Uh, Oh – I Made A Mistake And Just Took A Really Bad Job. What Do I Do?

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You did it! You rolled up your sleeves, applied for a new job, and landed a sweet new gig!

On your first day, you arrive excited to tackle your news duties and start your new life. However, as the day progresses, you realize something at your new company is wrong. Very wrong, and by the time you're pulling out of the parking lot, you reach the sobering conclusion that you have made a dire mistake by accepting this job.

In the days that follow, events at work confirm your worst fears. Your sweet new gig is toxic. Deadlines are impossible. Everybody’s angry all the time. Your co-workers look at you with a mix of sympathy and sadness typically reserved for the terminally ill and, when pressed, admit they have one foot out the door. It is clear the job is not a good fit for you, and the staff's consensus is the company's toxic work environment is institutionalized and not likely to improve any time soon. What do you do?

Relationships are complex, and your job is a relationship. There are no "right" or "wrong" answers to what you should do, and there are no guarantees for the future. Only you can determine what is the best path forward. With that said, here are some factors to consider if your new job turns out to be a nightmare.

1.     Should you stay or should you go? This is your livelihood. You must be decisive because time is of the essence. If you leave a job in a few weeks or months, it will be but a minor blip on your resume. If you are in a toxic work situation and have the resources to jump, you should do it - and now is the time. In the current labor market, employees have the leverage, but the pendulum can swing the other way in an instant. Otherwise, you may spend an unhappy year becoming increasingly disengaged and risk termination, which is a more difficult professional story to tell, while risking a deep melancholy in the process.

2.     Can you stick it out until something comes up? If you do not have the resources to quit your job, you have to find a way to stick it out while searching for another position. Besides, it's really not a myth that it's easier to find a job when you're already in one – employers tend to favor candidates who are currently employed. Use your job search to help you cope with whatever daily miseries you must endure. While you remain at your toxic job, identify areas of valuable professional and personal development that can help you down the road. Do your best work. Don't slack off. Document your achievements for upcoming interviews. You cannot change the toxic environment, but you can focus on work that is potentially beneficial to you in the future.

3.     Do you have a second choice that is still an option? If you had multiple job offers during your search – or even just a positive interview experience that never came to fruition – you can revisit a company you turned down. You may get some slack and additional hurdles put in your way, but if this is an option, you should consider exploring it.

4.     Is the door still open at your previous company? If you left your last job on good terms with your employer (ALWAYS a good idea…), you may be able to return – if that is something you would want to do and they want you back. This option has risks; if you return to your old job after a brief stint at another one, you are locked in for a while, and leaving a second time would be disastrous for your professional reputation.

5.     Mount your search. When faced with difficult circumstances, there is a risk of paralysis rationalized as prudence and patience. It's easier to "see where things go" than roll up your sleeves again and plunge back into a job search (especially when the last one ended in disaster). Resist the temptation to take half measures. Start immediately. Make time every day. Your dream job is out there. Go get it.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

How To Quit Your Job With Class

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You've just accepted an offer for a job with a different company, and you're ready to kiss your current employer goodbye. In fact, given the choice, you'd call in sick for the next two weeks and never return.

First things first - you need to tell your current employer you're leaving.

What can you do to make your transition as smooth as possible without burning any bridges?

THINGS YOU SHOULD DO:

• Give your notice in person to your manager. Assuming, of course, that this is possible - sometimes your manager works remotely, making this infeasible. But giving your notice face-to-face allows you to show the utmost respect.

• Be grateful. Thank your manager - profusely - for the opportunities they have given you. Even if you hate your job, show gratitude for what you gained.

• Tell your manager that the decision to leave was a difficult one. It takes a lot to leave a job behind, even a difficult job.

• Talk nicely about your employer and co-workers. Make clear that your employer runs a nice place to work, implying that you'd like to leave the door open in the future.

• Provide a written letter of resignation. HR will want this for the files, but even if they don't, it's a nice way to provide a written record of your gratitude for the opportunity.

• Give at least two weeks' notice. This will provide ample time to facilitate the transition of your function at work. It takes time for everybody to learn what you're working on and distribute what you've been handling.

• Be fair and balanced in your exit interview. The exit interview isn't an opportunity to unload every grievance you've been carrying around since the day you started; it's a chance for you to give objective feedback about what the company can truly do better. Choose what you say wisely - maintain a positive tone, and only bring up things that can be realistically changed. And pointing out all that stuff you don't like about your boss (and will never change) won't make you look good. I hate to say this, but filter what you say...

THINGS YOU SHOULD AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE:

• Badmouthing your coworkers or boss. What will you gain, except some ill will from people you may run into again?

• Telling the company you'd entertain a counteroffer. Counteroffers are a difficult topic even when your employer brings it up. But when you solicit a counteroffer for the company to keep you, you look like a greedy jerk who went out and got another job offer so that you could hit up your current employer for more money. You'd look incredibly disloyal.

• Giving less than two weeks' notice. Unless there's a truly extenuating circumstance, give and honor two weeks. Otherwise you're leaving your employer high and dry.

• Taking all your vacation and sick days after giving your notice.  Why bother giving notice if you're not going to be around to help with the transition?

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

6 Important Questions To Ask Before Quitting Your Nightmare Job

That's the third laptop this week... | iStockphoto.com (RomoloTavani)

We spend more than a third of our lives at work. What do you do if that portion of your life feels like a living hell?

Here are some nightmare scenarios you may be encountering:

Toxic Work Environment. The company sold you a bill of goods on the interview. Morale is bad, your coworkers are worse, and expectations are shifting and unrealistic. A 40-hour workweek is a pipe dream compared to the 70+ hours you’re currently logging.

Your skills no longer meet the company’s needs. Sometimes a major internal shift occurs that makes you vulnerable. For example, maybe you’re an IT manager who’s been working on 20-year-old technology that’s being sunsetted at the end of the year, and there’s no plans or budget to train you up on the new platform. This kind of thing can also happen with soft skills, too – maybe the CEO is rolling out a new service model and it’s clear you’re having difficulty adapting.

Your boss has it in for you. Perhaps you and your manager have different philosophies. Maybe he wants to replace you with somebody he worked with at his last company. Or, maybe, he’s just evil. Either way, you have a bulls-eye on your back, and when things go south you will be blamed.

You’ve burned out. Sometimes it feels like you have nothing left to offer – no passion, no interest, no energy, and no motivation.

Or, maybe, your situation is a combination of all the above. In any event, you have a knot in your stomach just thinking about work, and you’re popping Rolaids like candy in order to battle back chronic acid reflux.

A thought crosses your mind: “This job is horrible, I should just quit. I can find another job.”

Acting on this is another matter. We depend on our job in order to eat and to put a roof over our head. Here are six important questions to ask yourself before deciding to quit your nightmare job.

1. Is the situation temporary? Let’s say your manager is the primary source of your aggravation ­– is he filling in as the boss while the company has a vacancy, or is he settled into the role for the long term? If he’s an equity partner, then he’s clearly not going to move on anytime soon.
    

2. Can you fix the situation? It’s not always possible for the boss to know everything that’s going on in the organization. If a process is broken, sometimes your manager has the power to remedy it, and by telling her she can address it. If the issue is skills related, perhaps you can take a class on your own time. And if you’re having a major personality clash with a coworker that’s causing your pain, sometimes a direct conversation can resolve it. But, sometimes not.
    

3. Can you afford a break in employment? True, you’ll have time available to interview for jobs, but finding a new job takes time, and you won’t be collecting a paycheck while you’re on the hunt. Incidentally, if you quit you won’t qualify for unemployment pay.
    

4. Will my employer pay me to leave? Many senior executives negotiate a severance package prior to accepting a job – if you’re lucky enough to fall into this category, you’ll have an idea of what your financial safety net will look like. But even if you’re not a member of the executive suite, there may still be the potential of a severance package. Some companies are image conscious, and may be willing to discuss some sort of severance in order to maintain their image and provide you with a soft landing – but don’t count on this, as it’s usually the exception, rather than the rule. Severance packages tend to be offered when it’s the company’s decision to part ways, not yours.
    

5. Will my reputation take a hit? As a general rule, candidates who are currently employed tend to be more desirable, whereas candidates who are unemployed tend to generate questions and doubts by potential employers. Trust me, they’ll dig at this during the interview to see if they can uncover your flaws that contributed to your unemployment – fairly or unfairly. Also, you will damage your position during salary negotiations; instead of negotiating a package from a position of strength where the company needs to put together an attractive compensation package to entice you to leave your current opportunity, you’re in the less desirable position of negotiating with minimal leverage.
    

6. Are my skills in demand? Take a serious look at your job market. If your skills are in high demand, employers may be more ready and willing to take a chance on you. If the market for your line of work is flooded with unemployed professionals, prepare for a slow, painful ride.

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.