Four Ways to Lose Your New Job

After spending so much time, energy and emotion getting that new job, the last thing you want to think about is losing it. However, a long spell of unemployment, unresolved issues from your last job and how you left, and your intense desire to succeed at the new job can work against making a good impression. You have a chance at a new start, working with a new company and co-workers. Avoiding the pitfalls of “new job-it is” will ensure a smooth transition and a satisfying work experience. 1. “The way WE did it.” You had a great job and you were a leader. Though you had a lot of effective processes and success, the same processes may not work well in your new company. One thing that won’t work is constantly reminding everyone how it was in your old company as if everything they do is sub-par. Introducing effective processes or training is fine, but save the passionate speeches giving credit to your former employer. 2. Your horrible boss (co-workers, etc.) Now is not the time to use your co-workers as an outlet for all your hurt feelings, frustrations and disappointments. Bashing your former employer makes people think that you may be covering up the real reason you were let go. It also makes people uncomfortable opening up to you. If you talk that way about your former workplace, what are you saying to others about the new one? 3. Just complaining. Leave the past behind. A positive attitude and a learning spirit is an asset to any new employee. No one really wants to be around negative people. You may have had a bad work experience, but others may be dealing with their own family, relationship or health issues that make your last job seem insignificant. You may also be viewed as “needy” and always wanting sympathy or to be excused from doing your best. 4. After a long break, it can be difficult to get back to the work routine. With the extension of unemployment benefits, some people have been off work for as many as 99 weeks. When you’re used to getting up at 10 and catching up on your favorite TV shows until 2, taking a shower and getting dressed by the time your spouse got home from work, it’s tough to punch a clock and answer to someone about how your are spending your time. Coming in late, lack of focus or sense of urgency about getting the job done are all ways to find yourself walking out the door with a cardboard box of your meager personal possessions. Making a fresh start means leaving the past behind. Remind yourself how tough it was being unemployed, and how hard you worked to get your new job. Make every day count to building a bright, productive and satisfying future. Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for BusinessWorkForce.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing Alto II with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients discover what they love and spend their life on it. You can read more of her blogs at businessworkforceblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.