subject: Joey Political Essentials: The Grass Is Not Always Greener by:Gary Whittaker [print this page] If you are like a lot of people working for Corporate America, continuously working in the same job becomes too repetitive and a change is needed. We call it he "two year itch". But looking at wear to land after taking your next leap forward is not as easy as it sounds. Job profiles are very misleading, and for the most part, do not reflect the reality of the daily routine. Aside from certain migratory patterns one follow, sometimes it may be more advantageous to stay in your current job rather than making an informed choice towards something that may sound promising, but ultimately ends up "being your Waterloo".
Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France and a feared war general, was considered at the time to be unstoppable. He would have gone on to conquer Europe until he lost at Waterloo. Such is the fate of many aspiring Joey P's who spend limited periods of time in different departments, proving their worth, excelling at their positions, and jumping into new challenges, until one day, disaster strikes. Whether it be a jealous co-worker, an incompetent boss, or worse yet, failing at a highly visible task that you simply could not deliver despite your best efforts, we are all human and that means that failure can happen in a moment that can be seized by others to gain an advantage over you.
There are preventative measures that should be followed that will reduce the risk when moving to a new position.
Spend time with the staff. There is no better way to find out how a perspective department is running that to spend time with some of the employees. Look at the systems they use and the manner in which they are dressed. Find out how many internal meetings are held, and what topics are covered. It is a good idea to get a series of consecutive meeting minutes to see what progress, or lack thereof, is being made. Find out how long they staff has been working in that department, and their rate of turnover.
Talk with your perspective boss. Find out why the position was created, or vacant. Look at what projects he expects to be given to you in the near future, and what resources you will have at your disposal in order to complete them. Try and get a sense of his sense of humour and management style. An interview should be a two-way street, with you deciding if the position is as right for you, as you are to the team. Talk about what you see yourself doing in the job as a daily routine, and get feedback to see if that is in line with the hiring manager's expectations.
Patience. No decision should be made in haste. The bigger the company, the more opportunities that are out there, so there is no need to rush into something without weighing the alternatives. Do not take any contradictory information lightly either. If you were told something contrary to what you thought your tasks were going to be, take the time to truly think on the differences. Do you have the necessary skills and training yourself to do those tasks. Offers of support are nice, but do you really want to put yourself in a position that will require the support of others or text book type training? You need to be able to step into a new position with less than 2 months of additional support before becoming independent. If you think that there is a legitimate chance that you will not be able to accomplish that, wait for another opportunity. If you realize that it is indeed the direction you want to head towards, get the additional training and knowledge while at your existing job before moving over.
About the author
Gary Whittaker is the editor of www.joeyp.org, your go-to guide for success while climbing the corporate ladder.
