When You Started a New Job and It's Going Poorly
You didn’t make a mistake - you’re just in the messy middle. Here’s how to find clarity, take action, and get your momentum back.
The first few months? Rose-colored lenses.
You’ve got a new routine, a new office, new coworkers. Opportunity feels like it’s everywhere. You’re absolutely starstruck by your new salary, the projects you get to work on, and honestly? The newness gives everything a little glow-up.
It’s that magic of good energy and good momentum.
But then, between 6 months and a year, the cracks start to show.
You realize you didn’t leave your old job for a fairy wonderland. You left it for another company… and guess what?
That company has problems too.
In other words, you just traded your old problems in for some new ones.
That can be so hard to accept. Especially if you felt like this was finally the job that would change everything.
And when things start to wobble in your career, it hits hard. You spiral. You start asking:
Did I just throw my career away?
Why did I leave my old job for this??
What am I even doing here?
And if it gets really bad, the doubts cut even deeper:
Am I just unqualified?
Does everyone think I’m an imposter?
Do I even belong here?
If that’s you right now, let’s stop the spiral. I want to offer you a process you can follow to improve your current situation.
Step One: Diagnose the problem
Problems feel really big when we can’t get specific about what is actually wrong. Instead of, “My manager isn’t giving me enough support” we think “I blew up my life by taking this job.”
In other words, vague problems feel overwhelming. Specific ones feel solvable.
Start by asking yourself: ‘What’s actually not working here?’
Is it…
Poor management?
Insufficient onboarding?
A lack of role clarity?
Misalignment with the company culture?
Burnout from unclear expectations or long hours?
Get brutally honest and name the root of the issue. Because once you do, you can actually address it.
Step Two: Accept That Your Mindset Isn’t Helping
This isn’t about self-blame. It’s about self-awareness.
When something’s not working, our brains go into survival mode. We start scanning for what we must’ve done wrong. And while it’s possible that a few things are in your control, I want to be really clear about this:
You are likely not the root cause of everything that’s going wrong.
But how you're thinking about the situation? That might be quietly compounding the stress.
Are you catastrophizing every rough day?
Are you internalizing feedback as personal failure?
Are you pulling away from your support system because you feel ashamed or confused?
So if you're in this spiral, hear this:
You’re not imagining the hard stuff.
You’re not crazy for feeling off.
And you’re not a failure because it’s not clicking.
But you do have power. Especially in the way you respond.
Let’s shift out of shame and into curiosity.
Let’s stop asking, “What’s wrong with me?” and start asking, “What would help me feel stronger here?”
It’s normal to hit a wall early in a new job, but it doesn’t have to be permanent.
Step Three: Take Action
You don’t have to fix everything. Just start somewhere.
Most of the time, an honest conversation with your manager about where you’re at is the best place to start.
But if this doesn’t seem possible, here are some other options:
Ask your teammates for feedback and be specific about the kind you want.
Connect with a trusted coworker who seems to “get it.”
Review your job description. Turn it into a list of KPIs. Measure your work against those.
If meeting with your manager isn’t possible right now, set up a review at the end of the quarter.
Momentum doesn’t come from solving the whole problem. It comes from solving one part of it.
You’ll feel better once you’ve taken that first step.
Step Four: Evaluate for Signs of Improvement
Okay, so you’ve talked to your team or manager. You know your KPIs. You have a quarterly review planned where you can provide feedback and get some answers.
How are you feeling now? Are there tangible signs of improvement?
Are your days feeling a little more structured?
Are conversations with your manager improving?
Is your confidence rebuilding?
Are you less anxious on Sunday nights?
You don’t need perfection, you just need progress.
📌 TAKEAWAYS
It might be a bad week.
A bad boss.
A bad fit.
But it’s not a bad career.
You didn’t mess everything up. You’re not stuck. You’re just in the hard, blurry middle part of figuring out what you want… and that’s more powerful than it feels.
Want help navigating this season? Hit reply.
If this newsletter hit a little too close to home, you’re not alone. I created the Career Reset Journal specifically for moments like this: when you’re doubting yourself, feeling stuck, and unsure what to do next.
It’s not just a journal. It’s a reset button.
I’ll see you next week, Bold Professionals.
XO,
Abbey
I’m Abbey, and I help you design your dream career — then go get hired for it.
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