From Frustration Focus: How to Get Value from a Job You Hate

We’ve all been there, right? The new job you worked so hard to get gives you a sense of accomplishment. You were adjudged the best of several good candidates after all. You have a few additional zeros at the back of your pay, more challenging tasks, and a new environment in which you can make your mark.

A few months or years in and the job has lost its lustre. Going to work seems more like a chore, the zeros you once rejoiced over have dissolved into the needs and wants that rose to match your new level, the tasks have become repetitive and hold no more surprises, and you’re no longer interested in making any more marks.

What’s more, you have applied for several jobs with no positive feedback. You’re disengaged and you feel stuck.

It’s tempting to think that the only use the job has for you is gainful employment until you get the one you want.

If you think so, you’re losing out on a big opportunity! There are benefits to mine from the job, even if you no longer enjoy it. I’ll share a few.

1.????Remember that the Reasons you took the job are still Valid

If you took it to gain or practice a new skill, then continuing to do so can only make you better. When you do the same thing for long enough, you become so good at it that you begin to see ways you can improve it. Repetitive tasks can lead you to an innovation that makes you a more marketable talent thereby increasing your VALUE to both a new employer AND… get this… to your CURRENT ONE! You can begin to “name your price” and have more autonomy over your work.

If your reasons for taking the job were financial, though your expenses have increased, the skill you develop on the job can be monetized to earn you another stream of income. Your current job will give you more credibility, especially at the point where you’re starting, as prospective customers would like to see where you have demonstrated the skills you claim to have and where you can show the results you have already achieved; results you had ON THE JOB!?

This leads me to the next reason…

2.????You have guaranteed income while you search for a new job

While you may not love your job, it pays the bills while you search for one that you do. Depending on your skill set, it can take from weeks to years to find a new job. Often, six months without income not only creates financial pressure, but the level of frustration, boredom, and disappointment that comes with the endless job search can be detrimental to one’s confidence and emotional well-being.

Staying in a job that you hate but viewing it as a temporary situation will give you the stability and certainty that can otherwise be lost when you’re unemployed.

3.????You can refine your Goals for your next Career Move

You tend to set your career goals based on the current information you have. The things you discover after working longer on your current job make you reassess your goals to see if they are still relevant. For example, you may have aspired to work in a more structured environment but discovered that the flexibility a less rigid system offers is more suited to your career choice. Now, imagine you had taken a new job and realized this later. You would have gone right back to square one! This way you know what’s important to you and you guard against making hasty career decisions.

Not convinced? Well, there's more!

4.????You can deepen relationships and Increase your Social Capital

Longevity in a place has a way of establishing strong relationships and deepening loyalties within the system. These will be assets to you. Within the system, it could translate to being prioritized for receiving choice training or projects. When you leave the system, you will still be able to share ideas and contacts, receive endorsements on your LinkedIn profile and referrals for future roles or businesses.

5.????You mature Personally and Professionally

Staying at a job you hate is not a picnic, but adversity does help you build valuable qualities like resilience, delayed gratification and choosing to see value in a seemingly negative situation, and developing a positive outlook.

Professionally, you recognize the importance of a strong personal brand and work at building one that positions you advantageously for your next role.

Did you think that job had nothing more to offer? I hope I’ve been able to convince you otherwise!

If you need more career coaching, send me an email at [email protected], and let’s work together to craft the career that’s fit for you!

For humorous career tales with valuable lessons, check out my blog, https://toyintalkstalent.wordpress.com/

Connect with me on Instagram @toyintalkstalent, Twitter @toyintalktalent, and Facebook - Oluwatoyin Puddicombe.

You can also access all my posts and articles with #toyintalkstalent

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