After spending hundreds of hours over the course of weeks or months to find the right opportunity, there is nothing quite like landing a new role. It’s time to break out the champagne and celebrate with friends… or is it? Before getting caught up in the excitement of a job offer, consider the following reasons why it may not be your best opportunity for job satisfaction and career advancement.
Remember, if after reading this article, you find yourself unsure about an offer you have received, talk to us at Imprimis Group. We specialize in finding the right match between great candidates and great employers.
- A Potentially Incompatible Boss
Chances are, you have experienced this scenario: you were highly qualified for a job and the hiring manager was impressed with you. Yet, you felt a bit of tension. His personality was a little uncongenial or brusque. Or perhaps he monopolized the conversation and didn’t seem interested in learning about you. In any case, he seemed somewhat unprofessional and you couldn’t quite relax and be yourself, even after receiving compliments on your skills and experience. Maybe he was an eccentric genius and an acquired taste, you rationalized. Hopefully, you trusted your intuitions.
These mixed signals are a sign that an otherwise attractive job just might not be the right one for you. It’s an axiom in the staffing industry that people don’t leave jobs; they leave bosses. Your boss will impact your day-to-day satisfaction and performance, your potential for professional development, raises, and promotions. You need your boss to be your champion in this organization and beyond. If this relationship isn’t a fit, it won’t be long before you’re looking for another position.
- Red Flags in Communication
Candidates often tell us about hiring experiences gone wrong and the red flags they see in hindsight. One of the most common of these experiences results from discrepancies in communication. Candidates talk to a variety of HR personnel as well as the hiring manager and the team throughout the hiring process. If everyone involved is not on the same page with regard to positional duties, title, compensation, and benefits, this is a troubling sign that should be strongly considered. The discrepancies could be a result of honest miscommunication, rather than deception. If this is the case, it could be a sign of a poorly run organization or individual lack of professionalism. Nevertheless, a new employee needs to know the employer can be relied upon to follow through on the promised conditions of a job offer.
- Company Research Turns Up Signs for Concern
We’ve provided guidance in previous posts about how to research companies, including Interview Tomorrow? 5 Ways to Research the Company Today and Get Company Intel for Your Job Interviews with Social Media Monitoring Tools. Sometimes your thorough research will turn up disconcerting details about a company. You may learn that their turnover rate is high for the industry, their diversity initiatives are lacking, or their recently introduced products have been poorly received. Consider all of the constituents of a company – their employees, customers, shareholders, and the media. If the company has a poor reputation among any of these groups, this is a cause for concern.
- Growth Opportunities are Limited or Unclear
If you are taking a position with the intention to stay for years and develop in your career, then look for clear signs of growth opportunities. These include career tracking, mentoring, professional development, and a strong record of promoting from within. In interviews, ask about the people previously employed in the role. Did they advance within the company or move on from the company. Check Glassdoor for employee experiences with regard to growth within the organization. If you have been steadily progressing throughout your career, favor opportunities that enable your continued career development.
- A Difficult Commute
It’s so easy to overlook this one, and we have heard countless stories of otherwise perfect employment matches coming to an end because the commute was just too challenging. DFW has become the epitome of urban sprawl, and often, distances that seem commutable just turn out to be nightmares, given traffic patterns. After accepting a job offer with a potentially difficult commute, try making the drive during rush hour to be sure it’s something you wouldn’t mind doing for years. If not, you may have to be honest with yourself and the employer—or consider moving.
If you do decide after further consideration that a job offer just isn’t the right fit, decline soon after you make the decision. Talk directly with the person who made the job offer and be gracious and positive. Let them know you would like to keep the bridge open for future opportunities when circumstances may present a better fit.