Unsure about new job

Hi all,

This is going to be a bit long, so my apologies.

I was employed in a top tier investment bank for about 3 years. I had an entry level job which was slightly below my qualifications, but I nonetheless accepted the job at the time as I was offered a permanent contract and the company brand was definitely a huge asset on a CV.

I ended up working on my own under the supervision of a direct manager in my office and an overseas department head (none of us was reporting to her). Unlike my colleagues, the department head overseas often had me travel to their overseas office for weeks at a time to bond with the team. She assigned several high value projects to me and was definitely a mentor during those 3 years. Unfortunately, I didn't report to her and my local management didn't like the relationship I had with her, so they used many tactics to sabotage me (and get me to leave). I was a top performer, receiving accolates from other heads/directors and even clients. I was proud of my performance and liked going to work in the morning.

The reason why I left was because the salary was incredibly low as compared to the industry peers, the opportunities for progression were non-existent (unless you played the goodie-goodie two shoes with the local management) and there was a huge rate of resignations (the floor was close to being empty when I left). Although I had gotten promoted before I left, I realized that promotion round was bogus as they promoted about 85% of the floor which was unusual as they would normally promote 1-2 persons per year tops. I'm guessing they used that strategy to retain the few remaining people and justify a salary increase (insignificant).

I adored working with the team abroad despite the toxicity of my local management. The local management was bordering on bullying, but those words are obviously a trigger in the workplace, so I kept my mouth shut.

Anyway. A recruiter contacted me back in January for a fixed-term contract at a top accounting firm. When reading the job spec, I had advised him the job was not a 100% in line with what I wanted/did in the past and the addition of the fixed-term contract aspect was another factor to consider. I went to two interviews and ended up getting a permanent contract right away along with a significant salary increase. I accepted, but I have to say tyhe recruiter pressurized me quite a lot calling me 5 times a day.

I left my former employer and started employment at this one three weeks ago... only to find out that although I got a salary increase, I had sacrificed quite a bit:

1. The job would not entail any travel whatsoever

2. There is a dual management in the same light as my former employer (e.g: the person submitting you for promotion etc.. has no overview on your work. Your line manager is only there for operational queries. The second manager located elsewhere is oly there for career developement purposes).

3. There is a promotion freeze that has been ongoing for a long time and it's a common policy for the company to practice promotion freezes (I had moved jobs for advancement prospects)

4. The tedious tracking tasks, systems input etc .. I was running for from my former employer, I found in this job ten times fold. My former employer's was more flexible

6. I have to commute, which I didn't have to do with my former employer.

7. I'm not 100% thrilled about the job tasks as they seem very very bland to me (if not worse than my previous employer's)

I was considered for several positions internally at my previous jobs and I decided to pursue this one instead. Now I regret it. I don't miss my former local manager, but I severely miss my team overseas although I didn't sit with them all the time, obviously.

How long should I wait before I make up my mind about this?

Thanks.

What are your alternatives? If you don't like it, you don't like it. Plain and simple. Have another plan and go to it. Just a thought also: you may not be as competitive as you think you are. At check points like this in the past, previously in my career, I've asked myself about soft skills and other skills that I might have and not have yet. In addition to accounting, I went back and completed an HR designation/2 year post grad program for people management because I didn't feel I was up to par. I'm not sure why you're stuck in these entry level type jobs and I can't seem to locate what your career goals are. It's ok to feel stuck. It causes us to question where we are at. What are you actually looking to do?

It's not fair for you to place blame on the recruiter, insinuating because he "called 5 times a day" that your dislike of this job is in any way his fault.

He was doing a job, and you accepted. This is your responsibility for accepting, not his fault for "pushing" you into this. Take responsibility, and you can learn from this.

Most of the things on your list of dislikes are things you should have already known about: the lack of travel, the commute, etc.

As Rose Mosse said, spend some time figuring out what you want to do, where you want to go, and how you want to get there, instead of staying in these entry-level jobs you don't like.

What are your alternatives? If you don't like it, you don't like it. Plain and simple. Have another plan and go to it. Just a thought also: you may not be as competitive as you think you are. At check points like this in the past, previously in my career, I've asked myself about soft skills and other skills that I might have and not have yet. In addition to accounting, I went back and completed an HR designation/2 year post grad program for people management because I didn't feel I was up to par. I'm not sure why you're stuck in these entry level type jobs and I can't seem to locate what your career goals are. It's ok to feel stuck. It causes us to question where we are at. What are you actually looking to do?

I think my post is not very clear or maybe the trajectory was misunderstood. I'm not sure where you're getting the fact that I am "struck at entry level". If I was, I would have written this on my post.

I'm not at entry level at this stage. As indicated in my post, I got promoted in my former job and left shortly after. My current position is a step above my former one, though not managerial level yet. It's safe to assume I'm past the entry level given the fact that my current position required 3 years minimum of financial industry experience and I fell within this bracket (3 years).

It's not fair for you to place blame on the recruiter, insinuating because he "called 5 times a day" that your dislike of this job is in any way his fault.

 

He was doing a job, and you accepted. This is your responsibility for accepting, not his fault for "pushing" you into this. Take responsibility, and you can learn from this.

 

Most of the things on your list of dislikes are things you should have already known about: the lack of travel, the commute, etc.

 

As Rose Mosse said, spend some time figuring out what you want to do, where you want to go, and how you want to get there, instead of staying in these entry-level jobs you don't like.

I never placed the blame on the recruiter! Please re-read my thread properly. I simply said he was a bit pushy and I felt a bit pressured, but this is not his fault! I'm the one who accepted the job, not him, but the truth is that the job spec he gave me has nothing to do with what I'm doing at the moment.

The lack of travel and commute are mere additional comments to why I'm disliking my current situation. They're not core elements. I was advised during the interview there would be travel required, but now, it turns out there's none. I was not aware of this.

I'm seeking advice as to how long I should stay to assess if I actually should make a move. I'm not asking for people to attack me of what I awkwardly said.

Thanks for clarifying. Re post #4

If you're advancing, I'm not sure what the issue is. The points you listed, to be honest, are quite cosmetic and not very substantial.

Let's go through them one by one:

1. The job would not entail any travel whatsoever

Why do you need travel in your position to keep you engaged? This seems unnecessary and you've not mentioned how it's critical in any way to the position itself.

2. There is a dual management in the same light as my former employer (e.g: the person submitting you for promotion etc.. has no overview on your work. Your line manager is only there for operational queries. The second manager located elsewhere is oly there for career developement purposes).

This seems to remind you of your previous position only. Again, it's not quantifying how it actually affects your position or the way you complete your tasks or whether it hinders your success rate at this position.

3. There is a promotion freeze that has been ongoing for a long time and it's a common policy for the company to practice promotion freezes (I had moved jobs for advancement prospects)

But you just promoted yourself by moving to this new position. On the outset/as an outsider looking in, you're seeming overly critical of a position you barely know and looking for advancement before you've even passed your probation period. It doesn't sound like you know your colleagues or the company very well. I know you've done your research but this evaluation seems premature and the effect of the freeze on your future advancement is unclear.

4. The tedious tracking tasks, systems input etc .. I was running for from my former employer, I found in this job ten times fold. My former employer's was more flexible

This is cosmetic and all systems can be streamlined. You haven't stuck around long enough to see the ways or come up with new solutions to bring to the table. While tedious on the outset, there may be room for improvement. I'd review this again as this type of thinking is going to earn you a medal for self-entitlement and lack of respect with your peers. These are soft skills.

6. I have to commute, which I didn't have to do with my former employer.

It seems like an inconvenience but you have just promoted yourself and advanced to a greater position. I'm not sure why you're allowing a commute to stop you in your career development in the big picture. Would you be able to safely say that this affects your overall mental and physical health/well being?

7. I'm not 100% thrilled about the job tasks as they seem very very bland to me (if not worse than my previous employer's)

This reiterates several of the points above and it boils down to how much you really want to advance your career. If you don't see yourself in this position, that's completely up to you. You are entitled to make whatever you want out of it. I'd only suggest to take it down a notch and be a bit more realistic about your advancement if you believe this is advancement in the bigger picture. Not everything will be cut the way you want it to be. That's part of the growing and improvement process. You will not be growing if the company or your position is exactly the way you want it to be.

Thanks for clarifying. Re post #4

If you're advancing, I'm not sure what the issue is. The points you listed, to be honest, are quite cosmetic and not very substantial.

Let's go through them one by one:

 

1. The job would not entail any travel whatsoever

Why do you need travel in your position to keep you engaged? This seems unnecessary and you've not mentioned how it's critical in any way to the position itself.

 

2. There is a dual management in the same light as my former employer (e.g: the person submitting you for promotion etc.. has no overview on your work. Your line manager is only there for operational queries. The second manager located elsewhere is oly there for career developement purposes).

This seems to remind you of your previous position only. Again, it's not quantifying how it actually affects your position or the way you complete your tasks or whether it hinders your success rate at this position.

 

3. There is a promotion freeze that has been ongoing for a long time and it's a common policy for the company to practice promotion freezes (I had moved jobs for advancement prospects)

But you just promoted yourself by moving to this new position. On the outset/as an outsider looking in, you're seeming overly critical of a position you barely know and looking for advancement before you've even passed your probation period. It doesn't sound like you know your colleagues or the company very well. I know you've done your research but this evaluation seems premature and the effect of the freeze on your future advancement is unclear.

 

4. The tedious tracking tasks, systems input etc .. I was running for from my former employer, I found in this job ten times fold. My former employer's was more flexible

This is cosmetic and all systems can be streamlined. You haven't stuck around long enough to see the ways or come up with new solutions to bring to the table. While tedious on the outset, there may be room for improvement. I'd review this again as this type of thinking is going to earn you a medal for self-entitlement and lack of respect with your peers. These are soft skills.

 

6. I have to commute, which I didn't have to do with my former employer.

It seems like an inconvenience but you have just promoted yourself and advanced to a greater position. I'm not sure why you're allowing a commute to stop you in your career development in the big picture. Would you be able to safely say that this affects your overall mental and physical health/well being?

 

7. I'm not 100% thrilled about the job tasks as they seem very very bland to me (if not worse than my previous employer's)

This reiterates several of the points above and it boils down to how much you really want to advance your career. If you don't see yourself in this position, that's completely up to you. You are entitled to make whatever you want out of it. I'd only suggest to take it down a notch and be a bit more realistic about your advancement if you believe this is advancement in the bigger picture. Not everything will be cut the way you want it to be. That's part of the growing and improvement process. You will not be growing if the company or your position is exactly the way you want it to be.

Thank you for the detailed feedback.

This is why I posted this thread. I know I'm too critical of this position already when I haven't given it a full chance yet. Hence, my question to see how long it really takes to fully figure it out. I don't want to jump ship just yet because I'm feeling inadequate. It could be that my former employer's environment was so toxic that I now need to just find negative traits to every employer. I'm not sure.

I want to give it a faire shot, three weeks is clearly not enough and it seems as though I'm criticizing for the sake of criticizing. I'm a bit confusewith myself to be honest.

I don't want to feel ungrateful as I know many people would want such position. I think it could be that I'm just desoriented and out of my comfort zone.

Thank you for the detailed feedback.

 

This is why I posted this thread. I know I'm too critical of this position already when I haven't given it a full chance yet. Hence, my question to see how long it really takes to fully figure it out. I don't want to jump ship just yet because I'm feeling inadequate. It could be that my former employer's environment was so toxic that I now need to just find negative traits to every employer. I'm not sure.

 

I want to give it a faire shot, three weeks is clearly not enough and it seems as though I'm criticizing for the sake of criticizing. I'm a bit confusewith myself to be honest.

 

I don't want to feel ungrateful as I know many people would want such position. I think it could be that I'm just desoriented and out of my comfort zone.

Don't worry- you don't sound ungrateful at all. It is not easy moving to a different company. Everything is different and sometimes it's the systems that make or break us. Work with it and I'd say give it six months to one year. It won't look good on your cv to back out or leave gaps in employment. This appeared as a positive change to you initially. Actually when I accepted my current position things were a complete mess, to tell you the real truth. I wondered if I had made a big mistake in accepting the position and had my eye on other prospects in the industry. I told myself to stick with it and give it my all. It worked out and things couldn't be better right now. It took a lot of patience and a lot of determination to get things to where they are. I didn't walk into a well-staged affair.

Hang in there. What I found helpful was keeping in touch with industry peers and continuing to attend workshops and seminars, keep in touch with that network and keep one eye on the ball at work. Keep things moving and think creatively when it comes to working out kinks in the way the reports are submitted etc and keep an eye out for your peers and staff (they are your survival and your lifeline). You don't have to like everyone and not everyone has to like you. All you have to do is be good at is your job and if you can help others be very good at theirs, that just reflects on you and what you're willing to put in and devote to. Work on it as a team and see what the company is about. I'd say think long term goals and see what this company has to offer. Use it as a stepping stone and don't be afraid.

How long should I wait before I make up my mind about this?

Make up your mind about what? Dislike of the job already 'is,' so the only thing to consider would be your alternatives.

Even with jobs we love, it's always good to develop opportunities. Then you have something to actually consider--or not.

Head high, and be open to finding the good in things rather than developing a habit of a preoccupation with the bad. Otherwise, the grass will always be greener somewhere else no matter where you go.

Now, I've only 29 and I don't have too many professional jobs under my belt yet, but in my experience so far, I've never started a job hating it and it getting better. I've started jobs liking them and them getting worse, or starting one and disliking it right away and continuing to dislike it til I found something else.

You made your choice to leave and I doubt you'll start enjoying your new job as time goes on, if you already dislike it. It sounds like whatever this job is worth, isn't enough for you. Did you burn bridges with the last one? Is it possible to go back to it?