But sometimes, despite all this personal and professional validation, you're still left questioning. Should you take the job? Is it right for you?

The decision isn’t so easy after all.

What If… ?

A while back in my career, I was lucky enough to be offered a new job. I'd been with my employer for several years and thought it might be time to have a change.

There was nothing wrong with my role as such. I liked the people, my manager was lovely, the work was what I wanted to do, and it kept me busy (in a good way).

And yet I couldn't help wondering whether there was something better out there, whether I needed a new challenge.

So I accepted the job.

On My Way

But I was sadder than I thought I would be when it came around to leaving, and more nervous than I’d expected to be at starting somewhere new.

I'd made some good friends at my old place. My manager had tried to get me to stay, and the managing director had even caught me in the corridor to ask why I wanted to leave.

Despite rising doubts, I told myself that I'd made my choice and would stick by it.

My first day at the new company finally came, and with it all the nerves and excitement of starting a new job. But, when I got there, I was shown to a desk in a small corner office. It was closed plan… how had I not realized this before?

Expectation vs. Reality

It became common for me to go a couple days without seeing anyone, particularly if the other two people who worked in my area were away. I'd only ever worked in open plan offices before, and this new way of working felt isolating.

I noticed that the parts of the job description that I was really interested in, and that had attracted me to the role in the first place, were only a very small part of my real-life responsibilities. Worse, what I ended up doing mostly was either basic admin or… nothing at all!

In fact, looking back, it turned out to be a bit of a non-job. At one point, a whole week went by without any work crossing my desk. "That's it!" I thought. "This just isn’t the right job for me."

Managing My Mistake

I thought that I'd left my old job for a new prospect that was going to excite me and broaden my skills. Instead, it felt like a massive step back. Sure, it was more money, but had making the move really been worth it?

The job wasn't at all as advertised and, ultimately, learning nothing was getting me nowhere fast. So, I asked to speak to my manager and explained how I felt. He understood, and we agreed to go our separate ways. I guess that's one benefit of a probation period.

Luckily for me, I'd kept on good terms with my old employer, and they welcomed me back with open arms.

Walking back into my old office might have been embarrassing (the first time at least), but ultimately it was the right decision for me to make. Not only for my career, but also for my personal happiness and sanity. There's only so much nothing you can do!

Did you know... ? There’s a new name for people who return to their former workplaces? See the News Roundup, below, to learn about “Boomerang Employees”

What’s Next?

One lesson to be learned from this tale is not to let your desire for something new or different or better paid blind you to the potential pitfalls. By all means, enjoy the euphoria of being offered a job – but don’t lose your objectivity! See the Mind Tools article, 8 Criteria for Evaluating a Job Offer, for some great tips to consider before you take the plunge!

But let’s say the lure was too strong and you jumped in with both feet. A few weeks later, you glumly admit to yourself that things are not coming up roses in your new workplace garden. Your strengths are underutilized, and your duties bear no resemblance to the job description...

All is not lost! Mind Tools' article, That’s Not My Job!, can help you to formulate a strategy for tackling the issue tactfully but resolutely with your employer.

Tip of the Week

Delivering Good News or Bad? Don’t Leave Your Team Members Hanging!

By Keith Jackson, Mind Tools Managing Editor

One of my first managerial roles was as a news editor at a provincial weekly newspaper. Our news patch was mostly sleepy rural communities, but one week we had a good “scoop,” and the reporter did a great job covering the story.

I wanted to tell her as much, and explore potential follow-ups, but it was Friday afternoon and I thought it could wait. So, I left the office with a wave to the reporter and said, “I want to talk to you on Monday about your handling of the story.”

On Monday morning, the reporter came in looking anxious and gloomy – it turned out my throwaway line had her fearing the worst and ruined her weekend.

A big lesson learned for me! Ever since, I’ve been an advocate of appropriate on-the-spot feedback – especially when it comes to praise or thanks. A good deed or good work should be recognized openly and quickly before it gets forgotten. And why wouldn’t you want to give someone a lovely boost to their day?

Critical feedback should also be delivered in timely fashion – unless it requires a more formal discussion – and never in public.

You can explore more pros and cons of instant feedback in our article, How to Deliver On-the-Spot Feedback.

Pain Points Podcast

Don't miss the latest episode of our “Pain Points” podcast! What’s it about again... ? Ah yes, memory!

How good is your memory? And how important do you think a good memory is for work? Join the Pain Points team for this week’s podcast where they take a deep dive into memory. They discuss hints, tips and tricks for improving your memory, as well as looking at ways of being memorable to your colleagues.

Check your inbox for your personal link to the Pain Points podcast, sent every Tuesday to Mind Tools members. You can listen online or subscribe in your podcast app by following the links in the email.

Subscribe Today

News Roundup

This Week's Global Workplace Insights

OK, Boomerang!

Another week, another pithy business buzzword...

We've had the “Great Resignation,” “quiet quitting,” “quiet firing” and “lazy girl jobs.” Now meet the “boomerang employees.”

Global research by HR analytic platform Visier has found that a third of external hires are people returning to organizations they worked at before – hence “boomerang employees.”

Some are returning to jobs they loved but lost during the COVID pandemic, others just discovered that the grass wasn’t necessarily greener elsewhere.

It’s always been sound advice to not “burn your bridges” - particularly as the Visier study found that the average earnings for boomerang employees is 25 percent more than the wage they left!

Find out more in this article from European news channel, euronews.

Working Hours: Seventy is Plenty!

While many U.S. and European organizations and employees explore flexible working or four-day weeks in the search for work-life balance, young people in India are being told they should work 70-hour weeks.

Software billionaire N. R. Narayana Murthy – father-in-law of U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – sparked controversy and debate in India when he bemoaned productivity in his homeland.

Fearing that India was losing out to global competitors, he urged the country’s young workers to say, “This is my country. I'd like to work 70 hours a week.”

Murthy has received some support from fellow business leaders, who said the comment should be taken in “a more holistic way” than a literal one.

You can read more in this BBC News article. And even if you don’t have to work 70 hours a week, you can explore strategies for managing a demanding schedule in our article, Surviving Long Work Hours.

See you next week for more member-exclusive content and insight from the Mind Tools team!