Seeking with 'Beer Goggles' on?

Beer Goggles. Known in the dating scene for the scenario where it’s late, you’ve had a few… people might just appear more attractive than you would have thought when sober.?

The same can happen when you are work searching, sans alcohol. Particularly, when feeling the strain of job seeking and thinking that something is better than nothing. As desperation takes hold, so do the ‘beer goggles’. The result can be applying for something that you wouldn’t normally consider, or overlooking red flags that are waving upon closer examination.?

How I’ve seen these flags show up:

• Questionable leadership?/ poor reputation - your Googling reveals some unsavoury background on the leader of the organisation, but somehow they are still there.?
• High turnover - those job ads for the same role that just keep popping up every six months or so!
• Bad reviews - Glassdoor, SEEK Company Reviews… sure, there may be outlier disgruntled employees writing some of the reviews, but perhaps there’s truth to ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire’? It’s common for leadership to be challenged but look for the descriptors used eg. ‘arrogant’, ‘uncaring’ and the themes.?
• Tanking share price / funding issues that are not in line with the market - who knows something that you don’t about the company?
• The look on employee’s faces / what they talk about in their off time?
• Hiring process - a messy or disrespectful process can tell you a lot about the company and it’s resourcing
• ‘Talking up’ of the organisation by a recruiter or glossing over your questions

Removing those goggles and getting a clearer perspective can save you a lot of time and heartache in the long run.?

Some things you can do to see more clearly:

• Use LinkedIn to find people you know through your network who work there, or used to. See if you can arrange a chat with them and ask some ‘off the record’ questions.?
• Do a wider search and in places you wouldn’t normally go. Sure, some is competitor scuttlebutt and pure opinion, but it may raise some thoughts that make you look harder as you conduct your research or engage with the organisation. Theranos comes to mind - there would have been plenty of negative discourse but it was probably more in the scientific realm than the business media in the early stages.?
• Be a mystery shopper of sorts, visit the business, get on their mailing list, interact if you can (or ask a friend to, on your behalf). Do they walk their talk?
• Notice. Listen and observe for nuances.?
• Ask good questions and do your research.

Of course, nowhere is perfect. Most workplaces have a degree of dysfunction, that is to be expected and with experience, you can probably learn to navigate that. What you are looking out for are red flags that signal ‘don’t go there’.?

Listen closely. Watch carefully.?

And ultimately, trust your gut.?

Lois

Career Wisdom, with Lois

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Ready to create a career red flag free zone? In the signature Career Discovery program one of the outcomes following the ideation and research phase involves creating a shortlist of employers (or clients) that you’d like to work for (both organisations, and people). We deep dive into what makes you tick in a career sense and craft opportunities.

To find out more visit careerwisdom/careerdiscovery and request a Career Chat with Lois.?