed jobs I made $1 more an hour. It was my way of self-promotion. Employers would put me in a spot and keep me there. (they still do it) In changing jobs, every year I'd get a pay raise. Then the Towers fell and that was the end of the game of russia roulette.

As an assistant, CEOs found they could do without hiring the extra help, because in the end, they too want that $1 more for their company. VPs had to do their own grunt work ---

So rule of thumb do not be a frequent job changer, even if everyone (is following the self-promotion trend) and their brother is doing it, because in the end it never works. Employers are looking for solid workers; not someone who will cut bait and run at the first opportunity.

The other suggestion I can make is buy the book, "What Color is My Parachute", two publications of the book. I read the first one, the second one I bought for my son. It is a very helpful book. Finding the right job, is like finding the right mate.

[YAZ]

Everyone's mileage varies.....

Right now, we need talent. We don't care how many jobs you've had or how long you were there.

[otterhere]

You've jumped around a lot and presumably won't get a good recommendation from your last employer and may not from this one since you've expressed your dissatisfaction (complaining of being bored). There are countless things you could do with your downtime at work just online alone -- assuming you're not prohibited from doing them when you're not actually working. Research topics of interest, learn something new, take a class, write a novel, waste time on CD, all while being paid. Why did you take this job if it doesn't suit you? It's possible nothing will, you're just not easily satisfied (or are easily dissatisfied) and so you're better off making the best of this one. Is there anything in particular you'd rather be doing?

[blisterpeanuts]

Originally Posted by Stagemomma

I've changed jobs recently...left my last job under a cloud of shame as my last supervisor and I did not see eye to eye. I was essentially invited to resign rather than be fired after 2 years on the job. Unfairly, IMHO, the boss was not very effective at communication or leadership. The job was very stressful...about 75% of it I was really good at and I struggled with the rest. Relocated 3x in 3 years........very stressful.

Now I'm settled in a new town with a new job. Took a chance on both. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic there is not much to do at work but sit at a desk and hope people ask me to do something for them. I do crossword puzzles and read books, but the bottom line is the job is boring. Nice people, nice environment, just not enough work to do. And I've been really, really depressed about it. Dread going to work (also dread going home due to loneliness).

A few times I have gotten ideas for interesting projects and run them by my division manager only to be shot down. No encouragement. I have expressed that I am feeling unchallenged and asked for advice on what I could be doing with my time. No response. My immediate supervisor is sympathetic and kind but powerless to help me feel more fulfilled in the job.

Today at work I decided to look at the job postings for my area. Found a job that I am overqualified for but is similar in pay to what I am doing now. Would involve a 35 minute drive to work (I currently have about 12 min drive). Might have opportunity for advancement. It would be closer to my previous position but a step down in responsibility (I would essentially be the assistant instead of the lead person)

How do I know if changing jobs is going to be a plus for me? What if I am out of the frying pan, into the fire? How can I judge an unknown environment compared to what is known but appears to make me unhappy? Don't have a lot of options here in my current town or anywhere else for that matter so I went ahead and applied.

I can't imagine doing this for 12 more years. Do I take a chance on the unknown even if I don't feel confident about taking chances?

Is 9 months on the job enough to know that you aren't going to be happy? Even when the pandemic ends I don't foresee really enjoying this job.

You know pretty much after the first week or two what the place is going to be like. Sorry but that's been my experience. Sometimes the culture will change if the management or ownership changes. It might get better, or might get a lot worse! I've seen both.

I once had a contract job where they ran out of things for me to do after the first 3-4 weeks, and I basically sat around reading email. I became buddies with the guy in the next cubicle, and I came up with an idea to improve something he was working on, which he was very enthusiastic about, but my manager shot it down because I was in the wrong "reimbursement category" or some such. And to make matters worse, I was apart from my young family because I was working across the country -- eventually they were to move to where I was but not for a few months. So it was lonely.

Stage Momma, you sound like you need to be around people, to be in a social environment. I was going to suggest a home business in the evenings, but work-from-home is maybe not ideal. You could seek a part time evenings-and-weekends position in a retail store or restaurant -- these can be intensely social -- and aside from giving your life more purpose, you are putting away extra money, always a plus.

Another possibility is to take a night course at the local community college or adult ed school. Knitting, calculus, biology, history, finance... whatever floats your boat. If the courses are in-person, is better. You rub shoulders with all sorts of people in these types of courses, and it might give you ideas, and valuable networking for a future, better job, perhaps.

Ellis Bell excellent suggestion of "Parachute" books.

Also, I can recommend "What Should I Do with My Life?" by Po Bronson, in which he interviews a bunch of people who changed careers after getting bored/dissatisfied with life. Easy to read and very interesting, and I found it inspiring.

That other job you mentioned that's a step down and longer commute... doesn't sound too great. It's always best to jump to an employer that values you more than the current one, will pay you more, and is better in multiple ways so that you don't have reason to regret it before you even step foot in the door.

Anyway, best of luck.
-BP