Because it happens to the best of us.

1. The Ultimate Guide
On What
To Do When You
HATE Your Job.
“I’m in a rut. I hate my job. I’m underpaid and I’ve applied to
everything that comes up, but I don’t even get to the first round of
interviews. I obviously can’t leave… I can’t afford to not have an
income. I feel doomed.”
This is one of the most common dilemmas I hear from my clients.
They become distressed due to the lack of opportunities coming up in
the job market, and they become embittered due to the dire outlook
with their current employer. They feel underpaid, underappreciated
and unable to get ahead.
What to do when you find yourself stuck in this rut? There’s a clear
imbalance of power and you do not have the upper hand. Briefly
stated, you need to flip that situation over, so that you have control
over the situation and the freedom to choose your outcome. It will
certainly take work, but it is much easier than you think.

2. Remove all emotions from the situation you are in. Think of this
as a long, drawn out game of chess. It probably took you years
to get stuck in your rut, so get comfy- it’ll take at least a few
months to turn this game around in your favor.
If you continue to emotionally invest as much as you have thus
far in a toxic environment, you will be too drawn out to see this
through completion. Believe me it’s worth it… you know you’ve
dreamed about that day when you are FREE to either decide to
stay for more money, or leave for a better offer.
Take up yoga, meditation or anything that helps you tone down
the anxiety generated by your current predicament without
turning you into a completely “disengaged” employee. Don’t give
them a reason to let you go. In fact, up your game and make
yourself indispensable.
First Step:

3. Make yourself indispensable. Take on the extra projects,
spearhead new initiatives. They need to know you are loyal and
trustworthy- become a fundamental cog in the proverbial
“machine.”
At first, you might catch your boss and those around you off-
guard by being so dedicated... but if he/she/they ever suspected
how much you hated your job, very quickly they'll come to think
that you've turned a page and that things are going great.
Keep 'em thinking that way. You'll likely cringe when your boss
mentions how the "old you" did things the "wrong" way.... just
take it like a queen and butter him/her up with compliments. You
want 'em in your pocket in case you need good referrals and
recommendations.
... But know in the back of your mind that karma exists.
This is a hard one to follow through with- and I get it. But it's not
acceptable for you to waste your life in a job you hate. This is
EXACTLY why we need you to play the role: we are digging you
out of the status quo.
Second Step:

4. Re-direct all that hatred towards figuring out what you're good at
and what you want out of your career. Get clear on what you
want.
What do you do best? What do you want to do? Now, common
advice dictates that you should follow your passion and figure
out a way to make your dream job happen. That’s true to a
certain extent, but in the interest of time and removing you as
soon as possible from a toxic situation, let’s stick to what is it
that you do best and what you could get paid for doing.
Third Step:
Fourth Step:
Change the rules of the game. Why keep waiting for jobs to be
posted? Polish up your resume and reach out to companies all
over the country expressing your interest in a role with them.
a) Make a list of thirty to forty companies.
b) Figure out the exact department and person you'd want to be
reporting into. DO NOT Reach out to HR. HR is a roadblock for
these purposes.
c) Make a connection with the individual you want to report to, or
to lower level individuals in the same group. LinkedIn is a good
resource, BUT there's an increasing trend of individuals NOT
answering LinkedIn messages they receive. Emails will also
often go unread. If there's anyway you can make more of a
"social" connection on Facebook, you will hit the jackpot. 97% of
Facebook messages get read.

5. Fifth Step:
a) The Communication:
If you are using LinkedIn or email, don’t make your communication
too colloquial or too formal- start building trust with this new
potential employer and ask to get career advice from them.
People LOVE talking about themselves... the idea is that they
leave the conversation thinking "Hmmm... she would totally fit in
here." Continue communicating with said person, but don't
approach the topic of job search until the 5th or 6th email (unless
appropriate to do so before).
If you are using Facebook, when you find that individual who will
be the key to opportunities at that company, find a common
interest or if you really have nothing in common... "Hi, my name is
XYZ and I hope it's ok for me to reach out, I'm really interested in
progressing my career as an ABC, and it looks from what I saw on
LinkedIn (... yes, look at their profile) like you've done a pretty
good job for yourself. Might you be willing to share some advice
with me?"
It may sound like a lot of work, but in the grand scheme of
things, it's a lot harder to spend your life in a mediocre job,
doing something you hate. Plus, if you work full-time, you
spend approximately 70% of your time working, Monday
should be the BEST day of the week.
Got questions? We got answers.
E: ask@salarycoaching.com | W: www.salarycoaching.com