Not doing the job you signed up for?

Have you ever been in a position where you’re repeatedly given tasks outside your job description? You’re not alone. It’s not uncommon for an employee to get hired for one thing and end up doing another, so here are some things you can do if you are currently not doing the job you signed up for.

Give the situation a chance

While you are absolutely entitled to have a job that matches the description you were hired for, it’s important to remember that different does not always equal bad. Stay calm and give the situation a fair chance. The job you’re doing might be better than the one you applied for, so don’t panic strictly because there’s a discrepancy.

Write out/articulate the problem

Take the time to talk through your situation. Ask yourself questions like ‘what was I hired to do? What am I doing now? Am I good at what I’m doing? Do I like it? Do I feel it’s less or more responsibility than I signed up for? etc.’ What all these questions will help you do is really target the problem. If you’re doing a job that wasn’t necessarily the description you applied for, it may be for a variety of reasons. For example, maybe over time your job morphed into this new position and your supervisor wasn’t really paying attention or maybe you are more qualified to do this job and your supervisor didn’t think you would mind. Whatever the reason, it’s important for you to figure out what the problem is, why it’s a problem and how you’d like to see it solved.

Talk to your supervisor

If you haven’t already noticed, we’re all about open communication. So many issues both in and out of the workplace are aggravated by miscommunication or failure to communicate at all. So if you’re in a position where you feel there might be a problem, having an open and respectful conversation with your supervisor is typically a good approach.

While there may be the odd situation where someone is hired for one position and given an even better one, this isn’t usually the case. It’s not uncommon for companies to use vague titles and arbitrary descriptions in order to cloak less desirable positions. This is not okay, and if you’ve found yourself in a position like this, don’t be afraid to speak up.