Hello

I've been at my present job around 2 months now, and l cannot take it anymore. (UK - Scotland)

My supervisor is a nightmare to work with.She wo not hand over any work to me, the work she does give me is office junior type stuff (i'm 30 and worked in the industry 8 years) and gives me a public telling off for doing things wrong when she is not even shown me and i've had to use my initiative!The atmosphere is thick and tense and l feel like i'm being bullied.The other day l was given a telling off for leaving at 4.57pm.She tapped her watch and said to me ''not really 5pm is it?''Never mind the fact i'm in every day 10 mins before start time.Almost like being at school and getting into trouble for leaving before the bell rings.

l have never ever been made to feel this way by any supervisor / colleague, and do not feel l should start now.l have done nothing to antagonise this woman, she is just taken an instant dislike to me from the moment l walked in.

l need to find a new job, and although that should not be a problem in my line of work, l do not know what to tell potential new employers the reason why after 2 months, i'm leaving a job in a well respected company.Do l tell them the truth or does it make me look weak?

l know l should not let a bully push me out of a job, but l can not be bothered with the fight.If she wants the job all to herself so badly, have it, i'd rather work somewhere where l get an ounce of respect, something i'd never get here as long as she'd be around.

Thanks guys x

l would be honest because more than likely they will try and contact your former employer. You do not need to go into detail. You can just say your personality was clashing with another person and you felt it best to remove yourself from the situation rather than letting it get worse.

You should seriously seek legal redress against constructive dismissal. Keep a diary of all the things she is said and done (dates, examples etc if you can remember).

However, if you're serious about getting another job, tell them either your current position was on a temporary basis (contract-type) or simply tell them the truth, that you were bullied out of your job by someone who ws threatened by you. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

What ever u do try not to bad mouth ur current employer no matter how tempting it is. The boss at the prospective company wil wonder what u will say if u dont like the job there. Just say something along the lines like ''Im looking for new opportunities'' or the fit wasnt right for me, Try to be positive & not talk about what a b1tch ur boss was. Research the company & make a story up about some projects they r working on thats better than ur current employers. Try to sell em that ur passionate about ur work. That should do the trick, but DO NOT BAD MOUTH YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER. Just try to avoid it altogether & get real excited about the company products, location, or anything associated with the company name. Body language is key. Research body language & use the tactics at the interview like leaning forward & the chin stroke to show ur interested (works for me).

Ok, two parts to ur question,

As to ''why'' this idiot is treating u this way, well dear, it should be obvious, she is scared to death of you. You r younger, probably better looking & have 8 years experience; she is afraid u will make her look bad & possibly make her lose her place. So, the way that the insecure react is to try & bring their ''competition'' down to their own incompetent levels. Ignore her.

Now, the second part, whatever u do, do NOT badmouth this witch! When an applicant talks badly about a former employer, even if TRUE, the applicant is the one that ends up looking bad.

Having said that, u have only been there two months, so a smart interviewer will figure this out, & who knows, ur boss may already have a reputation in the industry. The politically correct way to handle this, if asked, would be to tell the potential employer that the job ended up being much lower level than u understood it to be. Which it is, so that is the truth. Instead of, l have to get away from this smothering wench, say, '' l need more challenges to be happy''.

With 8 years experience do u need to list this job at all?

l would just not list it on ur CV/resume, u could always claim that u just did not remember to update the CV before sending.

Good luck. l once had this same exact situation & funny enough, the day l gave notice, the witch was ''shocked''. She could not understand why l was leaving. She also had a hard time, & ended up lying, explaining to her boss why someone that was super efficient, super experienced & super skilled, left her department. Ah well.

Good luck

As an employer of labour l would expect:> my present job is not challenging enough. The promises suggested at my interview have not materialised. l need a challenge, and job security, and it is my belief that your company will provide that opportunity for me. l would be quite willing to work on a months trial basis because l have had 8 years previous experience.