First week at work, already feel a tad disappointed

[Isitameproblem]

It's hard to explain, but I was hired as a fairly senior role (with a salary to match). However, my experience so far is that I've been positioned internally as a junior role. Including my team.

I think I've being treated as such, and thus my voice isn't having the same weight that it should.

I spoke to the recruiter who told me I was a cry baby. Ultimately there's a document that definitely portraits me at the very bottom of the food chain.

I am definitely more experienced than my peers, and I believe I'm being paid accordingly, but the the positioning isn't there. So AIBU for feeling that way?

hmm. perhaps you are being paid more than your previous role but it is lower end of the scale for new employer?
Does the JD stipulate it is a senior leadership role?

The JD says "lead the strategy" - and mentions of scaling to build my own team.

I know I get paid more than my colleagues (around 15k on top), and maybe 10-15k below my boss.

The recruiter sounds like a peach!

It's not even been a week! Give it some time, you're brand new.

I get how you feel. If you do it for a year you'll have the high salary and a reference and can go for something better at another company. I'd be suggesting to the recruiter that you might go to a different recruiter and find something else very quickly if you don't have their support- surely part of their commission depends on you staying in role a certain amount of time.

Weird recruiter!

The recruiter just said I got hyper fixated on that document (which is a fair point) but it doesn't leave a great taste in your mouth to see that your responsibilities (look) at the bottom of everyone else. It's not that what I'll be doing is beneath, it's just completely different. So it's like comparing apples to oranges, albeit all being of the "fruit" team.

You must have talked about this to your boss when you were interviewed, could you have another discussion with them to clarify the document that you’ve been given?

I wonder if someone in that junior role left, and there has been a decision to recruit at a more senior level and restructure, but this has not been communicated to the team, and someone has just stuck your name in the wrong box.

Would you not be expecting an early meeting with your boss anyway to set targets and objectives?

Yes, that's the idea I'll be talking to him in a bit. I had always been told in the recruitment process that I'd be the owner/architect of the programme, which would be focused on a main product BUT it will be leveraged by the other products too (when and where it makes sense).

This happened to me - £20k increase but when I joined new organisation I was much lower down the hierarchy in terms of autonomy and seniority. It’s because I moved to a much bigger organisation. I’m biding my time, delivering on objectives and then trying to work out next move. I have already applied for a couple of new roles though and not got them , I worry it’s because the new role looks like less responsibility than my old role, even though it’s a specialist role in a much bigger organisation with a bigger salary. I think you are reasonable to feel disappointed and have been somewhat missold, but try and look to the longer term, will experience in this organisation help you onto your next role?

I think YANBU to feel this away after only a week and before even having a first meeting with your boss. Perfectly fine to raise these questions as soon as possible, but it is too early to be disappointed now, when it could all be a misunderstanding.

And it could be for sure, which is why I'm having a chat on day 4.

@Tallesttiptoes how long have you been in your current role?

Nearly 2 years. Aiming to do another year then really throw efforts at moving on. I had some very honest conversations in first few months about my frustrations with my manager and their manager as well, they persuaded me to stay and have supported me to build my team. My autonomy has increased with time. I think more than anything I’ve shifted my perspective as well. I can’t say it’s been my best career move, but I am developing in my specialism and being supported to do so, I feel valued in the team now, and I think it’ll pay off longer term, it’s just been a rocky road and I would definitely do a ton more due diligence before my next move!

I am definitely cautious about which recruitment consultants I work with now as well. I’d definitely strike your current one off this list for future moves, they are meant to do some legwork at ascertaining suitability of role too!

Yeah very similar, I'm supposed to specialise in something that is not widely done, but it's the "hottest new trend".

I hate that I was told that "Rome wasn't built in a day" but they don't seem to get, that as much as what I will do won't be a junior thing, if people see it that way, they'd potentially treat me that way. It has nothing to do with proving my worth.

Whilst I understand your point, OP, remember one can command respect by their presence as well as their position.

You seem quite fixed on how you will be perceived, but remember you get to control how people treat you, by what you accept.

Do you think you were misinformed about the job role? I’d be peed off with that.

This is an interesting thread. I wonder if your company has done what my old company used to do - recruit someone but put them a grade below where they thought they were. Then, once it was obvious that they were as good as expected, promote them. They felt good at being promoted soon and the company took less risk.

OR they haven’t communicated your role very effectively so whoever drew up the organisational chart didn’t realise that you are in a senior role. This would worry me more, partly because it’s weird to bring in an expensive new person and not have them work at the level they are expecting. Wasteful, too.

I don't think I was misinformed, at no given moment I was told I would do any account management. I have got in touch with othe people with similar roles, and they all agreed that account management is definitely not part of the job description, that's for someone else to do.

And no it wasn't an organisational thing. It was my manager's lack of foresight (if I'm honest). I don't think he out myself in my shoes of how I would feel when reading the document. There was a clear hierarchy within it.

I made very clear to him that I'm an apple and the other members of my team are oranges. That I'll do some orange type tasks for now, but that that's certainly not what I envisioned nor thought of my role.