Nine weeks in, and the thrill is gone: How soon can I start looking?

Q: I accepted what seemed to be a great job. Nine weeks later, the smoke and mirrors are gone, and I see that I'm working for a CEO who won't trust people enough to let them do their jobs. My direct boss has such dramatic mood swings that I don't know if the day will be a good or bad one. I now understand why the company's turnover rate is 80 percent. Almost everyone has been here less than a year.

I want to leave, but I'm worried about how it will look that I'm job hunting again so soon. What's your advice?

NICK'S REPLY: During your interviews, did you meet with any of the people you would be working with as opposed to just the bosses? That's one way to avoid surprises from a new job. It's very important to get to know other members of the team and to use your meetings to find out the truth about what a place is like to work in. But that's advice for next time ...

I'd give this at least six months, but I'd start a low-level job search now. Kick it into higher gear if things continue to deteriorate. Sometimes it takes awhile to establish credibility with management. As this situation develops, and as you are also creating backup job opportunities, you may find yourself ready to push back at the CEO and your boss to see whether they take you seriously. If you can gain concessions, you may find reasons to stay. If you can't, well, then you'll be ready to make a move out the door.

Don't worry about explaining this short stay. Just tell the truth. Keep it brief and to the point. Don't complain, don't explain. In today's rough-and-tumble business world, people know that some companies aren't great to work for. Not everyone will be surprised you left this company so soon, if that's what happens.

It's not unusual to get disillusioned about a new job. Give this a chance, because your position may improve with a little time.

THE HEADHUNTER TIP:

You have to say it.

Too often, a candidate leaves a job interview convinced he did well. He wants the job and thinks the interviewer knows it. But he has not explicitly told the interviewer he wants the job.

The interviewer knows you want the job only if you tell him you want the job. It doesn't matter what comments you successfully "slipped into the conversation" to make him think you want the job. You have to say it.

Look the interviewer in the eye and make the commitment. Say it.

Keep in mind that until a company makes you an offer, the ball is not in your court. You have no real decision to make until an offer is presented to you. Completing an interview without letting the interviewer know you want an offer is like playing basketball without ever trying to make a basket. You can't just dribble and pass. You have to shoot.

Copyright 2009. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.