I hate my new job. How long do I need to stay for?

First, I’m sorry you’re going through this. I’ve been there, too. On my better days it felt like a major inconvenience and on the harder ones it was anxiety-inducing, to say the least. Having come around to the other side, that experience expanded my capacity for empathy, pushed me to throw away old assumptions, and to take a more flexible approach with my career path. So, if you’re being hard on yourself about starting a job that isn’t the right fit, please don’t. It’s much more common than you think.

With all that being said, my answer to the question is this: stay for as little (or as long) as you’d like. Here’s why:

• The old career rule book is no longer relevant. The “rule” (and I use that term loosely), that you need to stay with a company for at least a year, is outdated and simply untrue. The average tenure has decreased over the last ten years and companies are catching up with the trend.

• It’s a candidate-driven market. And it’s expected to stay this way for a while. With talented employees in high demand, you’ve got the upper hand.

• Apply what you’ve learned to find the right fit. Don’t jump to the next job. Be sure to distill what was lacking from this experience, in order to be clear on what you need in the next one. If the work situation is untenable, taking a toll on your mental and/or physical health, and you have the financial cushion to leave without a job lined up, that’s okay, too.

Once you’ve made the decision to leave, view your current job as a means to an end: a paycheck to keep you afloat until you find the right job, a chance to develop a new skill, or to add a resume building experience to your resume.

I can’t wait to hear where you land next.