The new job sounded great on paper: How do you address that sinking feeling?

Q: You just started a new job. A recruiter lured you to another city from a very good job. Now you are seeing what your new job actually entails, compared to what was sold to you in the interview. And it's not good. You have a strong feeling that things will not improve. What should you do?

Nick's reply: The bottom line is that you're on board now. There's no turning back easily unless you want to return to your old company, and they're willing to have you. That's doubtful.

You can speak to the recruiter, but he probably can't do much. It's a start, however, as the recruiter might be able to serve as your advocate. I'd do this right now -- the sooner, the better. Just don't expect much.

I suggest talking candidly with your manager to turn things around. It may take time, and you should be respectful and positive in the way you pursue this. You need to convey your interest in doing your work in the way that will be best for the company, and that "way" is what you agreed to from the beginning. Don't start with recriminations. That won't help at this point. Approach it as a partner, because that's what you are.

In the end, your only real solution may be to move on. This situation is one of the reasons I write this column. I try to teach that the purpose of a job search is not to "get a job." The purpose is to win the right job. The traditional search and hiring process too often neglects the very issues that have put you in the spot you're in:

1. Has the work been clearly defined? Does the candidate truly understand it? Don't count on the employer to lay it all out for you. You must "triangulate" and talk with several people within the company to ensure what the work is. You must figure it out for yourself.

2. Can you do the work they want done? The only way to determine this for sure is to ask permission to demonstrate your ability in the interview, so they can see how you would approach the job. This also gives you the all-important opportunity to see what they really mean by "the work." Too often, there's a misunderstanding between a new hire and the employer about what the work is, until it's too late. I suspect that you and your new boss did not discuss this in detail during your interview. This is why you've been taken by surprise.

3. Can you do the work the way they want it done? Clearly, there's a disconnect here, and you and they are not in sync. Again, this needs to be covered through due diligence during the interview process, and it's as much your responsibility to figure it out as it is the employer's to explain it.

4. Can you do the work profitably, for you and for the employer? I doubt this was ever discussed, and it has likely contributed to the misunderstanding. If you had raised this issue and discovered what really matters to the employer, you may not have taken this job.

In my columns I try not only to help readers win a job, but also to teach how to assess what a job is, and the "fit." The above four points are derived directly from "The Four Questions," which I discuss in detail in my book "Ask the Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job." When these are not clearly and honestly addressed in the job interview, people wind up job hunting again sooner than they'd like.

I think this is at the heart of a lot of America's downsizing problems. Job hunters and employers fail to address these four questions before a hire is made, and people are hired for the wrong reasons. Then the company must either let them go, or the workers move on within six months or a year or two.

If you're in a situation like this, you may want to show your boss this column, as a way of starting a frank, friendly discussion.

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.