“Don’t Just Take The Job For The Money!”
At least a couple of times a day I get asked a question about the hiring process from people in my life - friends and family. There is always someone who is looking for a job and they know me, my passion for helping people find and get the jobs they want. I had one of those conversations this evening. I was on my way out the door and one of my friends said, “hey, I need to talk to you.” And I knew, it was a job question or issue or something about an interview.
The Situation:
He is a salesperson and has been offered and opportunity to go to work for a competitor. He likes the job he has but he is open to a new opportunity. He has some specific needs as far as scheduling that his current position offers. With the new organization he is not sure how flexible they will be. His concern is that his current employer is very predictable, flexible and though the organization has some real challenges, he knows them. He knows what to expect. The new organization is an unknown. Though he could potentially get a lot more money. He is unsure of the flexibility of the organization. What should he do? How can he determine whether he should make the move to the new organization?
Coaching Tip:
When listening to my friend explain the quandry he was feeling about going to the interview, I heard him say he was happy with his current job. The company is a little nutty, but he has learned how to navigate the turbulent waters of change, turnover, conflicting priorities and ever-changing management. Despite the issues of the current organization he likes it. So my advice to him, is to go to the interview. Explore the other organization and find out if the organization would give him the things he needs, flexibility in scheduling, predictability in day to day operations. These are the two things he is looking for. I also told him, it is very important that he interview the organization and determine whether it is where he wants to be. Don’t just take the job for the money! Somebody said, “Money isn’t everything, it is the only thing!” NOT!
Money should be a criteria you consider when taking a new job. But don’t let the dollar signs blind you. Like my friend, you may work for a nutty organization with lots of issues, but you can easily jump out of a “bad” situation into a worse situation. Your responsibility, and this is what I told my friend, is to interview the organization. It is not about you just sitting there and looking good, trying to make a good impression and hoping they like you and offer you a job. It is about you participating in a discussion with the hiring manager and his representatives to determine if the job and/or the organization is a good fit for you. You are the only one who can make that determination. How do you make this determination? ASK questions. When they ask you, “so what questions do you have for us?” This is your cue to begin the interview process for the organization.
Here is an example of two questions I suggested to my friend this evening:
- Describe a typical day for a sales person in your organization.
- How much flexibility do your salespeople have in determining their weekly schedule?
These two questions may not work for you in your interview, but like my friend if you have specific needs that are important to you in a job, you have to ask the right questions to determine if the organization can meet your needs. If they can’t don’t take the job, even if the money is good. I am a firm believer that you can find the right organization for your personality, and lifestyle. The money you are looking for will come.
What do you think? What advice would you give my friend? Scroll down and leave a comment!
Tags: coaching_tip, dont_just_the_job_for_the_money, flexibility, hiring_manager, hiring_process, interview, interview_chatter, interview_the_organization, management, organizations, questions, salesperson, situationRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Coach's Cornor, Q & A, The Interview
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