How to Evaluate a Job Before Saying Yes
So you can avoid “Oh crap... this job is not what I thought it was.”
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We’ve all been there. You’re two weeks (maybe even 2 days, or 2 hours!) into a new job when you suddenly realize this job is definitely not for you. It’s not a fun feeling since at this point you’ve already quit your old job, and likely told everyone you know about this new great job that you’re so excited to start.
Remember the interview process is a two-way street. You should be interviewing them as much as they are you. A good interviewer will love that you’re asking questions of them. If you get the sense they don’t it’s usually for one of two reasons: they’re just not that into you or they’re not great or inexperienced with interviewing people. Either way, ask questions to challenge your gut feeling. If this is your potential manager, make sure you hit her with some of the questions below since you’re not off to a great start!
Three Areas of Focus
Think of these 3 items as “headers” for your interview process. Under each, you’ll come up with questions and write notes about your experiences in from each interview.
- 1The Company / Organization: Can you get behind what this company does?
- 2The Leader: Are you connecting with your new (potential) boss?
- 3The Job: Do you have a clear handle on specifically what you’ll be doing?
The Company / Organization
This is where most people start in many cases end their questions for a potential gig. These questions are easily found online so and I don’t see people struggling here so will not make this section long. My advice is here is simple: it’s important to be excited about what your company does, but not as important as the next two items on this list. The company itself can’t make you miserable- but the actual job (what they expect you to do and how they will measure you) might, and a bad boss most certainly will.
The Direct Boss
Not the CEO, not the amazingly charismatic VP… the person who will be your boss. What’s this person like? Were they on time for your interview? How many times did they check email or look at their phone while you were talking? Did they let you get a word in? Did they ask thoughtful questions of you or were the questions simply designed to give them an opportunity to talk about themselves?
A bad boss or a boss you don’t connect with will make your life miserable faster than either of the other two items, but its the area that most people are too nervous to really dive into. Don’t be shy- this is a big move for you and you deserve to feel good about who this person is, what he/she stands for, and what good looks like in their eyes.
True story: I was interviewing at a place where an old friend currently worked and asked him what he thought about the company and the manager (I’ll call him Bob). He said “the company is awesome. Progressive, dynamic- they’re doing some really cool stuff that I know you’d enjoy. Bob is a nutjob. Everyone here knows it, and you need to walk in with your eyes open if you decide to take the job.” Like an idiot, I took the job anyway after hearing this advice, and after a week I was already planning my next move.
The Job
Very often interviewers will focus so much on your past then the future of the company and where it's headed that its easy to miss talking about what you’ll actually be doing if/when you get hired. Is this a new role or are you replacing someone? If new, how much have they scoped out what a typical day looks like? Does what they say sound like it can fill a day? If not, dig into it. If you’re replacing someone, why didn’t they make it?
Figure out what both good and bad performances look like in this role, then compare to the great work you’ve done in the past. Is it a match? If not, keep asking questions!
It's a Trap!
At some point in the interview process, you may start rationalizing a bit.
“Oh, he’s not so bad. He was 20 minutes late and checked his email about 20 times during our meeting, but…”
“The job sounds pretty good! They couldn’t share many details with me as they’re small and growing, but the company seems awesome and the people seem really nice!”
You know these are cop-out statements, so if you find yourself saying them don’t let yourself off the hook- get to the facts or don’t take the job. Remember, before you get hired you have leverage. If they want you, they’re going to do all they can to answer your questions so you feel as excited as they do about you joining them.
If you start to catch a negative vibe anywhere along the line, listen to your gut, ask clarifying questions, and be brutally honest with yourself about what you need in a new role. If you’ve followed all the steps above you’ll have more than enough information to make an informed decision. Good Luck!