Would this look bad?

LindsayO

could you find things to do at work, find jobs that need doing and do them or atleast suggest them to management

Amber07

If you're bored...do some cleaning or offer to clear some cupboards out! (At least it will keep you busy!)

I wouldn't worry about looking for another job - just tell prospective employers the truth - that there wasn't enough work and you like to keep busy. They would have to be daft to find fault with that.

Sazzyukrafc

If you're not happy in your job, there's no point being there. We spend most our lives at work, so it's important that you're happy working there.

Last week I left my new job after 7 weeks because the job wasn't as busy as they said it would be and I found my manager worked completely different to me - I just wasn't happy with the role or the way my manager worked. I left and actually got a new job two days later!

I stayed in a job I hated for 5 months and it actually made me ill. It was boring and I had nothing to do.

If you can afford to give up your job and find something new, then I suggest you do that.

I don't think it makes you look bad. My new employer thought it was very honest and agreed that I should have left my old job. Simply explain why you're leaving and you'll look great for wanting to be busy and doing more work.

freakyogre

Sorry I haven't had a chance to reply sooner...

I went in today planning to speak to them, but after already asking 5 times if there was anything I could do it's becoming a bit of a joke constantly asking for work to do. Monday is apparently the busiest day too =/

stingeylass wrote: »

Could you talk to your manager and tell them that you need more to do? (although maybe not in those exact words!) Perhaps because you haven't been working their long they don't want to overwhelm you with responsibility and are trying to ease you in to things?

But if you really hate it then there's not harm in at least looking for other oportunities, and if you're asked by prospective employers why you are 'jumping ship' you can simply tell the truth, which is that you are looking for a bigger challenge. As long as you get a good reference from your current job I don't think it would look bad at all.

I suppose that is a possibility, but it seems there just isn't enough work to go round at times. One person there (kind of in charge) sometimes complains they have too much to do, but when I offer to help, they say there's nothing. I'm getting the feeling they just like to feel important (i've had people like that in previous jobs who don't like to share things in case you then know more than them).

I would hope I would get a good reference, but do worry as when i'm sat there not doing anything, I wonder if some of them think i'm lazy (even though i've asked numerous times for more work)

freakyogre

Patrick20 wrote: »

Perhaps Bringing the issue up with the management before you get worked up about the issue. Search for another job while your in the position your in to avoid being unemployed. I would imagine the management would want all staff to be productive so will sort this out for you.

I may mention it, i'll see how tomorrow goes, but in the mean time I will look for something else.

freakyogre

kateab wrote: »

I don't think it would look bad. It's just harder to find a job when you're out of a job than in one, if that makes sense. You've been in the other jobs reasonably long times and neither job you have left in the past have been of your making.

We sometimes make mistakes when getting jobs. You cannot be expected to know how a job is going to pan out just from an interview. If it's not for you, it's not for you. But I'd try to stick it out and jobhunt whilst working. If work allow job hunting on the internet in work hours, I think I'd do that once you have finished work.

I would also raise it with management and give them the opportunity to change things as well as it cannot harm to keep options open.

kateab

I wouldn't leave until I have/had another job lined up, I can't afford to

I will start looking properly this week, i'm just going to carry on looking as I did when I was unemployed and see what turns up.
We do have internet access at work, but I wouldn't risk using it to job hunt, i'm not sure if they monitor our usage, but I don't really want them to know i'm looking. It might sound selfish, but I don't want them thinking that my job can be done by someone else there (which I personally think it could) and then deciding to get rid of me. I'd like to find something and then leave...although getting time off for an interview could be difficult.

freakyogre

baby_fuzz wrote: »

1) are they not giving you much to do, as you are still new there, and they don't feel like they can hand anything big to you yet?
2) it will look good if you go into an interview and show that you are a go-getter, and that you aren't being challenged in your current role (that is, if it is a good job - my OH got declined after an interview despite absolutely amazing creds because he had 'too much self motivation', because the job was actually quite menial compared to his skill level)

Possibly, although I am beginning to think that isn't the case. It's not a difficult job and I don't think there is a lot to do anyway. I do wonder what the person before me did to fill her day though. I'd hope after 6 weeks they might have realised that I can do what i've been asked/shown and can take on more than they are giving me.

I hope so! I just worry that they may think I might leave them after a short time, which wouldn't happen if the job filled my day.

freakyogre

JoolzS wrote: »

You may not yet have the "work confidence" to do what I am about to suggest but I'm going to suggest something that I wish I'd had the confidence to do when I was younger.

Take a book, magazine, or craft item (knitting, crochet, etc) to work and if you have nothing to do, and have asked everyone if there is anything you can do then simply start reading or knitting or whatever. I haven't worked for a number of years but I did a couple of temp jobs where I was just bored out of my mind for most of the day because no-one had any work for me to do. Now I would simply put my feet up and read a book!

Look around for another job - if your CV is well written then having moved jobs a few times in a few years won't matter. I had something like eleven jobs in eleven years! A few of them were for more than a year and the others were just for a few months. It is definitely easier to get a job when you already have a job. In the meantime, enjoy knitting, or whatever you choose to fill your time.

I have had at least three jobs where I had no idea how my predecessor filled her day - the job I had been employed to do was pretty much done within an hour or two. My predecessor was either completely incompetent or enjoyed just filling time from 9 to 5. I have unfortunately also had the opposite problem - a job that simply cannot be done in the hours paid for. I quit and then discovered that my job was split and the company now employs two people for the job I was doing!

Julie

I wish I had the balls to do that, but I think i'd get into trouble! They 'caught' me using my phone the other day, it was on silent but I was texting my sister (I know, I shouldn't have been before anyone says, but I don't take a lunch break so 2 minutes of texting isn't the end of the world to me - perhaps I should just take a "fag" break instead?) Anyway, one of them asked me if I was doing anything (after i'd already asked for work), I said no and asked if they wanted me to do anything, they replied with no, but I can hear you playing on your phone. So I put it away and just sat there. I'd rather be doing SOMETHING than sitting there like a lemon =/

(Not taking my lunch break wouldn't help the day go faster, I did think of that, but even an hour into the day again today, everything that could be done was done).

freakyogre

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Another approach to JoolzS suggestion is to ask your line manager if it is OK to bring your knitting / book / craft item in, because you have asked and not been given enough to do.

There is also the "Am I missing something?" approach where you pre-empt someone realising that you should have been shown how to do something, and as you weren't, it's not been done!

There are certain things I haven't been shown, but either I don't really deal with them, or they don't seem to want to show me. I would rather know either way though as if one person is off, then surely their jobs still need to be dealt with.

I asked how to do something today and without even waiting for me to finish, they just took it off me and did it themself =/ It makes me feel useless being there. I know it's a totally different job and i'm new, but I had a lot more responsibility in my previous job and here I just feel useless.

freakyogre

BritRael wrote: »

Congratualtions on finding another job so fast. In todays climate, 2 months is only the blink of an eye.

Although I sympathise with your current dilema, I would definately recommend staying put until you get something else fixed up. Looking bad on a CV would be the least of your problems relative to the prospect of long-term unemployment. Good luck

Thanks, I know it's not that long but it seemed like forever at the time!

I wouldn't leave until I had something lined up, as boring as it is at the moment, i'd hate to be unemployed again.