Dilemma - I hate my new job

egoode

Are you interested in the work the team you moved to do? If you are then use the admin role to learn more about the work they do and look for opportunities to take on some of the work. Admin roles like yours are generally a stepping stone and a good base to understand how offices work and you also usually get an overview of a lot of the work undertaken by the team and can learn what you might be interested in moving onto next.

Also the first couple of months are always the hardest in any job as you try to understand the tasks, how the team works etc but eventually you will get into a routine and things that initially took you a long time will become quite quick tasks.

GreenQueen

I think you need to show the new company that you can do the job well and reliably, get your head down and get on initially. If you're asked to do anything extra, take it with a smile.

Then when you've got a month or so under your belt, have a word with your supervisor. Let them know that you're happy doing the work you're doing (pretend if necessary!), but you would like the opportunity to prove that you can do more, if there are any small projects going. That way you come over as keen and capable, rather than getting a reputation for being dissatisfied, and with any luck will get some interesting things to make the boring stuff more bearable.

That should help you to either get to the point where you enjoy your new job or at least build up some better experience.

Unfortunately, in any admin job (or any job for that matter), there is always boring stuff to do, and the most boring bits tend to get passed to the most junior person who is able to do them, so you have to slog through that until someone comes in below you.

Good luck
GQ

whodathunkit

purpleshoes wrote: »

But the flip side to that is staying where you are and never doing anything.

The job I do now isnt the same job I did ten years ago and I never ever saw myself as having a career change. I did that a lot later in years than the OP is

She has tons of time to sit and think what she wants to do with her life.

Even in careers where you are happy, there can be aspects of any job that are dull, or challenging for all the wrong reasons

Just because a job isnt stressful isnt a reason to stay put forever, if she had been so happy in the first job she wouldnt have wanted to move on in the first place.

Something of a cliche, I know, but always better to jump to something than from something. Not just in jobs, either.

snowleopard61

For some people (and I'm one) the approach described by Transformers works quite well. I realised many years ago that, in spite of having a decent degree, I couldn't actually imagine liking any job, in the sense of finding it rewarding/fulfilling, and that my priority was therefore to find the job that encroached upon my life outside as little as possible. This means a job where I don't have to leave late or take work-related calls or emails at home; one which (in my fortunate case) is located within walking distance and even just the right distance to provide me with good exercise. To me the relative lack of stress more than compensates for the boredom.

In my case my life revolves around family, home, pets and books. For someone younger, more extrovert or more money- or career-minded this may not be enough - the OP may be all or any of these things - but maybe it's worth taking into account as a different way of looking at it.

GoldenShadow

You sound like someone who is generally not happy with life at the moment and trying frantically to implement changes to make your life more interesting.

Slow down. What do you actually want long term? To live where? To have kids? To do what? Then work back and figure out how you're going to get to where you want.

I think it is very normal for people to get bored of the monotony of every day life, but they ride it out and it gets less monotonous. If you keep changing things you make it harder for yourself to accept some stability, even if its boring. Jobs, houses, cars, whatever.

Try and take a step back and really evaluate what you want to do. I have only ever worked part time but used to find most of it mind numbingly boring because it was so easy. So I spent my spare time doing more taxing things and still do make a point of organising my personal life so that it never gets too dull. I moved shops three times because I got bored. Then I hit the boring phase in my most recent one, but I rode it out and it got a lot better, I didn't give in and move again and I'm really glad I didn't.

Don't make a rod for your own back, even inadvertently!

pickledonionspaceraider

BunnieJ wrote: »

Although I had little work to do in my old job, I got on well with everybody and enjoyed working with people (reception desk), now I sit on my own and barely talk to anyone as they're all busy doing work and I'm given mind numbing admin tasks. My hours have also changed, meaning I feel like I have less spare time (due to shift patterns) and I feel like I've upped my workload by 100%, yet am getting paid the same wage (I know I agreed to it before I took the job, but I didn't realise how much it would affect me).

In my previous job I wasn't happy, but I was never unhappy either. Now I dread going into work and feel like calling in sick to avoid going in

It does sound like you had an unusually easy job in your old position - and this has set you up for feeling overworked in your next job. If you are working all day non stop with no time to chat to colleagues, believe me...this is normal - it is your old job that was unusual - in terms of work load and free time

You are quite contradictive, in that you seem to crave a challenge, yet you want to be sitting around talking. You agree to work certain hours and tasks, but don't want to do them.

You sound so mixed up yourself

Perhaps the answer is to retrain - if office work is not for you - you have tried admin and reception and neither seem to be ticking the right boxes. Might be worth a thought

FBaby

You certainly seem an inpatient lady I don't know anyone who has adjusted happily in a new job after just 2 weeks. You can't expect busy colleagues to make plenty of time to someone they hardly know so that they can feel their day is fun. It takes time to build new relationships with colleagues and to feel comfortable enough with them to make chit chat.

As for the boredom of the task, again, they are not going to give you all the exciting jobs from the start. That would be dangerous as they would risk you expecting that sort of responsibility all the time. They also need assurance that you can cope with the mondain tasks before they know they can trust you with more contentious responsibilities.

Take it one week at a time. If you still feel the same in 3 months time, then maybe you can start questioning looking for something else, but throwing the towel after only two weeks is a bit like having a tantrum.

Bitsy_Beans

Might I suggest you watch this video. It's probably from the 80's but the message I really like.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cRMogDrHnMQ

I wish I had seen this when I was last working in an office. I worked with some really negative people and their way of seeing things really clouded my attitude. Thankfully that has improved over the years.

No one is saying you have to stay in this job but look at it in a positive light. They pay you, they've given you the opportunity to do something different and from the sounds of it your previous role didn't have enough to do. Look at it as an opportunity for learning, honing your admin skills, learning what type of work you like, be keen and enthusiastic. It's a clich! but there are probably loads of people who are desperate for a job, embrace what you have and be grateful. As the video suggests write down the positives. It's never going be like your old job and that's a good thing as that sounded like it wasn't going anywhere. Use this to gain experience and work on your CV. You never know what job lies waiting for you.

whitewing

I have usually found it takes me about 6 weeks to settle into a new job (although I will fake it until I make it).

I 'count my blessings' until I don't need to anymore.

BunnieJ

Thanks for the advice everyone

Sorry I haven't been able to reply, I've not had access to my computer (I'm using my phone atm). I am a rather impatient person but I've never really been like that it any of my jobs...

I had a bit of an anxiety attack before I went to work yesterday morning so my OH walked me there, and I'm not that keen on going in today, but I know I have to. I haven't taken any time off sick since I started working in my building (almost a year ago) and I don't want to start that now!

I think somebody mentioned whether I'm interested in the work my office does, but unfortunately not. I work in banking/legal and having read some of the paperwork they have to do it's REALLY boring

I do realise it was a culture shock, as my previous job was so laid back, but I didn't think I wouldn't like my new job. I've done office admin before, so I naively assumed it would be alright.

Yes everyone wants to have money and nice things, but that's not what's really important. I'd rather live to work every time!

I'm not going to go back to my old company, as somebody said, it will look bad both on me and my ex/new employers. But I don't know what I should do. I moved 10 months ago to take my first job, then I got this one. It will look really bad on my CV if I want to jump to another job. It wouldn't have looked so bad if I was moving from my old job