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Did I make the right job change decision???

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I recently changed jobs for reasons of commute, job satisfaction, & lack of challenging things to do, the usual standard stuff. After being in this new position, I’m starting to second guess if I made the right decision. I feel like I just took a step back in my career.

What’s the professional thing to do in this type of situation? I’ve only been here a short time (under 4 months). If I decide to seek other opportunities and leave, what will that do to my career both short and long therm? How do I answer inevitable interview questions of why I want to leave after I just started?

I’ve been doing IT type things for 15 years now and just don’t have the energy to put up with some of the crap that I’ve gotten a small taste of the past couple of days. I’ve been doing grunt work while making strategic technology decisions for the organizations I’ve worked for in the past, and here it’s just grun work.

This position was presented to me differently than what it reality is….very differently. I’m finding that this is ‘IT the director’s way or no way’. The director is down at the 60 foot level in terms of the detail with us grunts, telling us how to do things. I think after 15 years I don’t need to be told how to specifically maintain a DNS table.

I’m feeling that I, and the rest of the team, are not trusted by this person. We are not given work at a high level and allowed to figure out how to get it done. We’re given the work and told specifically how the director wants it done. I don’t see the challenge here and if I try to discuss my disagreements, the director yells at me. I’ve seen this happen to others here as well. Very unprofessional and childish in my opinion.

This place is feeling way too Draconian for me, as I’ve never seen an IT shop run in this manner before, and I’m honestly torn about what to do in my situation. I don’t want to call up the place I left since that will triple my commute time one way. Some thoughts from others would be appriciated.

Thanks in advance.

Topic

Very sorry its not working the way you hoped.

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

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What to do…. Well… I would jump quick. You can tell perspective employers just what you have said hear. Its not going to hurt your resume in the long run, if you move to somewhere you prove your worth, and build a good reputation that can be used in the future. Think of what you might get with this place in a year? two? It may be two years of hell with little to show.

If its really bad, quit. If its something that can be worked through, try.

Jobs Don’t Always Work Out

In reply to Very sorry its not working the way you hoped.

I’m sure there are a lot of people with a sad story to tell. I was hired by a VP to run the service support with the title of Service Support Manager. I didn’t know the VP was planning to can the current Service Support Manager. Well… there was a major political warfare battle going on and the Service Support Manager wasn’t canned. I ended up working under him until I was laid off.

What you need to do is prepare yourself for your next job with both hard and soft skills. Then you’ll be in a desirable position for hiring authorities.

Hopefully, you’ll have your job description in writing to review with new employers.

Good Luck!

Tell the Truth

In reply to Very sorry its not working the way you hoped.

Since you aren’t happy where you work, I would suggest sitting down with your boss, and having a honest discussion with him/her about their micromanagement. I have seen in the past that several bosses use this tactic to determine if there are any people with determination and drive.
The worst that can happen is that you go look for another job. The best that can happen is that your boss earns a new respect for you, and sees that you can “rise above” the rest of your peers.

At the very least, you will feel better about clearing the air, and then you can determine your next steps.

I have used this in the past to make it clear that I do not enjoy being micro-managed, and to determine why my boss seems to think that I do. Perhaps your boss has a perception that you need to be micro-managed? If this company is where you want to work, then fight for the position. If not, leave.

Remember, you spend 70% of your life at work, you had better like the environment, or you will be miserable.

tough conversation

In reply to Tell the Truth

Absolutely tell the truth!

It is taking a risk to tell your boss that you think you are being micro-managed. I haven’t yet had the guts to do that with my bosses. (It’s worse when you report to multiple people).

There are other reasons why I am not happy where I am at work (short-staffed, not paid enough, etc.)

However, I have been hanging in there for almost two years, and have been interviewing.

My advice: do both — talk with your boss, but also update your resume on Monster.com and Dice.com and do a few job searches to see what’s out there. Never hurts to have an escape route if things just get too much to handle at work!

Best of luck!

P.S. Take time to do at least one IT cert in the near future to make your skills more valuable and “prove-able”.

Understand Totally !!

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

I am in the same boat you are. I came back to a company that I have worked for part-time for the last 6 years and full-time for 10 years prior to that. When I was approached to come back full-time, I was promised many things most of which have not even come close to being true. My boss wanted me to support his computers and servers, but yesterday his outsourced people (whom he claims he wants to eventually do away with) just about had the boss convinced to remove my admin rights. I have also been prohibited to going to either one of our remote sites. How am I suppose to support and recommend solutions if I have no idea what type of hardware is in the remote locations. I have also been prohibited from touching the servers. I have a meeting with the boss every Monday morning which is when I receive my assignments for the week and I cannot deveate from the assignments. The end-users have also been told not to ask for my help for anything without going to the boss first. For the last two weeks, I have done nothing but create Word templates and burn CD’s. This totally sucks and I am actively looking for another position. If and/or when I get an interview, I will be totally honest as to why I want to leave here even after 3 months (or 17 years depending on which way you want to look at it). My advice is try to keep your head up, do the best job you can, and ALWAYS keep your eyes open.

Good luck.

Relax

In reply to Understand Totally !!

Perhaps your boss knows you put your 100 %, but it is time for others peers to push the job to get done, and your boss wants to see results without you involve. Just relax and a lots of fun and smile.

Lemons into lemonaide

In reply to Understand Totally !!

USe your issues to your advantage. Be honest, the job is not what you expected it to be and that your wealth of experience and judgement is not being utilized. I would love to hear an applicant say… My whole career has been based on being able to make a positive impact and I need to be able to make a difference for my personal satisfaction.

Also this will give you the opening to discuss the environment at your prospective new employers company. You can ask if the prospective position really has the authority and impact that your experience shows you are capable of.

However do not disparage your current employer,,,
If they ask simply say… ‘I did not fully understand the constraints and responsibilities of this job when I accepted it. I want to discuss in detail the corporate culture here so I can make a better dicision this time. I want to be positive it is a good match because my job is a very improtant part of my life. As you can see from my history I am not a job hopper so this situation is a little new to me. ‘

Nice one Bill

In reply to Lemons into lemonaide

You sound like a good IT Manager. Good sound advice.

Tough One

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

I’m really sorry that this happened to you. I know how frustrating it is. I have been in the same boat in the past. When it happened to me, it was right at the start of the big “IT Burst” and the job market for IT folks pretty much fell apart. I had no choice but to stick it out. What I did to make it through was basically apply for and take a job with another team in the IT department. I had to change job functions drastically, but I realized that I could work it to my advantage for my career strategy. I pretty much retrained myself to work in another area. I stayed there for 4 years and just recently left for a new opportunity.

So my advice is, if you can leave, go ahead and leave, no point being “pissed off” about the situation all day if you can help it.

If you can’t leave right now, schedule time in your day for learning activities so that you will be ready when the next opportunity comes along. Keep you head down, be quiet and prepare yourself for your next move.

The most important thing in this situation is not to let this environment stagnate your skills. Keep learning and be on the lookout to make your next move.

All is not lost

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Early in my career I left a company I’d been with for about four years. Same reasons as you. Found the same thing you did, although in my case it only took me a couple of days to realize I’d made a big mistake.

I’d left my previous firm on good terms, so I called my former boss and begged for my job back. After making me serve three months’ penance in my new horrible job he let me return. I stayed with that firm, a Fortune 500 financial services company for 15 more years.

You have a lot of options:

1. Go back from whence you came. Even if it was less than ideal it sounds like it was more tolerable than what you have now. You can keep looking and jump again anytime you want.

2. Make the best of a bad situation. If your new company is big enough, do your time (a year or so) in your current assignment then transfer elsewhere. Or, talk to your current boss about what’s bothering you. Be professional about it, don’t whine, and you might be surprised.

3. You may have developed other opportunities or contacts in the course of the job search that landed you where you are. Call them, and start working that network. If not, then ratchet up the job search process all over again and find something new.

4. Nose around your current place. It may be that change is in the air and your present manager is on the way out, or perhaps there’s an organizational change coming. You may not be as bad off as you think.

5. Look inward. Are things really as bad as you think they are, or are you just suffering from buyer’s remorse? Is there anything you’re doing to make the situation bad, or worse than it is? What about the situation is there that you can control and make it better?

The one option you don’t have…do nothing. You’re miserable, and you owe it to yourself to take an action.

I feel your pain. Hope it works out for you.

Leave now.

In reply to All is not lost

A short term at an employer when your career clearly doesn’t follow the same path is not a problem. You simply tell new prospective employers that the job conditions weren’t as represented during the recruiting process. And be sure to ask lots of pertinenet questions from your new prospective employers to show that you’re serious about finding the right place.

There are lots of opportunities for decent workers in this field.

LEAVE NOW!

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Someone else just said the same thing. Leave now, I did the same thing about 4 years ago. I was offered a job at a hospital but another company outbid them…i went for the money…BAD BAD BAD Decision. I was there 4 months praying to Jesus to get me out of there. I ended back at the hospital and got the position I had originally applied for when another opening became available.

Go to Hotjobs, Monster, Flipdog and your local newspaper and get crackin

🙂

Jim S.

How long were you at your previous job?

In reply to LEAVE NOW!

It is good to change jobs once in a while as long as you don’t do it too often. I once saw the resume of someone who had changed jobs 6 times in the last 3 years with a maximum employment period of 9 months. I wouldn’t want to hire this person or work with him.

At the same time, I have been at my company for nearly 11 years in a technical position. My resume may not look good either. I could be earning more money somewhere else, but I like technical work and my colleagues and managers are the best.

You have every right to ask for

In reply to How long were you at your previous job?

WHile accepting the new job or even during the interview, you have every right to ask questions about the current projects in hand, what is the career path, long term policy of the company. THe way company screws you during interview you also should screw out the interviewer to find if you are entering to safer place…

I did this during my last job change and I denied offers from couple of companies as I didn’t find any growth path..

Even after all care if you find cheated, the you must have a courage to fireback and better leave the job rather than disturbing your practices…

The longer you stay, the harder it will be to explain

In reply to LEAVE NOW!

In germany we call this “probezeit”, which is 6 month at the start of the kob: It helps a company to decide, wether they hired the right person for the job – something which is very hard to do based upon a short resume and a one-hour interview.

But it also helps people to decide, wether the company is right for them – which is also hard to do based on some marketing-flyers and the usual yada-yada people tell you about their business in the interview.

Leave now, before it gets even harder to explain why you stayed there for so long although you’ve known it two weeks after you started your job.

I’ve stayed with a company for one and half years, although I found out in the first week, that basically everything they told me in the interview was plain bullshit. They lied to me in basically every aspect of the job, they lied about the technologies they use, they lied about the degree of skill their development had, they lied about the projects they were doing. I was really, really naive, when I thought, I could change all that.

Really bad was not the fact, that they were not the high-profile, ultra-skilled, top-technology team they made me believe in the interview – really bad was the fact, that they lied to me.

With much work and effort you can maybe influence and improve the technological skills or the business-value of a company, but you cannot change the mind-set of liars. You should realize and accept this better sooner than later.

THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Hi
This has happened to me in the past. Placing my Personnel Manager?s Hat on, the best thing at an interview is to bring round what could appear as negative to a positive. Be honest without putting down your employer, stating that after commencing employment found that the role was not one which you had hoped (I would welcome your honesty). You are now seeking employment where your skills, knowledge etc can be utilised. Also, if previous employment was for a lengthy period, it will seem to a prospective employer that you are not an individual who career hops. I wish you every success, if you need any further interview tips, I can let you have a list. Lesley

My Advice

In reply to THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME

As a tech professional of 20+ years, I’ve seen my share of situations where no one shy of a dog would be happy. Fortunately for me, these “views of life on the inside” were from a consultant and vendor position, but in a few cases, it was very clear that no one could possibly be happy there. Consider your skills, abilities in one hand, and job satisfaction / happieness in the other. If they don’t come close to balancing, start the job search process now. Savy hiring managers are aware that there are some situations out there that are intolerable.

David Parker
President, Competitive Network Solutions, Inc.

Can you send me the list?

In reply to THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME

Lesley,

Can you send me your interview tips list?

Jody

THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Hi
This has happened to me in the past. Placing my Personnel Manager?s Hat on, the best thing at an interview is to bring round what could appear as negative to a positive. Be honest without putting down your employer, stating that after commencing employment found that the role was not one which you had hoped (I would welcome your honesty). You are now seeking employment where your skills, knowledge etc can be utilised. Also, if previous employment was for a lengthy period, it will seem to a prospective employer that you are not an individual who career hops. I wish you every success, if you need any further interview tips, I can let you have a list. Lesley

You’ve already said it…

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

“This position was presented to me differently than what it reality is….very differently.” That says it all right there, and should be easy to understand for any prospective employer.

A few pieces of advice…

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

1. Whether you decide to leave or not, do the best you can at your tasks. It will count in your favour especially if you do actually leave. They could never say you never tried at doing your job. Remember, even though you won’t (I assume) list this boss as a possible referee, later employers may well still make contact (they might even know the guy!).

2. Revisit the positions you (possibly) turned down, the recriters you spoke with etc. In other words, make like you’re trying to get out of your previous job all over again.

3. “Fake it ’til you make it.” This is advice I give EVERYONE. If you’re down in the dumps about it all, people will notice. Even if you’re working efficiently, they’ll see this attitude and *assume* you’re not working hard, that you’re not an asset to the team. So, no matter how you *really* feel, pretent to be happy & cheerful. A positive outlook can hide a multitude of ill-will! And who knows… if you pretend to be happy long enough, you will be! Hence ‘fake it ’til you make it.’

4. Don’t worry about one short engagement on your resume. Like another poster mentioned, it’s the serial short-timers that employers are worried about. Just don’t make a habit of picking poor positions. And be able to explain the reason clearly and WITHOUT blame.

5. Check with any local govermental authorities about false pretenses in the employment process. As long as you KNOW you’ve been TOTALLY honest during your interviews etc, maybe you can cause the employer some grief (assuming you’re going to leave of course!) by formally complaining about the mis-match between description and actual job. You will have to have notes you took during the interview along with formal job desriptions etc to back up your claim. After all, if the goods or services supplied do not agree with how they were described to you, it really doesn’t matter if we’re talking about soap powder, drycleaning services or advertised jobs.

You’ll notice I’ve not mentioned any ‘just do your job’ or ‘try to undermine the boss’ type comments. You must ALWAYS consider such actions beneath you. Stay ethical, honest and work hard. These habits will always help you rise above petty problems.

Hope this all helps.

David.

Yes and No…

In reply to A few pieces of advice…

I agree with much of what this poster said but..
Two things I’ll add; first, don’t even consider the “report the false pretenses of the job description” routine! Bad Idea! Your business is a small world. The last thing you want to do is get know as someone that reported a company to some government agency. What could that possibly get you?

Second, jummping jobs, no matter what people say, is allways tough to explain. The best thing to do is keep your ears open for something better. But do it the smart way, NETWORK! Don’t rely on blindly replying to ads talk to people you’ve worked with and get a sense of where you want to work, and in what capacity. Then map out what it will take to get there and move step by step in that direction. It will take time and effort but the payoff is there.

Lastly, get in the head of the manager that’s riding you too hard. Find out what makes him tick. If you can perform in areas that are important to him you will succed. Especially if he is disliked by others he will relish a chance to have someone on his side. It may seem hard to do but remember “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”

Abort and Reboot

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

If the position was presented differently to you at the interview, you should have no second thoughts about looking for something else. Your current employer is the one who misrepresented themselves and failed to deliver on what was offerred to you at the interview. And it has been my experience to state that to any prospective employers so they understand you will not be taken advantage of.

Run like crazy

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

First… if the director is micro-managing the department, get out fast. Things only tend to get worst. Most companies overlook the length of time at a job because they want to know what you did. There are quite a few consultants who are at a job only a short period of time and then move on look at it in that respect.

The position will eventually go to some one who likes to take direction and doesn’t want to think for themselves.

Trust Your Instincts

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

When faced with moving into a new job, a trusted manager once told me to “give it six months to be fair”. That was great advice which worked well for me for the job I’m in now. What you describe, however, goes beyond simple ‘new-job jitters’. Clearly, as you describe, this IT org is micro-managed in such a way as to squelch any growth opportunities for all involved. Personally, I would waste no more time there and move on. As far as hurting future job possibilities, any hiring manager worth their salt is going to know up front that not every IT org is properly run. Any company that holds this against you probably isn’t worth your time anyway.

Leave Now

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Take some time, and read the book, “Career Warfare”. It will give you good insight into career decisions, no matter how long you’ve been at it.

Also, I think exploring your options would be wise. This is a no win situation, and will become worse if you begin to lose your ability to contain your true emotions.

Leave as soon as possible.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

I was an IT Director for over forty years and I stayed in the details of technology til the bitter end.

However, I was a MBWA type and not a micro manager. Your IT Director sounds extremely insecure and challenged by anyone who might have more technical knowledge than him, or poses any type of perceived political threat.

I believe the proper position of a manager is to help their employees manage their careers and that includes helping them find another position within or without the company.

I have a son in another field than you that has the same situation as you. My adice to him was run don’t walk to the next position, but keep your head up and do the very best job you can as long as you are within your current assignments and do not burn any bridges now or after you leave.

When you leave,forget your old job and do not take that bitter experience with you.

This situation can leave you better or bitter and it will be up to you to decide which it will be.

bad bosses

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

I know your pain, in a way. Once worked programming at a multi-practice medical group. Ex-boss used to be a product manager for the biggest software company in the world. When I started there, he seemed amiable enough. After time, he began getting more and more vocal with me. Until such time, he began to verbally (to where others could hear his comments outside the office) tell me how my code “sucked”. Funny thing was, I was writing code half the time to fix what he’d written wrong that didn’t work at all.

Simply put, lots of businesses make managers and directors out of people who get results. Results are a great thing to get, but not at the expense of your workforce’s morale. Needless to say shortly after I left, both IT support people left. And if I have heard right, he is no longer there and they are recruiting for an IS manager there.

I am lucky to say, I’ve ever had that only one really bad boss in my post-collegiate career. My current boss is very hands-on, but he’s not at all demanding and just makes sure everyone knows what tasks exist.

My best advice to you is…put out your resume and find something else. If you interview, ask questions and be upfront. I told my current boss in my first interview, when he mentioned sometimes I might get called in after hours:”I don’t mind doing that on occasion, but I wouldn’t consider it part of a normal work week and wouldn’t want it to become a regular part of my duties.” Just make sure they know up front how you feel and what you expect. That way, you get the best result. And, don’t be afraid to take a pay cut if you can afford it. I went from being a consultant to being staff and it cost me over $20k, but it is worth it because of benefits and such.

Just keep your chin up. You’ll find something better.

Reply To: Did I make the right job change decision???

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

As a consultant, I’ve been in lots of IT shops. It seems like the industry is FULL of managers like you described. The big problem with technical managers is they can’t let go of the techie side and be a manager. Also, the stress is too much for them.

Until the industry as a whole wakes up and lets upper management know they can’t pull a magic solution out of a hat whenever they want it, we are doomed to their whims. IBM employees have talked about forming a union because of the abuse they receive from their management.

My best advice to you is bail out as soon as possible. Besides, in this industry, 3 months on a job is an acceptable time. Turnover is high!

I guess the decision is yours. Do you want to live in misery where your at? Or, do you want to live with the distaseful prospect of finding another position?

Change the job

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Past is past. If you can’t change the situration, no point worrying. Just look out for another job in the same compnay if you can. Otherwise find a job elsewhere. Do this while you still have the job.

Rock and a Hard Place

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Intervieing the potential employer you should have asked the right questions to figure out who you were really working for. The interview Process is two ways , If you don’t understand that you are doom to repeat and placed in the same situation. It sounds like the job is frustrating more than anything else.Look at the bright side there is no responsibilty on your part if they tell you how to do it and it does not work ?. I would wait it out for another 6 months and then Bail!

Watch your sector

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Watch your sector of responsibilities. Are you bad? It does mean that. Assuming that you are taking 90 of the 360 degrees and the boss said no overlapping that can make your boss decision making faster. In addition you get accomplish the task in less time. As a result your company gets profits. However, the type of leadership that your boss is using is named dictatorial. It works well when the employees are not been long at the job. The policy will imply: all you teams working together as a solution while a centralize communication among the teams. However, you have been long in the company. Can he do an exemption to the policy? No, the other peers will see as discrimination. Can he recommend and exclusion to the rules? Yes, depending on your performance and company policies. Remember use people skill and tactics. As I suggest the answer enhance communication at a different level, for example: I going to trick my boss to dinner and I just said how much the company means to me, remember be polite and enjoy meal. You can be sitting in more money soon!

Time for Review

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Honesty is the best policy with your current and potential employers.

Ask for a one-on-one with management to review the job requirements. Voice your concerns, specifically address how they affect your ability to fulfill the job requirements.

Management and the employee need to agree on job requirements (and performance expectations from both parties). The job has be be a win/win situation, otherwise it’s just a compromise until something better comes along; then both sides lose.

Remember – Compromise is an agreement where both sides go away angry.

A few thoughts from a bosses perspective

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

The only one who can really answer this question is yourself.

A lot of it comes down to a very complex word “WHY”. Why did you take this job in the first place? Your posting hints that the job is closer to home, providing some up side to the situation in terms of time after work. This is a plus to stay.

Now that you have taken this job a few thoughts. I have been a manager in the IT field going on 20 years so my observations may (or may not!) have a grain of truth to them. To me good reasons for leaving a job are for career advancement or because of some significant reason in your life outside of work.

Observations

1) Trust is earned. In your current job you have earned zero trust. Your current boss did not work with you the previous 15 years.

2) Is it possible to gain the trust of the current boss? Proving that you can do things their way in terms of both the technical work and the way they run their shop will earn trust.

3) Before changing anything you have to be accepted as a peer by those whom have the power to make changes. Once trust is established then you can make suggestions as to how to can help your boss be more successful.

4) Why is the boss so micro managing? Usually that happens when they have been burned in the past. Find out what your current boss needs you to do to help them be successful. On the plus side if you do what they say then they have all the accountability.

5) Once you have done the above the way the boss operates may or may not change. However, the most important job for securing your next job is the one you currently have. Do the best you can in this job as viewed by your current boss.

6) This brings us back to why. If the current job does not give you what you need and you know that now without doing the steps I have outlined above then look for another one. However, the next employer is going to ask hard questions about “WHY” you are moving. Jumping to get away from something is not the best way to move. Employers pick up on the signals real quick. However, if a person has made a mistake, recognizing that and fixing it before it takes your career backward is a valid reason to make a change.

7) Loyalty, good judgement, staying power. These are values that employers look for. Your decision to stay or move and the reason why will speak to these values. Think carefully about what message you send.

8) Leave your ego at home if you can. Remember that work is just part of your life, not all of it. That said if you try to follow my advice about earning trust but every day after several months you get more unhappy then I would say you are valid in moving. As a manager I look for people who try to make things work. My advice to you is to do that where you are for six months and then see what you gut is telling you.

One last thing. Having worked for people like your boss before, their trust can be earned but can take awhile.

Good Luck

I agree!

In reply to A few thoughts from a bosses perspective

I have worked with difficult people in a number of different professions. They are everywhere. In interviews I have conduct I don’t want to hear excusses. I want to hear what you did to resolve the problem. There are pros and cons to both mangement types.

I currently have a boss that is too “hands off”, in my opinion. He assigns tasks and responsibilities based on workload instead of competence, leaving me to clean up, appologize, and correct many issues created by others. I have continued to perform to the best of my ability and make suggestions as how to better our customer satisfaction. He has recently been faced with having to answer some tough questions from our board and is beginning to become much more of a baby-sitter. I’m not sure which method was best.

Sometimes you need to wait things out. In our worlds, not much stays unchanged for long. Perhaps you haven’t given your new position a fighting chance. There are ways to earn respect and responsibility, but quitting is not one of them.

Normally would agree . . .

In reply to I agree!

I believe that normally this solution is the best. No matter how much experience I have from previous jobs, school, volunteer work, etc. It doesn’t matter to the current employer. I have to re-establish that they made the right choice.

One thing I usually do if I find myself in this situation (which I have and currently am), I try to arrange a meeting with my boss and discuss what my hiring perception was and what I think is happening. I like to give him/her a chance to provide their perspective. There may be more to why you are being asked to do “grunt” work or something you didn’t think you would be doing.

For example, I found out that the reason I was doing a particular task was because the hiring manager took me into his group without permission from the director. The director felt that someone else should have gotten it. So, the manager asked if I was ok doing this other task till he could slowly move me into the original position he wanted me in. Turns out I spent four good years working for this manager and helping add a lot of value in an unexpected way.

Now on the flip side, my current situation (6 months) is not going to change and I need to re-market myself. This is an organizational culture issue and was a really bad fit. Of course in this case, I was offered and took a different position then the one I got when I walked in on my first day (including a different manager in a different department). I have spent six months attempting to make “lemonade out of lemons”, but it isn’t going to work.

So, the point I guess I am trying to say, is you have to make the best of the position and TRY to earn the respect and trust of the people there. Give it an honest shot to make things work. Then if you feel you have to leave, at least you take a lesson learned with you and can show what YOU did to make things better. That you REALLY wanted it to work out.

Regards

make yourself indispensable

In reply to A few thoughts from a bosses perspective

if the trust and responsibility are not coming quickly enough, find something at your job that know one can do well and learn that skill inside and out. give them something to appreciate you for. it would be even better if even your boss can’t out perform you. that cuts down on the micromanaging. it sounds like your boss has some insecurity issues. these can play to your advantage.

Two thoughts…

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

1) Start looking today.
2) Talk to the people that hired you and feel them out to see if tkhey realize what’s going on — unless the person that hired you was the director.

Been There, Done That

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

.
A similar thing happened to me in the late 80s when I took a job and regretted it, almost from the very start. Man, oh man, I said to myself; this was not at all what I was expecting, nor what I was told to expect. And discussions with people in higher management positions either resulted in nothing at all, or was simply conversation that fell upon deaf ears. It quickly became obvious to me that I had made a bad decision, and that I was not going to be happy if I stayed. I quit after only four months.

Just like in golf, don’t follow a bad shot with a stupid attempt to recover without a little pain. If you hit an errant tee shot into the trees, and the only clear shot to the green is a little 6″ gap between a dozen different trees with a slight fade at the end — a shot that even a “Tiger Woods” would have a hard time making — then a little chip-shot back out to the fairway, even if it’s losing a little ground, is the shot for us mere mortals to take. You don’t want to take a shot where your ball is bouncing between trees, and you end up even worse off than you were before. Scoring a birdie, at this point, is out of the question; a par is highly unlikely, so playing that particular hole for a bogie is the play of the moment. After all, if you can escape that hole without a double or triple-bogie — or worse — you have a better chance to make-up for it on future holes.

So take your little chip-shot back out to the fairway — even if it’s a shot backwards. Tell the folks at your new place that you made a bad shot — a bad decision — by taking the job in the first place, and that you can’t see your future through all the trees. It may not mean going back to the tee box (i.e. your former employer), but it does mean that you have to get yourself back out into the clear where you can actually see your target. After all, how can you possibly hit a target you can’t even see?

Oh, and about the lost four months, don’t worry about it. Just do what you feel is the right thing to do, and simply let the chips fall where they may. If you had a long employment stint with the last employer, and you don’t have a habit of job-hopping, it won’t be a factor. Besides, who says you have to list that experience on any resume or bring it up with potential future employers? A lot of people take a few months off between jobs so they can get refocused on the next step in their lives. What did I do with my “bad shot”? I never mentioned it to anyone, and it was never a factor.

Best of luck to you. Hit ’em long and straight — and keep your eye on your target.

Hang in there!

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

I can relate to where you are, but can tell you that most of my job changes (5 in 20 years), have resulted in some questions like yours. There is always comfort in knowing what you did in the last job – even if you didn’t like it! – and trepidation about a new job.

Rather than discussing disagreements with your director on specific tasks, have you tried talking about wanting more of a challenge? I’ve seen several micro-manager bosses who take any questioning as a personal attack, but will work with you if you approach without confrontation. Tell him you’d like to take on a project to run DNS more efficiently and that you will update him bi-weekly or monthly on how it is coming (for example).

The danger to your resume is that if you have many changes over a short period of time, prospective employers may see that as a problem – hard to work with, attitude, etc. If this is the only one, it should be fairly harmless, as long as you are honest about why you are leaving, without badmouthing the company. There was obviously something about the job/company that appealed to you, it is the working environment that has let you down.

the location where you work makes a difference

In reply to Hang in there!

Hi,
The job location makes the difference when changing jobs a lot. If you are in a one tech shop town, then you have to ask for larger challenges to keep you either occupied or more employable. If you are in a place like washing ton dc then you have to ask then you have to ask for larger challenges to keep you more employable in the area. The bottom line is if you are single ask for more challenges, get it; accomplish/overcome it; and move on either at that place or annother.

Suggestions

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Mr. Shroud: I sympathize; I too have 15 years of IT exp. Best 3 bosses trusted me, valued my input, passed up suggestions and were not threatened by my iniatiave. All said that my efforts made them look good. Current boss is 10 years younger than me and he has a wonderful mgmt style. Next time, in the interview, ask the mgr “What is your management style.” If they say they “don’t have one” then that is a red flag. Supervising and motivating peole is a skill just like SQL or VB. Start looking; you can’t change people but you can change how they make you feel.

Making the Right Career Choice…

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

First of all, let me begin by saying I understand your not
wanting to make the long commute back and forth. It’s
gets to be exhausting and eventually wears on you. You
are right to feel the way you do, in retrospect to deciding
what to do with your job, you can simply use this job as a
stepping stone to the one that comes along that’s a good fit
for you. Or you can just simply walk away (quit) because of
poor working conditions and take the risk of going back to
your old job, but why would you want to do that?

No one should have to work under those conditions. I
recently resigned from a position I was in after 7 years
because the boss saw it fitting to start “talking down to me”
and start using words like “incompetent,” “Immature,”
“Careless,” and other hurtful words that eventually tore into
my intelligence and was causing my productivity level to
slip. She began listening to other people who for some
reason did not like the flavor I brought to the position, and
stopped allowing me to set up systems and routines that
greatly benefitted my position.

The working conditions became too intense, and difficult to
work under. So the last time she called me incompetent and
careless, was the day I delivered my resignation, and left
four days later. I accepted a new job the same day, but
took a pay cut, and lack of challenge. I’ve been here a year,
but for me, I see this as a stepping stone to something
bigger and better — getting A+ certified and working in
the IT Field.

You will be Ok. It’s a matter of making the right choices
that wont make you feel even worse later. And whatever
you do, don’t yell back. I think it’s a lack of ethics,
consideration and professionalism for a company to
misreprsent a position, especially as hard as jobs are to
come by these days. In saying this, the way I see it, you
have two options, quit or use this job as a stepping stone
to the right job that will not cause you to make long
commutes, and will provide the opportunities you’re
looking for. When that job does come along, resign
gracefully. This way there is no guilt when you walk away
into your new job. You deserve better. Not to be treated
as if you were still in elementary school, and especially if
you’ve been doing your job for 15 years. My goodness,
your boss needs to lighten up or he’s going to watch his
entire IT staff split the scene. Then where’s he left?

Don’t be too concerned about changing jobs hurting your
career. This one short-lasting job will not hurt you. But if
the interviewer asks why you left after four months, be
honest to an extent. Employers will frown at candidates
who have a history of being at jobs less than four to six
months at a time showing no stability whatsoever. That’s
not the case with you.

Good luck. Remember, no one should work in the
conditions you are working in. It could possibly cause
high, unwanted stress levels.

The voice of experience

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

I walked away from a job that was unsatisfying and demeaning, that made me feel hollow and unproductive. It was a government job, I’d had it for decades. I really left because of the threat of outsourcing, I wanted to be the first rat to jump ship. But the underlying motivation was there, without it I would have stayed.

Every day since then has been a nightmare. The company that hired me was conning me, just pumping up their revenue so the owners could sell it and we all got laid off 365 days later. I had to take consulting jobs that kept me away from home for weeks at a time. I was unemployed for two years out of ten. Our retirement assets are ruined. I am barely making what I was making in 1995. The job I finally ended up with is more professional and satisfying than the one I left, but it’s not worth the intervening ten years.

There’s more to life than job satisfaction.

Request offer letter.

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Now that I have moved from “help desk” to Network Admin / Layer 3 support, I will not except a position without an offer letter that lays out responsibilities/opportunities, salary, and authorities.

By doing this, if I feel I am being shortchanged and can pull out the agreement and show them that it was agreed that I would be responsible for X, Y, Z and have authority over A, B, C.

Trust me, always request and if possible, require an Offer Letter. Besides, if the company is worth working for then they will understand that this is good business and positive incentive for employees.

Jumping ship is OK…

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

just get a life jacket. You’re not alone. I’ll bet most people who read your problem have been there at one time or another — including me.

You have a well justified reason for bailing out and any good propective employer will not hold it against you.

Use the situation to your advantage and make notes of all the things there you don’t like. Use those notes to craft questions for any future interviews (they do go both ways) so you can weed out any other such sites as you look for a better place.

When you do interview elsewhere, be up front and succinct telling why you want to leave. Don’t make it sound like you’re bashing the company. Simply say the job was described one way to you and it is nowhere near how they described it, and you realized once you started working there, that they were less than honest about the position with you.

The one place I worked at like that, I knew by the end of the first week I wasn’t going to stay. I began looking around and was gone before I had worked there 4 months. The company I bailed from went bankrupt within 2 years after I left. Sure it feels lousy, but it’s an honest mistake and good hiring managers will be able to see that.

Keep your head high and get the he.. out of Dodge!

Good luck,

Jim

Reply To: Did I make the right job change decision???

In reply to Jumping ship is OK…

I think its okay to have a variety of experience on a resume. As each job will offer something else to learn right, the way the IT market I doubt that recruiters will say things if they see lots of projects on someone’s resume.

As there is no point in working for a place when you dont like what you are working with.

Can you gain his trust?

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Before you jump ship, or while you’re looking for another ship…try a different approach. Either he’s a controller, a micromanager, or he’s more geared to be an IT tech than manager, and doesn’t know how to let go. You can re-educate him if it’s one of the latter two – at least, it’s worth a try. The next discussion that comes up, tell him you were thinking about doing it “this way” and ask for his advice. Make it clear in your conversations that you value his opinion by asking questions and seeking suggestions rather than just telling him how you think it should be done. If you can get your idea in and then get him to validate it before he tells you how to do something, he’ll start realizing that you really can handle your job. Give him a chance to figure out that he’s hired somone he can trust enough to let go.

Do this for a few weeks – and then, be the person who initiates the discussion – and let him know how you intend to handle it, then ask if he agrees.

It may not work – but it’s certainly worth a shot, and at the very least, it will relieve some of the friction. It’s a royal pain – but not as big a pain as getting yelled at for questioning The Boss’ ideas. And in the process, you’ve gained a valuable communication skill.

Take care of yourself

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Leave!!!
You made a miscalculation based on incomplete information.

A stint of a few months or less–especially with a solid track record–should not be damaging. I’ve been a CIO for >12 years, and would not hold an honest (“I made a move but it turned out to be a mistake”) response against a candidate.

In order to contribute, you need to be involved, invested, and even enthusiastic about what you are doing. Staying will only do harm to your psyche, you sound very miserable there.

Life is too short,
Marty

Same here…

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

I am in a similar situation where I work and people have dropped off of our team like flies because of one big waste of office space…our VP. Sorry to hear about your situation, but your not alone. What about going back to your old job? Possibility? If so you could pretend it never happened. If not, how fast can you get some consulting work to fill the space on your app while you look for somethign more fitting? The longer you stay, the more committed and bigger hole you will have to fill on the resume. Just my 2 cents, Im a 15 year IT Guy too!

Good Luck!

Start getting out now!!!

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

SAME EXPERIENCE

I had the exact same experience. I worked for an IT company for 6 years and then contracted at a bank for a year. In both cases my employers trusted me with my work and decision making. I thought that I wanted to see some more places and technologies and moved onto an insurance company’s IT shop.

BIG MISTAKE.

On day one I realised it was a mistake and started looking from the first month. Yes, first up you’ll get the questions on why hop so fast. I think just tell them that you need to work in a environment of trust.

In my case I also thought hopping so fast will be a problem, and I tried to spin some clever answers. Only when I started being honest about my motives did I get positive repsponses.

REGRET

Everyday you spend there you’ll regret your move there and it will eat away at your soul.

Let me guess, you probably don’t get along with the entrenched people there either. My experience was that long-timers also don’t trust any new comers and that you need to do everything their way (even if it is wrong) before you get accepted.

NEW JOB

This is also a good time to evaluate what you want to achieve with your career and life so be really picky about what interviews you want to attend and what you want to apply for.

I went on about twenty interviews and declined a few offers along the way and after a year I saw the rigth opportunity I went for it.

Now I work in a trusted environment again, learn new technologies and I am even making friends in the new place.

I joined an IT company and right now we do work for a telecoms company. Although the telecoms company is not the most enjoyable client, at least I’m shielded from that because I am there in an IT company’s capacity and not as myself.

So get out now or become one of them.
Good luck and all the best.

Roll Out

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Man, you know whats in store, so why wait roll out. Can you move closer to the JOB you left?

Should I leave my current job?

In reply to Roll Out

I am currently working at a small law firm as a networking assistant. I have been working here for about two monthes. I found out I would not learn much in my current job as I expected at the beginning because our company outsource the servers to outside consulting company. Now I got better offer from my old company which I left about two monthes ago because I used to work there part time as a desktop support. My old company is a big company. I am not sure I should go back to my old company or not because I just started working in my current company.

In the same boat

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Wow..it’s almost as if I wrote that myself. I’m in the same exact situation. Changed jobs w/ promises of doing some great things, and I’m doing nothing but PC Tech stuff…after being the lead engineer at my last job. This is not what was agreed upon.

My thoughts? If you don’t see it improving, then you should look elsewhere. When asked why you left so quick, explain to them that what was discussed before taking the job is not what the job turned out to be and your knowledge & experience weren’t being utilized properly. That’s exactly what I plan on saying…and in both of our cases, it surely sounds like it’s true.

Best of luck w/ your situation. You’re not alone.

Directors….lack of knowledge

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

My story is little different from your case.. I am in France, working with one American company and now I am on my one month notice period… the reason is I don’t speak good French..

I have 15years of IT experience, was working before in English speaking country and for some family reason we have moved here…

During my interview, the director said language is not important and I got permanent job, after 10 months of my work now the Director says (he is French man) I don’t speak good French, the funny is, he is the one interviewed me… and he knew about my quality of work and my vast experience in IT..

Now I have taken as challange to improve my language skill to prove to the same misleading director with in this country…

Don’t worry, we will fight till the end where our quality of work and knowledge should not go devastate…

Good Luck…

Definitely Leave

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

I don’t see you leaving this position as hurting your career in the short or long term. Obviously, it would help to find something else before you leave. Like one reply stated, tell your perspective employer exactly what you wrote here. Many would welcome a hard worker who wants to be challenged.

Life’s too short to work a job you’re not happy with. You’ve got good reasons for wanting to leave this position and a new employer will understand that.

Dash

not a problem to leave imho

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

I personally don’t see a problem with you leaving. And if you are honest in interviews I don’t see it as hurting your career either. I wouldn’t berate the company but just say that the job you interviewed for and told you were hired for ended up not being the job you were given. The job you were given was a step backwards for you career wise, there was no challenge or opportunities for you to expand your knowledge and experience and now you are just trying to get yourself back on track and find a position that will utilize all the experience you have and even give you some additional opportunities for growth and advancement. I don’t see how anyone can fault you for that. I know I certainly would not.

At the end of the day

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Don’t want to be over simplistic, but I guess there’s only one option, and that is to find another job. Going to your former job right now would be an inconvenience. It seems that you’re not happy in your current job and that is one good reason why looking for your ‘place in the sun’ is the best course of action. Well, at the end of the day, your personal happiness is what really matters. Of course, that’s just my opinion!

So why ask me?

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Listen, you made the decision to do what you did, you figure out what to do. Why do you think an online posting is going to solve YOUR problems? Do you think anyone really cares?

Bail out *NOW*

In reply to Did I make the right job change decision???

Look, you only have four months invested in this. Do you honestly think you can work for this control freak for YEARS? Think about it…you made this job change for lifestyle reasons, and he’s making your lifestyle miserable. Anyone looking at your resume will understand your situation…there are plenty of us with a boss like that in their past. Heck, his reputation may already be known in the IT community where you are, and you just weren’t aware of it. Bail out now while you still have your sanity and self-respect intact.

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