How to Choose the Best Job for Your Next Career Move
Posted by Saundra Lee on Thu, Dec 22, 2011 @ 04:38 AM
When deciding which job opportunity you should take, is it a science or a “gut feel?”
Both!
In the book “Blink”, by the author of “The Tipping Point,” Malcome Gladwell talks about the power of thinking without thinking. He suggests that “gut feel” is actually based knowledge you are absorbing without subconsciously realizing it.
So let’s break that down as it pertains to your next career move decision.
Here is a 5 point check list to decide which job is the best career move for you.
1. Write down what you want. Make a list of what you would like to have with your next job including job content, work environment and career path. Don’t worry about the logistics for now such as location and money. The first step is just to visualize the feel of your new job.
2. Ask yourself, “why?” This is why so many people take the wrong job. After I ask someone what they want in their next job and then I follow up with “why,” I realize that what they think they want might not get them what they really want.
Here is an example:
Q: What do you want?
A: A large company
Q: Why?
A: Stability
As a headhunter, I have seen people take job opportunities at large companies for stability, only to be LIFO’d out at the first round of lay-offs. Sometimes people are misled as to how to get what they want.
3. Interview the company. As you interview, it is a priority to sell yourself every step of the way but it is imperative to interview the company simultaneously. Take a look at 5 Things You Can Do To Figure Out the “Real Deal” Before You Take the Job and The Job Fit Check list.
4. Compare your marketability with each opportunity. Analyze what each opportunity will add to your marketability should you take that job and stay there for 1 year. Increasing your marketability every year is the only job security that exists in the new economy. You cannot predict what will happen based upon the size, industry or management of a company like we could years ago. You just never know what the future holds so you have to create your own job security. Here is where it is a good idea to consult a professional Headhunter for your industry to find out what will maximize your marketability.
5. Leave money out of the equation. Make your decision based on the list you made in step 1 & 2 and your marketability. DO NOT just take the highest offer. That is the single biggest mistake one can make in their career. Rarely is the highest bidder the best long term career move. The best opportunities don’t need to bribe talent.
For even more guideance, download The 3 Guidelines to Avoid Choosing the Job for the Wrong Reason.
