Q. After graduating a year ago and looking for a job for 10 months, I finally am working in PR full time. But I hate my job. There are multiple reasons, mainly the small size of the firm and a unimpressive client list. I want to quit, but my parents tell me I have to stick it out. Wouldn’t quitting now prevent me from having to put it on my resume and allow me to continue my job search full time? -AB
A. Don’t quit! There’s no better place to look from a job than from a job. We’ve all had misgivings about new jobs based on the initial start-up phase, but less than two months is far too soon for you to make a cut-bait decision. Give it your best for at least six months–preferably a year. Set some personal job-specific goals for the next six months. Those might include helping the agency win a client for whom you’d enjoy working or learning new skills. Time will fly by as you keep your ears open for other opportunities that these skills will help you land.
I agree, definitely stick with the job but I do have another question to take this a step further. What if you’re satisfied with your job but after a few months there, a better opportunity presents itself. When is it acceptable to move to a new position to make yourself happier?
Great follow-up question, Angela. I’ll admit to being old-fashioned in my recommendation that you should give every job at least a year to play itself out. A shorter six-month tenure is acceptable if there was a bait-and-switch involved, whereby you were promised one position and given another. Resumes with less-than-one-year jobs raise red flags with most hiring managers, so you need to be sure the job you’re moving to has longer-term potential.
I agree to stick it out for at least 6 months and not to move until you definitely have a job secure. Try to remember what it was like on the job market before you found your job.
Also, in smaller companies they usually welcome new ideas more. If you don’t like something try to see how you can better it and offer suggestions.
It is not uncommon for people to dislike their first job. After all, what you do right out of college will probably not define the rest of your career. That being said, you still need to leverage your first job. First off, try to change your attitude as much as possible because hating your job can be really toxic. Second, now that you know that you’re not going to be there forever, assess what you’ve learned at your job, what you haven’t learned, and how you would do things differently.
Stick is out until you’re there at least a year, and see if you can wait it out until your first promotion.
I recently got a job (about 2 months ago) as a marketing coordinator at a company that was in a field I knew I was not interested in. Despite my own misgivings about even taking the job, I listened to everyone and accepted it. I couldn’t stand it from day 1. Not only was it in an industry I wasn’t interested in, but it was also in a town I can’t stay in unless I love what I am doing.
I’ve also been working a social media internship here in town and I love love love the company. They have offered me a FT position with them, but it’s not the same job. It’s a guest service representative position in one of their salons. Even though it’s not strictly speaking PR, would it be unwise to quit the job i dislike (it’s making me miserable and extremely stressed) for the position with a company I already know and love, even if it’s for a slightly different role?
Lauren: Although your current job title is more conducive to building your resume for a PR position, no one should remain in a job that they truly hate. If the guest service position has potential of growing into something more related to PR within the firm, this is a no-brainer. Go for it. Just know that you’ll have to stay put in the new job for at least a year to avoid a job-hopper label.