Career Growth & Leadership
Wrong Job, What Next? How to Pivot When You Just Change Roles
Deciding to remain at a new job or continue the job search shortly after a move takes honest introspection and preparation, but it is possible with the right attitude.
The process of securing and starting a new job is a mighty one—Resume refresh, networking, the interviews, and the accompanying emotional rollercoaster of engaging in the process filled with highs and lows, fraught with rejections and sometimes endless rounds of interviews. When you secure the new role, it can be a massive upheaval and one of the most stressful things you can do.
In the workplace you are learning a new role and in many cases at a new organization with a shift in culture, norms, expectations and the new skills of that role. That is when you are just changing roles, let alone if it includes a relocation with family in tow. The financial implications of moving, possibly buying and selling homes, and becoming familiar with a new location, can further complicate and enhance a move.
What do you do if the job just isn’t right?
First, understand it happens. It isn’t necessarily anyone’s fault, and it isn’t always avoidable. Red flags are much easier to see in hindsight and sometimes people hiring for a role don’t know what they really need in terms of skills, or the types of gaps they actually need to fill. Beating yourself up with “could have,” and “should have” is not going to be helpful.
You need to initially determine if the issues are that of adjustment, and change, and if they will settle. Is this really insurmountable, or is the change just stressful? Is there really a “dealbreaker” that you cannot work with? That might include things like ethics or decision making that doesn’t feel congruent with values. It could include the scope or level of the role, for instance being recruited to be a supervisor and there not being a timeline for that to happen, or to build out a team, and that build-out isn’t happening or there is no timeline to do so.
If the issues really won’t settle, and it is the wrong role or team, then you need to have a plan. No job is ever quite what you expect, and that can be good and bad. Changing normally involves a shift in terms of going back to the search process, and that is stressful in and of itself.
If you decide that you cannot continue in a new role, then framing the narrative is truly critical. It is unusual, and can be a red flag to employers, if you are looking for a new role soon after starting your current role. There is no exact number of years, but for some under 2 years, but certainly under 1 year, there might be concerns. That does not mean it is impossible to change but you need a strong and plausible narrative around why you are now shifting again.
A prospective employer is going to be concerned that you are not sure what you want, unhappy and looking all the time, not wanting to settle in their team, or that you are using roles to “job hop,” and move up quickly, leaving them in the lurch. That does not mean that you cannot be a strong candidate, but you need to proactively address that issue head on, and in a way that does not portray your current employer in a negative light.
The biggest concern you need to manage: How did you take your current role, not knowing that it wasn’t going to be a good fit? And, more importantly, how are you actively avoiding that happening again?
You need to also assuage that concern in a potential employer. Diplomatically discuss the mismatch between your goals or expectations and the role, and highlight your impact in the time you have been in the position. Focus on what you have learned, and address any concerns head on. You can do this by speaking of other reasons for a change (family, geographic need, spouse’s work, housing), or you can directly tackle the location or job itself. Discuss not settling in the new location or the more difficult discussion about the role.
It is tricky to balance, but you need to craft a clear narrative around what you are seeking. It is not ideal, it can be both expensive and stressful, but it happens, and you can pivot, shift, and move to something that might be a better fit.
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