When you admit to yourself that you hate your current job, you will, probably, think about resigning or about how quickly you can find another post – any post.
You need employment and you need to earn your living, so neither of those strategies will deliver the best results to you.
You are in the here-and-now. Forget about blaming yourself for taking on your current job. Forget about what you did to deserve such bad luck. Think about rectifying matters and doing something a little bit different,
What Do You Know About Motivation?
This might not be the question you were expecting, but thinking about motivation will help you.
Motivation is about travelling away from something or travelling towards something. You, at the moment, are thinking how you can get away from the job you hate. That type of motivation is about taking action to leave something behind.
There is nothing wrong with that.
To move away from something you find unpleasant is your choice, but you are almost certainly not thinking of where you want to go and where you would rather be. You are not thinking about what you want to move towards.
Work in that way and you could end up in a worse situation. Remember:
“Out of the frying pan into the fire.”
If you leave your current role and end up somewhere worse, your focus will have been exclusively about moving away from a job you hate. You could end up making a very bad decision about your future.
Therefore, think about what you want to move towards, as well as thinking about getting away from the job you hate.
How Did You Get Into This Situation?
The answer to this question really is worth thinking about, not just because you do not want to make the same mistake again but because you want to know what really matters to you.
Consider the following questions to help you to clarify your thoughts.
- Did you dislike your current job from the day you arrived?
- Have you grown to dislike your job over time? (How long?)
- Do you dislike what you are doing?
- Do you find the people you are working with difficult to get on with?
- Are you really angry at how people behave towards you? (What do they do that annoys you?)
- Have new people joined your team or area of work recently?
- Are things worse now than they were before any new people arrived?
- Do you have a new boss that you find difficult to work with?
- Are you working at a different location than in the past?
Look back over the last week and try to pinpoint what has made you dissatisfied at work. You will almost certainly find you understand your situation better as a result of working on the above questions.
How Can You Get Out Of Your Current Situation?
You could, of course, tell people what you think of your workplace and your job and walk out. However, you probably want to stay in employment and you are probably hoping for a glowing reference when you apply for new posts. That means washing your hands of your workplace, today, is not really the answer.
Ask yourself:
- Have I outgrown my job?
- Can I do my current job easily?
- Am I bored at work?
- Am I looking for challenges that I will never find in my current role?
When you know the answers, think about reshaping your current role and having a change of activity, without leaving employment. This is not the complete answer but it could be a good start for you and you could find you gain greater job satisfaction as a result.
Pay attention to the hiring policy at your workplace. Volunteer to be part of a project team, if you are interested in the theme. Try working in different ways. Bring some variety into your working life.
Choose Your Destination
If you really hate your job you will still want to leave.
Before you do, think again about motivation in a positive sense.
- Where do you want to go?
- What do you want in your next job?
- What is holding you back?
Give yourself time to work on the answers to these questions. If you need additional qualifications, can you get them whilst in employment? If you need different experience, can you get it in your current organisation?
It could take you two years to reshape your career. If you want to make really big changes, it could take longer still. Allow yourself the time you need, but work with purpose.
Finally . . .
Do all the things suggested above, but keep looking for a new job. Then, when the time comes for you to leave, you will be leaving for a positive reason. You now have the chance to do something that you have wanted to do for years. You are taking on a job that you want to do and will enjoy.
Who knows? Your current employer may make it worth your while to stay.