Do I Take on a New Job or New Project? 3 Keys Factors to Consider.

I have a lot to say about this subject, but we’ll try to keep this one as much to-the-point as possible.?? As a career coach, I have worked with a lot of students and alumni contemplating whether to take a job, or let it pass by.? Similarly, I have worked with colleagues – bent on promotions and salary bumps – who are pondering taking on new projects, beyond their usual span of control, and scope of work. ?When making these considerations, there are essentially three keys to consider, and none of these will be new to anyone, but we do not always consider them:

1.?????? Responsibility

2.?????? Accountability

3.?????? Authority

In colloquial conversations, it is not unusual to hear people use these terms somewhat interchangeably, but nothing could be more diluting when considering accepting a new job, a new role within the same organization, or taking on a sizable new project.? Let’s look at each of these, and why they are important parts in career decision-making:

Responsibility – Responsibility begins with the job description, but does not end with the job description. When I contemplate my initial job description at the university where I work, and what my job actually looked like a year or two later, whew, very different. Maybe that is not the case if you are in a union environment, but in a salaried, non-represented world, nothing is in stone.? Fundamentally, you should know, and yes, even ask for details about the position or project you are considering, and even ask about the ways in which it might expand, challenge, frustrate, or evolve in the months, to years ahead.? In other words, know what you are supposed to do.? I am always struck – when I look through Indeed, or when students bring me so-called job descriptions for internships – that too often, there’s nothing to them; there’s often not enough information about actual responsibilities in order to make a good judgement about accepting, or passing over a job, or internship offer. ??Never accept a job or project if you do not know a satisfactory amount about the what, why and how of it.

Accountability – Know what you are supposed to achieve, and what you are going to be measured on. You know how they always ask you in a job interview if you have any questions for them?? Here’s one for you: “At the end of my first review period, I want to earn all ‘excellent’ ratings.? What does an ‘excellent’ effort look like, and exactly what things will I be measured on?”? Simple enough. If they cannot come up with anything. Wow!? It might be the job or project for you, but it would not be the job or project for me.

Okay, let me pause before going on.? Responsibility and accountability can certainly be deal makers or deal breakers, but more often than not, it is this last factor that is most important, and frankly most frustrating, and fraught with opportunity for ultimate confusion and failure.? Authority is one of the tougher things to gauge when you are evaluating a new job, or taking on a project that will expand your employable value within an organization.

Authority – There is a fairly simple way to say this: “Are you going to be apportioned the appropriate organizational power-to-execute, and span-of-control necessary to carry out your responsibilities, and meet those standards and expectations to which you will be accountable?”? There you go. Authority. When I was an office director at the university where I work, there was mostly clear responsibilities and accountability, and I almost always sensed that I had the authority to act upon my responsibilities.? But since moving to an assistant vice president role, that three-way balance has twisted somewhat.? Let me offer an example of what I am taking about: my job description does not have the words “student retention” in the text.? Essentially everyone – not just one person – plays a role in retaining students at a university, including the students themselves, who have to make good personal and academic choices.? Yet today, many people across campus come to me asking for ‘retention data’, and they ask me “how retention is looking” for next semester, and I have often been asked by administrators why I think “retention is up” or “retention is down” a little bit this semester.? Do I have true ‘authority’ over student retention at my institution?? Absolutely, unequivocally, not even close.? I do not have cross-divisional authority to walk into people’s offices, and tell them what they must do to retain more students, and then hold each of them accountable to do that; part of this is because we are a union environment, and part is because at a state institution, everyone already has their hands full – state schools are not traditionally over-staffed.? Finally, each student needs to make great choices if they’d like to graduate. I can inform them, text them, email them, and otherwise cajole them, but I do not have ultimate authority over their daily choices or unfettered access to 100% of them at all times, so, in essence, our university can make all of the right moves - and we mostly do - but if each student is not on board with the optimal choices and actions needed for success, all of the ‘retaining’ in the world will not help unless the student is bent on ‘persisting’.? See what I mean? Now you see why I insisted that the word ‘retention” not be a part of my written job description – you can ultimately neither be responsible nor accountable for that which you have little authority over.? In fact, I would argue that everyone else on our campus is far more ‘in charge’ of retention, than I am. I sure would have plenty of advice for them, though, and I do have authority to access, interpret and distribute that advice, and I do that on a daily basis.

Well, enough of that.? You get the idea.? Next time you are in that job interview, and they ask you “Do you have any questions for us?” make sure you get some really good answers.? Similarly, if your supervisor comes to you, proposing that you broaden your skills, and promotion horizons by taking on a project that is a bit out of your typical realm, you know the three things to ask about: responsibility, accountability and authority.

It’s your future.? Take charge!