When it comes time to look for a job, most people focus on how to convince the interviewer that they are the best candidate for a specific position. However, to maximize career success, job seekers must also select the ideal role for themselves. Here are some tips on how to pick a winner when it comes to job selections:
1. Know yourself. Yes, this sounds very Yoda-ish. (Actually, if Yoda was your career coach he would say, “yourself, know well.”) Either way it’s said, it's critical to remember that the person most interested in your career success is you. You also have the greatest responsibility in ensuring you are set up for success. Take some time to do the following before you go on an interview:
- Outline your priorities. There is no right or wrong, and this certainly is not the time to try to give the “right” answer, like “I want to save puppies” when you really want to make enough money to move out of your parents' house. Make a list of what matters to you, and then put those things in order. Some common priorities are meaningful work, opportunity for growth and fun environment. They can also be better work-life balance or long-term financial incentives. Whatever matters to you is all that is needed.
- Outline your natural strengths, and list the professional traits you would like to improve. The most engaging roles let you do what you naturally do well and help you stretch in new areas that appeal to you. Knowing these things before you interview allows you to evaluate roles for both immediate compatibility and long-term interest.
- Think a couple years ahead. Short-sighted job selection creates major long-term obstacles for many professionals. No matter how perfect a role seems, rest assured that you will most likely need to find another position afterward. It's just the order of the modern world of work – especially since most of us will need to be employed for 40 or more years, given current life expectancy. Determine what you need or want this year and what sets you up the best in the years following. A little long-range thinking can help you steer clear of the flash-in-the-pan opportunity that seems awesome now but has no future.
2. Evaluate the employer. Although a specific role may seem ideal, if the manager or the employer is sketchy, perfection may quickly become a mess. Look into the tenure of management staff; is there lots of turnover? If so, find out why and if it’s for the best. What is the company’s track record and financial history? Can you find articles describing customer complaints, lawsuits or financial issues? Is the business in a growing or declining industry? Declining industry is not necessarily a bad thing unless one of your goals is career growth in one company or a specific field.
Do some research on key management figures and your direct manager. Where have they worked before? Do you see evidence of a track record of success? Can they describe a clear vision for their business, department or for you? Think about it like this: Would you get on a bus with a driver who either didn’t know how to operate the vehicle or had no idea where he was going? Use that same test for a potential employer – can they drive, and do they have a map for the future? If not, you may want steer clear of that role.
3. Learn how success will be measured in your targeted position. In order to be successful, you need to know what things will be valued versus those nice-but-not-necessary tasks that hold minimal weight. Every position has some form of measurement. It could be customer satisfaction rankings, calls made, deals closed or error rates. Whatever it is, the best managers can describe how they will evaluate your performance.
If you are interviewing for a role without any predefined measurement, you really are entering at your own risk. Without written goals, the view of your contribution is solely up to the discretion of whoever manages you. In many industries, turnover can be up to 50 percent, meaning that you have a 1 in 2 chance that the person who hires you has nothing to do with your career within the first year. Written standards and metrics ensure that you stay on the right path regardless of to whom you report.
The increase in hiring and strengthening of our economy is a positive for many job seekers. Use this time to be selective about your next role versus just jumping at whatever is offered to you. You are measured professionally by not only your performance in a job, but also in how strategic you are in planning your moves. Before you leap, ask yourself how you will answer, “why did you make the move to Company XYZ?” If you don’t have a response that complements your skills and background, you may want to wait for a better match.
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