Let’s talk about some things you should ask—and answer—to help you decide whether that new job deserves your candidacy.
Deciding to apply for a new job—in or outside your current company—can be a big and consequential choice. But there are some simple questions you can ask yourself to determine whether it makes sense to toss your hat in.
Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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Hey, it’s Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. I’m the founder of Lead Above Noise—a firm specializing in helping organizations drive team engagement in service of delivering stronger results. And one way organizations can get better results? It’s making sure they have the right people in the right roles. Which means each of us needs to be thoughtful about which roles we take on, and whether we should go for that new one.
They say things happen in threes. Frankly, I have no idea who “they” are, or why three is so mystical. But anecdotally speaking, it tends to hold true for me. And just today I had my third conversation in a very short window with someone telling me about a job they saw posted—and wondering whether or not they should go for it.
Now, if three people in my life right now are struggling with this, I thought maybe it was a topic worth tackling here. So today, let’s talk about some things you should ask—and answer—to help you decide whether that new job deserves your candidacy.
I was chatting with my yoga teacher, Josh, the other day. He’s frankly so zen and limber that I assumed he was born in a Warrior 2 pose. But it turns out he’s only been teaching for about 8 years. He actually had a whole life in corporate before he founded his practice.
He had actually climbed fairly high up a corporate ladder—not so much on purpose, but because it was what the world had always told him to do. And then one day he realized he hated what he was doing, and just didn’t care to climb that ladder any further. So he did some pausing and reflecting and found his way to yoga. Lucky for me!
Now that’s a pretty dramatic shift. And a pause and reflect won’t always send someone in such a drastically different direction. But when a new opportunity—whether inside your company or somewhere else entirely—presents itself to you, you owe it to yourself to begin by asking: Am I pursuing this because I care to live in that role? Or am I pursuing this because it’s bigger, more money, or something else the world has just told me I should want?
Always, always. Start here.
Something you’ve probably heard me reference before is the unforgettable commencement speech Steve Jobs delivered to Stanford’s graduating class in 2005. My absolute favorite part goes like this:
"If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backward 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward…”
I pull on this now because we have a tendency to over-index on whether this potential job is the “right” next move. And what if we get it wrong? And what I take from Steve’s wisdom is that we don’t choose the right answer. We make it. Because we all get to look back and craft the story that we made. We get to pull that thread through.
If the job seems compelling but you’re not sure it’s the “right” next move, ask yourself this: if I imagine myself 5 years down the road telling my story, how might I weave this into my narrative? Do I like that story? If it’s a yes, then go for it.
Next up—think not just about the actual content of the work, but of what your experience of it might be. What do you know about other people in that profession—are they generally happy?
What do you know about the hiring leader? The culture of the company or team? Who can you speak to who might have some insight to offer?
What questions might you be able to pose in the interview process to help you assess how you’d feel about the job?
You’ll never get to 100% transparency. But don’t overlook the importance of how much you might enjoy a job and/or being a part of the team it would sit on. This will really impact not just how you feel day-to-day, but also your ability to be successful in the role.
Here’s a thing that used to happen all the time when I worked in corporate HR.
A hiring leader would come to me with a job description they were ready to post. I’d read it, and I’d get to the “Required Qualifications” section. And I’d often see between 127 and 678 bullet points. And I’d call BS.
“I get that ideally you’d like someone fluent in financials, passionate about people leadership, a proactive and curious reader, a problem-solver, confident in 17 technical programs…” and on and on. “But how many of those, really, does someone need on day one to be successful in this role?”
I’ve had 100 versions of this conversation. The truth is most hiring leaders are writing truly aspirational job descriptions without realizing how much they’re limiting the pool of prospects. And what’s worse is, broadly speaking, research shows that women are 20% less likely to apply for a job than men when they don’t possess 100% of the listed credentials or qualifications.
I wish hiring leaders would learn to be more discerning in their job requirements—or at least be mindful of separating the critical from the extra.
But for now, all I can do is encourage you to set aside the list of requirements and just ask yourself—do I believe I can be successful in this role with whatever I have to bring to the table? And if it’s yes, then just go for it. You’d be amazed at how flexible a hiring leader will be when you show up and tell your story.
Years ago, a friend and I were both on the job market. And we both ended up with offers in hand simultaneously.
Hers was for a job in our local market. Mine would have involved a cross-country move.
We were both young moms at the time, and I remember saying to my friend at one point, “Hey. This isn’t a competition. But no job is ever a permanent move. For you, how high are the stakes, really? If you say yes and 6-12 months down the road you’re not happy, you just start again. For me, I’d have to pick up my whole family, plant my kids in a new town, new school, and then if I’m unhappy I’d have to move them back?”
That conversation was the one that tipped it for both of us. She decided to say yes. I decided to start Lead Above Noise. And we both look back, a la Steve Jobs, and have wonderful stories to tell for it.
For you, how high are the stakes? If they’re high, then certainly do your due diligence. But often, the stakes just aren’t that high. And if this is the case for you, then let yourself off the hook a bit. Notice how easily you could reverse a bad decision, and let your gut lead you down a path.
And there you have it. If you’re sitting with a new job-related decision, I hope you found something clarifying in here.
Join me next week for another great episode. Until then, visit my website at leadabovenoise.com if your organization is looking to dial up its Employee Experience or deliver some leadership development that activates change. You can follow Modern Mentor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Find and follow me on LinkedIn. Thanks so much for listening and have a successful week.