8 questions to ask yourself before accepting a new job

   Today we are going to talk about areas you need to investigate before you take any new job, specifically these eight great questions that you need to ask yourself before accepting a new position. Today I was inspired to give you this, as I have thought about this for some time.

First of all  , let me say this that if you do get a chance to talk to a coach who can prep you& guide you ,   if you are not missing anything in between , really  just surface the red flags. Something like a boot camp would just be fantastic.

So this article is a substitute , like instant coffee  instead of like a double shot of Italian espresso coffee ,   that  , let me be honest ,  you know  , is quality stuff .  Anyways, so this has been in the back of my mind that I knew I had to share with my community!

 

What makes a good decision? Being really clear about what we’re talking about today & the value of it.

Choosing a right job  , is just based  on your own self-reflection , becoming self-aware identifying your criteria & what makes  you happy & then identifying questions  that you would ask an employer to determine if the employer could actually satisfy what you need  that’s very very specific to you as the individual. Today it’s going to be a blue print that all of you should use to make sure that you are stepping back at the end.

Imagine this, you have blazed through the interview,it’s been war, but you know that an offer is going to come. You see how distracted you have become. This is a very emotional process for everybody, everybody has smiles on their faces. This is about  taking a minute  , having some clarity and objectivity and stepping back and saying  , now I need to think this through , to know  exactly how long the smiles on their  faces are going to last!!

 Here it is:-

1. Company and market?

Now a lot of you would have already done your research, what you need to ask yourself is, are they a leader in their space, or if they are will they be able to stay a leader, what are their plan to do that. If they are not the leader do they have plans to catch the leader?

But remember that if there is a large competitive market, or if there is a startup environment, or other factors as not everybody joins large organizations. There needs to be a couple of things about the company and the market that you can assess, so it’s not as simple as where do you sit.The other thing is, is there enough market demand.

So you will need to see where the company sits and what does the market look like , such as those for technology consulting firms , the planet always need them, so there is always going to be a demand for them.

 

2. Product, service?

How about the product, how about the service? Do you enjoy servicing that product; do you enjoy building that product? Is there a need in the market for that product… is there a demand?

So much like the kind of space that the company is in, the company might have several products, now this is where we need to trickle down the branches of that tree here.

This particular product or service that you are being hired to support, doesn’t matter if you are in accounting department, you are accounting for that product. So is the organization building a product or service that you can get behind? Deciding if they are going in the right direction, are they going to be building products that you will enjoy. So you need to make that assessment here.

Also other thing to think about is do you want to be a part of something that is evolving?

 

3. Strategic, investing?

So think about this, that unit that you are being hired into,are it vital in the long term success of the organization, is it a strategic arm of the company & will they continue to invest money in it. You need to go into this eyes wide open. Keeping aside that you need the job and the money, make a healthier choice, such as you know that the unit in the company for you is just a legacy unit, and they are not going to invest anything into that unit to build or anything. An overall healthier choice, keeping aside your personal situation, knowing that it is not a unit that they are going to ever promote. Just because the company is great and just because they have a market for a lot of the products that they offer, does not necessarily mean that the unit you are being offered into is going to be running for a long time.

 

4. Why is the position open?

Did the position open up because they got promoted or did somebody leave for a different job, perhaps a better job? Did somebody get fired or did somebody quit because the boss is a not very understanding.

 

5. Expectations clear | are the success metrics clear?

So one of the favorite questions to be asked in a job interview by you would be, is if you were to offer me this job and if I was to accept it, in a year from now, what does success look like, specifically what will I have accomplished that you would consider a raging success that gives you a success metrics and you know that there is clarity behind what you’re signing up for and you know what your goals are.

But there is a huge difference between having clarity on what your success metrics looks like and the sanity of that metrics. I mean is that metric actually attainable.

 

 

6. Support,commitment?

So we talked about are they going to invest in the unit that you’re going into , but what level of support in your particular little universe within theorganization are they going to give to you? How committed are they in to your area, how committed are they to you?

Now to know that , you will need to know how much is my budget , for example you need to have a team , how many ponies can you hire , and what amount of time do I get to build that right ; all ofthese things need to make sense ! your resources from the company come fromIn formof people , the cash(money funds) to support the education , to support the tools , that you would need to build your team ,to improve the processes , and as such train your particular team. Effectively.

 

7. Timeline?

What is their timeline, so they can be committed to something? Is their timeline reasonable? How long do you get to implement the solution, what happens if you don’t make it on time,what challenges do we anticipate we are going to encounter? How are you going to react? And if does derail my timing of my ability to attain my quota, implement the solution! How patient and committed are they going to be to continually pay for resources, for the effort, for the additional things we need, in case we encounter these challenge?

I mean there are a lot of people who say that they want to build this unit, but they are not patient enough. A great way to know this is if they are not going to give you the timeline you need to build,foster,and nurture the unit and so to get it thriving.

 

8. The risks?

All of you , I don’t care what kind of job you have , any major project that you work on , anything , makes no difference , anythingthat is project oriented , should have a risk profile and a risk plan.Now you don’t need to ask the whole thing, but what you need to do is make sure that they have one, and you know what the top key three,four, risks are.

Any project you do has risk associated with it. There are internal risks, but the risks I really care about are external risks. Risks that you cannot control, things you have absolutely no control over. Do we have a contingency plan, a backupplan? So Mr. Prospectiveemployer, if we do not hit that deadline, what will you do that’s your contingency plan. Do they know what they will do? And anybody who says that we will look at that bridge when we get to it, that’s not very well thought out. That is what I am talking about. So if do not ask about risk profiles, what they’re going to do when they encounter certain things, you’re not going to know how they are going to react. You’re not going to know how ready they are.

And what do companies do when they start realizing risks and certain things are not occurring, somebody eventually gets held accountable,& it’s usually the wrong person, but that happens.

 

Step back, and look at all that 8 points, that you kind of go through a checklist, at the end, you will know if this company is for you and you will know about the viability of it.