It’s a jobseekers worst nightmare (or at least one of the main ones). You start your new job and…you hate it. HATE IT.

You tell your mates, your partner, your ex colleagues…they hear all your moans and groans about your new job (yep, the one that you hate!)

But before you do something spontaneous and hand that “I quit” letter in, TheEmployable thought it wise to share with you a few timely questions and pointers that you might first want to consider. So if you hate your new job, keep reading!

Is it you or the job?

It’s an obvious question, but one that, in the thick of things you are likely not to be considering. So to measure up whether it’s actually you, not the job that’s causing such hate, consider this list of possible reasons:

• You miss your old work colleagues. Of course the familiarity of your old colleagues and work friends, measured against a bunch of new colleagues you don’t know, may cause angst.
• You had unrealistic expectations of the job. - especially if this is your first job, it could be a case of frustration that the job you now have is not all fireworks and awards - more like routine and responsibility. It could even be (again if this is your first job) that you just have unrealistic expectations about the world of work full stop!!
• You have unrealistic expectations of the company. You read “riverside location” in the job spec as “high spec office opposite fine smelling coffee shop and ‘Thames location”.
• You’ve just decided the job / company ain’t for you. This can just happen and no matter how much you consider and reason, this probably isn’t going to change.

Have you given your new job enough time?

It’s true to say that ‘people make snap judgements’ and also that ‘time is a healer’ - so how does this relate to you starting and then subsequently hating your new job? Well, it’s not unusual to make a snap call on such a momentous work / life moment as a new job. In fact, it’s not that unusual to find any major life changes, stressful.

Alongside getting married, divorced, moving house, starting university, being made redundant…starting a new job can be a very stressful and destabilising force in your otherwise organised life. Therefore it’s not unusual that even though you might think you hate your new job, you just initially hate the change that your new job brings.

So consider ‘time is a healer’ and also give your new job a little time before making that all important decision to move on.

Have you expressed your concerns?

Apart from having a moan with your friends and family outside of work, have you spoken to your line manager or someone from personnel about your concerns? Of course this is optional and might not work if you don’t feel your manager is approachable or there is not an appropriate moment. However, if you are due an appraisal or a performance review and you feel able to talk honestly about any issues you have, this might be a way of resolving or at least dealing with your concerns. Of course, keep it professional and don’t be overly frank (saying you hate your job might be a no go!). Not for everyone, but at least an option to consider.

So there you have it - a few reasonable approaches to take if you “hate your new job”. You never know, by considering your options and giving it some time, you might learn to like or even love your new role. Then again…