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| It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time… |
by Dona DeZube - October 26, 2007
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The new job sounded perfect: a great working environment, the right amount of travel and an exciting accounting challenge. But a month after you started, you realize the working environment is toxic, the travel is non-stop and your biggest challenge is figuring out what to do about it.
First, take a deep breath. Before making a hasty leap to another job, make sure things really are as bad as they seem. "Talk to the person that hired you and have a frank discussion," suggests Josh Warborg, district president for Robert Half International in Seattle. "It could be this is just the first portion of the job, and it may not be what your long-term position will be."
Or, you may find out that what you heard during the interview is not what was said. "Maybe you think they said 10 percent to 15 percent travel, but you’re traveling 50 percent to 60 percent of the time," says Paul Dorf, CPA, president of Compensation Resources, Inc., in Upper Saddle River, N.J. "They may say, 'You misunderstood, what we said was you're not going to travel more than 20 percent per day.'"
Candor, then Out the Door?
Once you've determined the job conditions aren't going to change, do you tell your firm the job isn't a good fit and give notice, or say nothing and secretly return to job hunting?
"If you make it clear that this is not what your expectations were and their attitude is that is just too bad, you have to leave and take that as your lesson to make sure you ask the right questions going into the next job," says Carl Wellenstein, president of ExecGlobalNet in Downey, Calif. "If you made a wrong decision, you really need to move on."
Indeed, Roberta Chinsky Matuson, principal of Human Resource Solutions in Northampton, Mass., advises that you get out immediately. "Inform your employer that you feel it is in both of your best interests to go your separate ways before the company invests any more resources in you," she says. "Offer to work out your notice period (two weeks), but don't be surprised if you are asked to leave that day."
Dorf disagrees, however. He recommends you stay put and find your next assignment before leaving the current one, especially if a company lied about working conditions to get you on board. "I would never quit until I find another job," he says. "Companies would rather take someone they have to pay more money for and steal (from another firm) than take someone who's on the beach."
Recruit Some Help
Did a recruiter help place you in the wrong job? Go back to him for help. "I've called clients on behalf of candidates and talked about issues about the job or the nature of the work that have changed," says Warborg. "The recruiting firm's best interest is to make sure both the candidate and the employer are happy. If there's a way it can work out and both sides can remain happy, they'll try to find it."
If the job is merely not what you wanted - but not awful - you may want to try and make things work. "Think about sticking it out," says Warborg. "There could be opportunities you're not seeing. What are the long-term opportunities and how does that compare to what's happening currently?" If the employer knows you had it tough when you first started, he adds, you'll be credited as a team player when you stick it out.
You Got Yourself into This Mess
Finally, acknowledge your own part in this fiasco and resolve to do more research and networking before you take a new job. "You may not have done your due diligence," says Dorf. "I can't tell you how many times I've seen people take jobs or go for interviews without knowing anything about the company."
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| LK (Minnnesota) |
on 19 Nov 2007 at 10:40 am |
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| I left a good for one closer to home, only to find out that the business was in the process of being sold. They brought me in to help with the due diligence. Then told me that they were looking for investors and not for sale. I was to be the accounting manager but the accountant assistant didn't want anyone to manager her. She didn't want a supervisor and didn't feel she need one. She has no training in accounting only limited work experience. The CFO walked off the job after I was here three months. The business has since been sold and I am continuing my search for different employment. The work environment continues to be very hositle. |
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| CD (Maryland) |
on 15 Nov 2007 at 8:35 pm |
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It has been my experience that recruiters are only interested in making a commission. The ones I have had the misfortune of dealing with don't take the time to determine if it is a right fit for the employee.
I too just left a position which I held for almost 3 years. I was working for new CFO who was inexperienced in the management of personnel. The first year and a half everything was wonderful. The next year the CFO was demoted and my nightmare began. The atmosphere was toxic to say the least. My position reported to the new CFO and this created problems. The finance department of which I was a member would have meetings lead by the demoted CFO and not invite me. Most of my responsibilities where taken away from me and I was place in a cube in the noises part of the office. I spoke with the new CFO and Human Resources to no avail.
My health was jeopardized and I am sure that my performance was on the decline as well, I hated going to work. My position was eliminated and the dysfunctional CFO has been restored to CFO after the company when public. The interim CFO has no authority and I am treated poorly.
In hind sight I should quite when it was evident that there was a problem. I find I have been so raddled that I am short tempered and incapable of handling stress. I unable to return to the work world even thought it is not financially feasible. If ever I find myself in the same situation I will walk away. |
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| GZCPA (Ohio) |
on 15 Nov 2007 at 3:13 pm |
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| I accepted a position 4 1/2 years ago that was a tremendous opportunity at the time. I was recruited to become the controller of a small, privately-held financial firm, reporting directly to the owner. The recruiter told me that the firm would double in size in the next year due to explosive growth. When I arrived on the job, I discovered that the firm's cash flow didn't cover its monthly A/P. I was asked to lie to a creditor (which I refused to do). I observed that the owner wrote personal checks out of the company's cash account to make his yacht payments, as well as the remodeling of his new house. There were other issues as well. After ten weeks on the job, I submitted my resignation and walked out 15 minutes later. After I had left the firm, I learned that the company cash flow had deteriorated so badly that they failed to make payroll twice. One senior member of the firm was observed forging signatures of clients on loan documents. Instead of doubling its number of loan offices as I had been told by the recruiter, after four-plus years the company has not expanded at all. It was a difficult time during my job search, but I landed an outstanding position with a highly ethical company where I still work today. It was a tough lesson, but I will now be wary of recruiters who make claims that seem too good to be true. |
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| KJ (OH) |
on 05 Nov 2007 at 2:04 pm |
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| I also left a good job for one closer to home and that paid 10% more. This was a temp to perm, and it was the only way the company hired employees. I went in on the second week, only to be told the job was cancelled the previous Friday and no one from the agency I was working for had informed me. I was told that the job was ending because " I asked too many questions that could not be answered" ( by the office manager). I called the agency, and my contact had no idea what had happened. He promised to look for another position for me, but of course, I have never heard from him since, and that was 5 weeks ago. |
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| web (maryland) |
on 01 Nov 2007 at 7:49 am |
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| I left a good job for one closer to home, on the first day I learned that my job was changed from asst to supervisor, my co-worker whom I was to supervise instead of assisting her with the job was very nasty and did not want to work as team player because she asked for help was told that she would get help and let me know that she did not want a supervisor, I worked 136 days with a nighmare, was in my Bosses office everyday, requested meetings for all of us, received none was just asked to hang in there things were going to change. They changed alright, my boss at the time of my interview was looking to move on himself. After dealing with a co-worker who refuse to work and no support, I just said forget this. After being told so many times that they felt bad about the way they delivered the information to my co-worker about my job title the day before I started. Funny thing is the girl had no payroll skills, came aboard as a temp, company kept her on to do payroll when the payroll person resigned. I could not understand for the life of me why they kept her since she had not filed nor kept employees records up to date for over 9 months. I know next time to follow my inter feelings. |
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