You decide to leave your job, with feelings of anticipation and excitement, only to get a couple of weeks in to realise: ‘I hate my new job - what do I do?’. This is more common than you realise! You can’t always fully know if the new role or company will be the best fit for you. It’s a bit like dating - you aren’t always going to hit it off even if they look great on paper!

There's no one-size-fits-all strategy here (sorry). Yet there are a few things that can help you get through it until things start looking better. Before you do any of these though, do recognise your emotions and allow them to come up. Frustration and anger and general feelings of UGHness (yes that is now a word) are ok! It’s ok and healthy to feel your emotions, the problem comes if you dwell on these feelings and don’t move forward. Read on for what you can do.

Don’t panic

The first step to dealing with your situation is to take a deep breath and step back. Don't panic!

It can feel dismaying when you have high expectations and your new role doesn’t live up to them. You’ve gone to a lot of effort to get here, applying and interviewing, telling everyone you’ve ‘got a new job’! There is a lot to process if you realise you hate your new job.

However, when you’re in this state, it’s difficult to move forwards. It’s hard to think of the solution when you feel flustered and unnerved. Also, realistically, however bad it feels right now, you’ll likely look back at this in a few years and see it as another learning curve, another opportunity.

Change your focus.

It can be easy when you think ‘I hate my new job’ to focus on all the negative aspects of the job. ‘My manager is a bit rude’, ‘the hours are ridiculous’. This can quite easily create a self-fulfilling prophecy where your brain seeks experiences that fit this narrative. However, it can be helpful to focus on two things. The first is to look at the things that you do enjoy about working there. There must be some benefits, whether you’re learning something new or getting to practise new skills.

This will help in the short term to feel a bit happier about the situation.

Secondly, focus on what you can control. If you spend your energy dwelling on things outside of your control you will feel all kinds of horrible. Yet, if you concentrate on what you can control, like speaking to your manager, chatting to co-workers or a coach about your situation. This can help you order your thoughts but also make you feel more positive and allow you to make a clearer decision about what to do next.

Create a plan.

Figure out why this new job isn't working for you. Make sure your dissatisfaction with your new job isn't simply because it's different to what you expected. Define why you dislike it and highlight what would make it better. If these are within your control, you can action some of them.

If you're in a situation that doesn’t look like you have any control over changing it, don't be afraid to move on. It's easier said than done, but it's important to remember that no one else but you can control what happens with your career.

Create a plan, and take back control of your career. A plan can ease anxiety about hating your job and needing ‘out’ because the uncertainty of the future is what makes us feel uncomfortable.

To conclude, the most important thing to remember is that this is just a job. It's not your life, it's not the end of the world and it won't last forever. Take a deep breath. Step back from your emotions and try to look at things objectively before making any rash decisions. This will help you get in the right frame of mind so that you can make better decisions about what to do next in life!