Should I quit my job? or “Why the hell did you hire me?”
July 10, 2007 12:42 PM Subscribe
The job that I was hired for doesn't exist. My boss doesn't seem to notice I have an issue with it. How do I confront him about this?
I was hired for a position in a new company that was starting up in April. It was to be a dream job - international travel, partner-level position, doing work that I love. I moved from China to the US for this. I accepted a pay almost half of what I could get elsewhere. I left my old position sooner than I would have liked and lost several vacation plans in order to start sooner. Then I discovered the position I came for no longer existed.
My boss never told me that the new position wasn’t going to happen. The new company was to be spun off from this one. After I came he said the old company would instead expand to include the role of the new company. Unfortunately, everything he’s asked of me has been within the scope of the old company. He has actually asked me to stop some of my proactive efforts towards the newer role. He will agree to the expansion until I actually start doing that work instead of the older. I have now accepted that my boss has no intention of starting up this new company, and I am stuck in his older company. A previous employee had just left this older company, and I have filled his place. (The companies were both going to be two-man operations. At the moment there is only myself and my boss in it.) There is nothing international about this job. I hate the work that I'm doing, and have had to relearn everything about it. I am not using any of my unique skills I brought from my previous job.
[Note: My boss is an infinitely nice guy, but avoids conflict at all costs. I have brought other issues to him that fall by the wayside, as he apparently doesn't want to change. I'm actually sad to disappoint him, even though I'm mad about my situation. He fully intended to start the new company when he hired me, I’m sure.]
So now the question: How do I confront my boss about this? I figure I have a few options --
1) “Give up”: Wait until I have a new job lined up, give 2 weeks notice.
2) “Hard Work”: Wait, and push harder for the role that I was hired for. My boss, through inertia, is obviously more dedicated to his older company. I have zero interest in the older company, and the new one would have been perfectly aligned with my skills and goals. My boss says that he would be willing to expand the scope of the original company, but he so far has shot down my efforts.
3) “Feel-Good Conflict”: Bring an ultimatum to him -- The job I came for does not exist. I would not have agreed to the one I've been doing. Hire another employee for the older company and start up the new company as planned or I walk.
I'm sure there are many variations on this. Does anyone have any experience with the above? Which method would lead to the best success rate? What other recommendations can you give to me?
Bonus question: How on earth do I present this in my resume? Is it normal to include “reasons for leaving”? Would this be okay in areas where 2-page resumes are the norm?
I have begun looking for other work, but I think it is now difficult to sell myself. I left my old job early, and am leaving this one just three months into it. I have suffered many sunk costs by moving, and will likely need to move again to find a job I like. I don't think new employers will look kindly at this.
posted by FuManchu to work & money (17 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
However, "The job I was hired for didn't exist when I showed up" is a legitimate reason to leave. I wouldn't hold it against a job applicant.
I think you should start looking for something else. If things get better before you find another job, then it's gravy. If not, find yourself something better, give your notice, and leave.
Trying to hold on in hopes things will get better is probably not wise. This is much more likely to be a harbinger of things to come.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 12:53 PM on July 10, 2007 [1 favorite]