" Others bare sensitive souls: Leonard Earl Howze's Dinka describes himself, correctly enough, as "an overweight barber from West Africa with a fondness for poetry.

WSJ: 'Igby' Is a Darkly Comic Trip

For those who wait nearly a year to leave an ill-fitting management post, "there's a perception that the company fired you, " warns Jane Howze, a managing director of recruiters Alexander Group.

WSJ: Quitting Your Job - What to Do When a New Management Job Isn't Working Out