Two Jobs to Think Thrice About Before Taking

The title is a bit misleading. The first is a job you should think thrice about before taking; the second a type of business you might want to avoid.

The Job

This has happened to many people, myself included. You interview for a position at a well-established company or non-profit. It goes well. You get the offer. You accept it. And then you find out, or maybe they had told you upfront, that it is a new position. Red flags and alarms should go off.

I think I am stealing from the original Dr. Dolittle movie. A new position is "a horse of a different color." It could have been the brainchild of one individual - the owner, a department head, a supervisor, who really and honestly thought it was a great idea and had the authority to get it approved, but they did not think it through. Or, once it was in place, meaning you were hired, they handed it off to someone less committed to making it work.

For me things did not work out because I was being paid by one department but really working for another. Others had to deal with a supervisor who did not want to supervise them because they had been against the creation of the position from the beginning. Sabotage! And then there are those who are informed, "Sorry, but we had hoped for an infusion of revenue but it did not happen so we have to let you go."

When applying for a new job you have to make certain that the people involved truly support the position, want to make it work and that there is at least enough money to support it for one year. This does not just mean salary and benefits, but everything else the hire will need to succeed.

The Business

Thanksgiving is coming up. I won't even try to guess how many people I have known who for weeks prior to the holiday would complain, with dread, about getting together with their family. I have never understood why they put themselves through what they describe as an annual "hell."

Then there are those, granted a lot fewer, who look forward to getting together with family. They talk about it not with dread, but with a gleam in their eyes.

Ah, family!

Then there is the family-owned business. All the senior positions are held by members of the family. Just like any other group of people, they do not all get along and they do not always agree with each other. But one thing they very rarely are willing to do is to make a decision for the business that will destroy a family relationship.

A decision is made to interview non-family members for a job. Not everyone supports the decision to bring in an outsider. But Brother Michael says to Sister Jane, "Give it a chance. Let's see if we can make it work. If it doesn't work we can always get rid of the hire." And then you arrive and accept the offer not knowing the dynamics.

You are not family. You are not going to get promoted to the top floor. You will have to deal with petty jealousies. You may be too good looking and viewed as a threat to a marriage. It's not that far-fetched! You may be doing too good a job and Father Sam is worried that Daughter Darlene, who is going to be graduating from business school in a few months, may not get the job he wants her to have because you are there. Sabotage! Whatever the reason, "you are just not one of us" is the philosophy that will never be uttered in your presence but will at the dining room table. In almost all cases, you have accepted a dead-end job.

So what should you do? If the writing is not on the wall, so to speak, and you last a year or two, you can explain that your departure was because, as a family business, there was literally no room for growth. If the writing was on the wall, and you are let go or quit, you can say that, and this is the important phrase, "despite your successes," it was a family-owned business, you were not part of the family, and you did not understand the dynamics. On your resume you need to list those successes and, if you were there for a short time, note after the name of the business, "Family-Owned Business." Most HR folk will understand.

Family-owned businesses are unique. If you are interested in learning more, join me on my podcast, Bruce Hurwitz Presents, November 20 when I discuss the issue of change at family-owned businesses with Rick Raymond. I cannot imagine our not talking about employment of non-family members.

--------------------------------

Bruce Hurwitz is an executive recruiter and career counselor, and the host of Bruce Hurwitz Presents. He has helped scores (thousands if you include attendees at his presentations) of people, including veterans, not only change jobs but, on occasion, change careers. Having successfully transitioned from academia to non-profits to the recruiting industry, he has been there and done that! He is also a five-star ranked speech writer on Fiverr.

Bruce is a recognized authority on job search and career issues, having been quoted in over 700 articles, appearing in some 500 publications, across the United States and in more than 30 foreign countries. His posts on LinkedIn have been read over 380,000 times and have garnered national and international media attention, including television appearances on Fox Business Network and Headline News (CNN).  Visit his website to learn about all of his services, view his most recent videos, and to take advantage of his free Library. Follow him on Twitter at @HurwitzStaffing. 

Do you have an interesting story to tell? Be a guest on our podcast, Bruce Hurwitz Presents.