More important to like the job or the people?

Elphaba

Hi all,
Just looking for some advice if anyone has been in the same situation. I'm currectly in a job where I really like the work I do but can't stand most of the people! It's quite a bitchy atmosphere and hard to make a friend out of anyone when it seems they'll all hang you at the first opportunity. Anyway I'm glad to have a job so don't want to whinge too much.

I've got a second interview on Monday for another company. If I get it I don't think I'd like the work as much but the people and the atmosphere of the place seem really nice.

So I'm wondering do I go for nice people and ok work, or stick with work I really enjoy but awful people?

I might not have a decision to make at all but just trying to decide what I would do if I had to.

Thanks for any advice

Ellechim

Hi there,

In this situation you need to stand back a bit and think about where you want to go with your longer term career - which of course depends on how career motivated you are.

If you're just there for a 'job' then you probably do go with the 'nicer people' thing (however you are not working at that other company so it could well have it's share of nasty people too, it's hard to tell when you go for interview about the overall culture). However, if you're interested in building your career and your skills you need to see it a bit differently.

The issue about 'what do I like more' is a really short term view - things can change really quickly in any company. You might stay in your current company and a couple of the nasty people leave and hey presto it's a fab place to work.

So the questions to ask yourself (assuming you get an offer next week) are
a) which company is better for my longer term career?
b) which can provide me with more opportunity to learn and develop
c) in which company am I more likely to get more responsibility and how soon?
d) which company is likely to have money to spend on training me if there's something I want to learn?
e) which company looks better on my CV (ie, market leader, innovative, best in class, etc)
f) what is the boss like - a good boss can really bring out your potential - which boss is going to be better for you
g) ask yourself a few questions about what your core values are: is it interesting work, pleasant atmosphere, career prospects, innovation, being part of a great team - we all have different drivers so it is worth considering.

Best of luck - hope that helps a bit - sometimes however when you get the offer your gut just tells you 'yeah' or 'nay'.......! Hope you get the offer!
what opportunities are there for promotion

monariek

for me, no matter how much you like the job you wont last if you dont like the people

you spend as much time with colleagues as you do with family so it is important you like them/get along

Elphaba

Thanks for the feedback

Those questions really helped me put things in perspective. The answers to the first 5 are the new company. I've only met the boss at the first interview so obviously I don't know her very well but she seems nice and to be honest she couldn't be any worse than my current boss.

There are far more opportunities for promotion and I would just love somewhere that I could settle and be happy. I'm lucky that I had that in a job before but the company went belly up.

I know what you mean about the gut feeling. I've had that before and was having second thoughts but everyone was saying I should go for it so i did and then regretted it so I will always listen to my gut now!

A friend of mine said she could take or leave the actual work she does but it's the bit of banter with her co-workers that gets her through the day and there's none of that in my current place.

I guess it would just end up making me hate being there one way or the other so if I get offered this position next week I think I'll grab it with both hands.

Thanks for the opinions

Irish_Elect_Eng

A tricky question, with a simple answer.

"It depends on you!"

Task Oriented people can get on with the job irrespective of their relationship people that they work with as long as those people as contributing to the successful completion of the task.

People Oriented people need a support structure f an effective team to reach their full potential and would really suffer in a hostile workplace.

Of course, to be really successful and enjoy your career to the max, you need both, supportive team-mates and interesting tasks, we spend to much time at work for it to be a hassle.

Good Luck.

Elphaba

I think I'm a bit of both! I spend more (awake) time with my colleagues than I do with my family so it's making more and more sense to me that I get myself out of this situation.

boobar

I think it changes over time to be honest.

When I started my working life, I really liked the social side of work. As I got older and my own personal life got busier with family of my own, I found that once I found a job that I was interested in, it didn't bother me that people were unpleasant and rather than spend time having lunch, breaks with them etc, I just got on with the work which I enjoyed and went home earlier.

But I understand that some people can find unpleasant colleagues very difficult to work with.

Elphaba

I know what you mean, it defo does change over time. When I was younger I loved going out with the work crowd on a Friday. Now all I want to do is get home and relax with the people who are important to me.

I don't even necessarily want to spend lunches or breaks with my colleagues but it's nice if there's someone you can have a friendly chat with. It's not the be all and end all but it's a bonus.

I made a great friend in my last job. We were both on contracts and now both work elsewhere but still in touch all the time.

the_syco

If you are working side by side, 9-5 Monday to Friday, it would add stress to the job if you didn't get on with them.

You don't have to be drinking buddies, but it helps if you can relax with them.

If you have a bit of a laugh in work, a small bit of banter, you'll find that it makes the job easier, and asking for help will also be easier.

smallerthanyou

I am in process of leaving a job because of the atmosphere in the office. Now I am leaving for what I consider a better job but the main reason I started looking around was the atmosphere and the micro-managing. I think when you spend so much time with people it is vital that you get on with them. To me that's more important than the work, but that said not sure I would have left for a lower paid or worse opportunities job. Then again if I had to put up with it all another year or two who knows.

My advice would be leave and be happy!

Elphaba

smallerthanyou wrote: »

My advice would be leave and be happy!

I'm thinking along the same lines now. If I get the job it will pay slightly more than I'm on now but in the long term I could progress a lot more.

Best of luck with your move