IS THIS A GOOD JOB FOR ME?

?? One of my clients shared with me that as she thinks about taking on a new role, she's worried about choosing another company that is failing/going downhill or will not match her career goal. How do you recommend I decide whether or not to accept a job offer?

I took the time to explain to her how she could decide if this new job offer would be a good fit for her. We considered the questions she should ask during interviews and her research.

Suppose?you are reading from me for the first time. I’m Oyedijo Toyese, an HR Business Partner, Career Coach, CV, SOP writing expert, Study Abroad, and Interview Strategy Coach. I share simple solutions to help you land your dream job, build your business or and grow in a career you love.

So what did I tell this client? I explained to her that the days of long-term, stable full-time employment are over. We are all entrepreneurs now. You’ve got to think about each job as a level in a video game. Each level holds treasures for you to collect. Your job is to get those treasures and then move up to the next level!

Firstly, we talked through some questions that she could ask during the interview process to try and get more information - here are a few:

?? Why is this position open? Is it a new headcount or a backfill?

A new headcount likely means that the team is expanding - they need more people to support the team efforts. Backfill means that someone previously held this position and has left. They could have left for another position internally (good sign) or externally (could be neutral or bad).

?? Why did the previous person leave this position?

This is a follow-up to the previous question. Maybe this person got promoted (a good sign) or maybe they left because the position was overwhelming (the interviewer likely won't tell you this directly, but watch for non-verbal cues)

?? What has turnover been like on your team?

Turnover means the rate at which employees leave a workforce and are replaced. High turnover can be a red flag (what is causing people to be coming and going at a high rate?). Low turnover is a good sign (people join the team and are happy to stay).

?? How long have the people on this team been at your company?

Similar to the question above - asking this question will help you determine if you'd be entering a team where all 10 teammates were hired in the last 3 months (could be a variety of reasons why this would happen). Or would you be entering a team where there are people who have been on the team/at the company for various amounts of years?

?? How successful has your team been in hitting their goals over the past year?

This question is especially important for anyone entering a role where your compensation will be tied to your performance - but really for anyone, it can give you an idea of whether or not the team has been crushing it lately or if they seem to be struggling.

As you ask these questions, keep an eye out for non-verbal cues. Are the non-verbal signs telling you that the interviewer is uncomfortable or possibly not telling the whole truth?

Secondly, I explained to her that company culture matters. It’s vital, but it becomes more vital the longer you intend to stay with the organization. These days, it’s not well-advised to take a job hoping to stay there as long as you possibly can. So I asked her to do some personal research and self-reflection on the following:

1. Will I learn something new in this job that I don’t already know? Will I get new resume fodder at this job that I don’t already have?

2. What are the working hours for this job? If I’m not absolutely certain what the work schedule is, I need to get that piece nailed down right away before I go any further toward accepting the offer.

3. What are the opportunities for advancement in this job? How do they compare for the advancement opportunities at my current job and the other companies I’m looking at?

4. Who is my manager at this job? In my interactions with that person so far, have they come across as confident and upright, or bureaucratic and fearful? There’s nobody more important to my success and happiness on the job than my direct supervisor. An insecure boss will make your life miserable — and there are a lot of them around.

5. What will my working day be like? What will I be doing at nine a.m. and three p.m.? Will the work build up my mojo and muscles, or tear them down? Is the work in line with what I do well and love to do?

6. What kind of pain will I solve in this job? If I’m not sure what the pain points are, I need to ask more questions. I only want to take a job if I can solve a significant pain point — if not, the job isn’t essential to my employer and could get eliminated at any moment.

7. What are the expectations around my availability and “reachability” at this job? If I’m not sure, I need to ask more questions. I don’t want to sign an offer letter, begin a new job and then find out that they expect me to be on call all weekend, every weekend and respond to email messages at midnight.

8. What kind of reputation does my new prospective employer have? How do they rate on Glassdoor? When I ask my network for feedback, what do they tell me about the organization? I can’t afford to take a job with a company that mistreats employees and/or customers or is run by unethical or incompetent leaders.

9. How well did this company treat me during the recruiting process? I don’t want the job if they’ve already shown me that “talent” is just a word to them, and that job applicants are hunks of meat they can leave in Radio Silence Land for weeks between contacts.

10. Finally, how does my trusty gut feel about the job? My gut evolved over millennia to keep me safe. When I can quiet my brain enough to listen to my instinct, what does it tell me?

I also strongly encouraged her to pray about the job offer and I am confident she will come up with the best decision following these guidelines.

This is the test you must apply to every job opportunity you find. You want a new job, for sure, but as you point out, your standards can be high! You convey to the world and to employers how highly you value your time and talents.

If you ever need to ask a question about a job application, interview, job, career coaching, I am very WIDE open! I have time to offer valuable information that can help you make informed decisions to build a career you love, so please reach out! Send a DM to @oyedijotoyese on all social media platforms or a mail to [email protected]