This is an anonymous post from an Elpha member.

When is it too early to switch jobs?

Pauline20·Aug 23, 2021

Posted in:Advice

Posting on behalf of a friend.

My friend switched jobs back in April 2021 because her previous job would make her start commuting back into the city. Her commute was 2 hours long and she didn't want to do the long commute anymore.

She found a new job close to her and now goes into the office 5 days a week. The position was a lateral move, but she feels like it's a significant step down from her previous position. She feels really bored at work. She told her manager she has much more capacity and can help support with more work, but it has only resulted in some small projects. She was hired to help on strategic initiatives, but her role has been purely administrative from the start. She wants to work on more meaningful projects where she can make an impact and improve her skillset so she doesn't stagnate.

What should she do? Should she bring it up to her manager again that she wants more strategic work? At what point would you start looking for a new role? It has only been 5 months so she is nervous about burning bridges.

tanmayisai·Aug 23, 2021

I'm sorry to hear your friend's new job isn't matching expectations, that's really rough. I would definitely bring it up with the manager again, maybe in a different way and see which projects she could take on, if there's any ongoing that fit her interests. Having a suggestion might be helpful.As for leaving after 5 months, if she's truly unhappy, and doesn't have a record of leaving companies quickly, I don't see it being harmful. If she has other places where she's worked for more than a couple of years, I think employers typically understand that you may not have had a good experience.

Larissa88·Aug 24, 2021

People don’t place the kind of weight on changing jobs quickly that they used to. If she’s miserable, she must move somewhere that she won’t be miserable. The only bridges she’ll potentially burn are the ones that she doesn’t want to cross any more so it doesn’t matter!

anemarifiser·Aug 24, 2021

there is no too early to switch jobs :-D

Alexa167·Aug 26, 2021

She should go to her boss and say, “My understanding was this job’s mandate was to drive strategic initiatives like X and Y. So far my role has been purely administrative, and I’m concerned that this might reflect a larger misalignment in how we’re both holding this role.” Then see what her manager says. Maybe she’ll hear that this was a temporary measure while they looked for more admin support, or that a strategic project is in the pipeline. Or maybe she’ll hear that, yes, there was a misunderstanding and, yes, this role is fundamentally administrative. And if she’s not interested in a purely administrative position, she needs to be prepared to hold the line — and that may not go the way she wants! But if she doesn’t say something, then her role is going to calcify into what it is currently, and this is the only way to potentially avoid that.