A friend got a dream job that turned into a nightmare. They pretended things were ok and kept up a facade til landing a new job. Afterwards they admitted how bad it'd been professionally and emotionally. Some times roles don't live up to expectations. Maybe it's a toxic office or unchallenging work. Don’t beat yourself up! We base career moves on info available. Finding “fit” is trial and error. If you’re in a place where you feel safe to leave the job, do it. Don't thug it out. For most it's not realistic to quit without another job in hand.

Instead make an exit plan:

🔀 Move to another team.
Requesting a team change or applying for a new role internally can be just what you need to have a happier working environment. You may even decide to stay given a new team. Even if you are set on leaving, moving to another internal team can afford you mental space to recover, collect yourself and allow time on planning exit from the org.

🧖🏽‍♀️ Take advantage of benefits.
If you have unlimited PTO, take it. Use sick time and PTO for mental health breaks. If there is training, conferences, etc. that can help in your current or future role take advantage.

🧘🏽‍♀️ Don’t overwork yourself.
Honestly, this is good to do regardless of your situation. A healthy relationship with work begins with boundaries. Clock in at 9am and clock out at 5pm. Don't work through lunch. Don’t open the laptop on weekends or evenings. Remove or silence work apps during off hours. Don’t check work comms after work. Pick battles. Conserve energy. Focus on next steps.

🛋️ Seek therapy.
I regret not doing this sooner… to at least have someone to speak to who wasn’t biased. This helps you both during the toxic role and after it so you can heal from your work induced trauma.

📅 Plan to stay for a minimum of a year or two.
It looks better on a resume to say that you’ve been in a role for a while. Unfortunately, some recruiters side-eye resumes with a series of short stints, even if they are contract roles.

🌟 Make the most of it.
Identify meaningful projects and experiences that you can complete in your chosen timeframe that you can add to your portfolio. I’ve def had a role or two that I wasn’t jazzed about but came out of it with some of my most interesting case studies and valuable experiences. You often form great relationships through the course of successful projects. Document positive feedback from notes, emails and performance reviews and consider reaching out to peers for recommendations and referrals in the future.

🩵 Find support in community.
Sharing your experiences with people who you trust helps. There are various private groups where others have gone through similar situations and can pass along advice from their experiences. These communities are also great spaces to network and seek referrals.

You don’t need to feel stuck. With a little planning, patience and self-care you can develop a long term strategy that will help you open the way for new opportunities.