Hate Your Job? Here’s What to Do

It’s not surprising that so many dislike their jobs. Being trapped at work for 40+ hours a week just isn’t going to be fun for everyone, especially when you’re stuck with a demanding boss or annoying coworkers. We all channel our inner Office Space frustrations from time to time (and maybe every day).

Before you hit a breaking point where you can’t take it anymore, try these steps to see if you can salvage your job or decide that you need out.

Break Down the Problems

Before you throw in the towel, it’s important to think about why you truly don’t like your job. Even if you think it’s time to leave, analyzing the situation now will help prevent the same problems with future jobs.

Take a hard look at the at the pros and cons of your current position. Complete an exercise like this career cheat sheet to truly find your real feelings about your job. By asking yourself simple questions, it will force you to consider facts that you might not normally think of. Unless your job is truly horrible, there are probably at least some things that you like about it. It’s even possible that you’ll realize you like it more than you think you do.

If you’re still overwhelmed by the problems, ask yourself if they can be repaired. It might even be stress that you’re creating for yourself. For example, does your job really require 60-hour weeks? And is starting your day off rushed and flustered making you stressed for the rest of the day? These types of issues aren’t necessarily deal-breakers for your job if you can find ways to do something to change them.

Take Action

If you don’t take action with what you don’t like about your job, things will certainly get worse. Once you’ve identified the problems that you do have, break down how you can make changes to improve the situation.

Going back to the examples above, maybe you can complete your work more efficiently so that 6o-hour weeks aren’t necessary. As far being hurried in the morning, perhaps getting up an hour earlier might make your whole day easier.

If the problems don’t all come down to you, there are other options for dealing with the situation.

Talking with your boss about why you’re unhappy may be a good option if other remedies you’ve attempted have failed. Just be sure to approach the situation constructively and tactfully. Don’t simply complain or vent. If your boss senses you hate your job or aren’t performing well, it’s possible you could be fired.

Move On to Something New

Sometimes what you dislike about your job just isn’t in your control. When you’ve done all you can to try to fix the situation and it’s still not enough, it may be time to begin searching for a new position.

Even if you haven’t made the definite choice yet, you need to fire up your network and dust off your resume. Of course, you should always keep connections strong and not wait until you need to call on them. But if you’ve fallen behind a bit, make sure to send a few friendly emails to those that you could ask for job help, too. Don’t forget that many positions are never advertised, so don’t plan to bank on web searches as the only source of opportunities.

If you’ve had the same job for years, you might not have updated your resume in a while. Take the time to update it with your most recent job information. Consider freshening up the rest of the content, too. After all, resumes can almost always be improved.

Don’t wait until you quit to start thinking about these things. That will only delay the process of looking for a new job and could create added stress from the loss of income.

To ease the stress of the transition, make sure you’ll have the money to handle a period without income. Make sure your budget includes savings or an emergency fund you can draw on. It’s not a bad idea to consider taking on a part-time job or freelance work to cover some of the bills, too.

Before jumping at any new job, make sure to think about actually doing what you love. Don’t just choose anything out there or you might find yourself back in the same miserable situation.

Whether it means working with what you have or quitting and moving on, there’s always a solution better than living with a job that you hate.