What to consider when looking for a new position, lessons learned.

I am going to start with the statement that it is impossible for two persons to agree on what is the right job for them even if they had the same educational background and upbringing. We all have our ideal, deep inside in us, but sometimes it is hard to even formulate it and that is why it is hard to know if we are in a bind with our current job or if we are happy and there is no need to search.

I have spent the summer seeking a position and have moved recently to a new place after 7 and a half years in my previous employment. During this process which was somewhat varied in the experiences I learned more about the companies and about myself and what is really important when one makes the decision to change employment. The more time you spent interviewing and researching the more lessons will be learned and you will finish the process with more wisdom and humility. Here are some of my lessons.

Lesson 1. Recruiters can be useful as a source of information and a source of ideas and providing you with some feedback about your nominal value on the market. That said, I found out that most of them can not really appreciate you, because there is no way they could. They are no experts in the field you are. Their motivation is to make a placement and not to find the right job for you, even if they say so. In fact from all possibilities I found, the one that was the best for me was the one I found myself. I would not take seriously the advice of any recruiter how much I can make and what I can do and can't. The majority of the recruiters I dealt with could not find anything similar to what I needed and were spending time convincing me that I could not find what I was looking for and need to jump at what is available.

Lesson 2. If an opportunity you thought was good did not pan out then it was not meant for you. Nothing to fret about if for example a company that requires a reboot of its OS every time you install something does not offer you a position. Or if a company that tracks all your data does not really appreciate your experience and wants to treat you like you just finished college. Maybe it is better if you stay away from some behemoths even if they are trendy. This is really like dating, you know when you met the right match. Not everybody has to work for Google,Facebook, Apple, etc. and maybe not everybody is cut for them. If prestige is important to you and you have to be in one of these places then please follow your dream, but I would not do it just because it is considered prestigious. Better to be happy than prestigious. Nothing wrong if one can do both.

Lesson3. Do not buy too much into the company culture myth. Once I worked for a company which was in the first 10 to work for. Every all hands meeting and every official communication was applauding the company culture of the company and how great it was and how you should feel special to be there. If you asked somebody in management what was the company culture and where you could read about it you would be really asking for something impossible, because there was no definite answer, in fact I do believe there was no answer. It was a myth, one that did not last more than several years and dissipated. The truth is, the company culture is great, if it is great for you, otherwise it is like somebody telling you that a totalitarian society is actually democratic. Plus, you are at work to do work and to develop your skills, not because you want to belong to a culture. You can leave some of the cultural activities for the hours outside of work, where you can be in control of your culture in your own time.

Lesson4. I never believed in company perks and their strength in retaining talent. Is it important to you if you have food perks? How much is this really in value? Is it important if they have parties more often and celebrate geekdom with the same people you work with? Isn't it better if they provided you with the right projects, equipment, educational opportunities, subscriptions to scientific societies instead? What is more important to you, the nice coffee machine or the freedom of choice in your work? Do companies really think that providing bagels and coffee is really what people need in order to stay and work on meaningless projects? All of this is very personal, but really perks like: take your pets to work, massages at work and free food should have no serious impact on your decision to spend every day in a place if no other criteria are met. If we talk about standard benefits, then they are important and they should be part of the decision, but some of the recent perks that companies talk about when approaching a candidate make me skeptical.

Lesson5. You need to work for a place and in a position that excites you and makes you feel worthwhile. Working at a company that even has the right reputation can be disastrous if you are stuck in a position with no future. If this is the case you need to get out, of course if you care. Criteria you can consider asking yourself if this is an exciting place for you can drastically differ, but some questions here come to mind. Do you anticipate going to work the next day? Do you think of your work outside of the office? Do you spend time developing your skills when you are outside of work? Do you dream of great things you may accomplish in the future at your position? If the answer is no to all of these questions then you have a job, just a job that you do, because you need to get paid. If you were better than the average person in school and at the University then you are definitely making a compromise with yourself, just having a job, even if it pays well.

Lesson6. Money is important, but if you are unhappy every single day then it is a big compromise with your conscience. I am not suggesting taking a pay cut, but it is priceless to fell good when you do, right. If you lose some financial benefits, but gain other things would you do it? I did and it is something I do not regret. Another way to look at it is that it is all relative and it is a package of things, including professional development, educational opportunities and the ability to bring back the thrill of being a satisfied professional. Getting rid of the golden handcuffs, in case you are paid really well, may be tough, but the state of liberation may surprise you, if you know yourself.

I realize that some parts of this sincere monologue may be harsh and direct. It may not be even what companies want people to say in any way, because they are all about having great experiences and reputation. Please use it with a grain of salt and keep in mind the caveat I started with, that it is all personal and unique as any of us is. You may be at the best place for you already and all this may sound alien and somewhat bitter, or more likely you find it all too familiar and reassuring that other people have experienced it too. Good luck in you current or future position and yes you have the right to happiness.