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Q: I
have two job offers: one from a respected company
offering me a job doing work I’m completely passionate
about, but with terribly unpleasant coworkers who have
no team spirit. The other is from a so-so company
offering a job I somewhat like, but with people I
thoroughly enjoy. The compensation is about the same, so
what do I do? Name Withheld, Luxembourg
A: You
ask yourself five simple questions and see where the
answers take you.
At
least, that’s what we suggest whenever someone writes
and, like you, basically says, “With all the choices out
there, how in the world do I possibly figure out what
job is right for me?”
Now,
we’re not claiming this process will make your decision
any easier—you face a common, but undeniably difficult,
quandary that can strike people at almost any stage of
their career. But in the end, whatever you decide using
this exercise, you should have a clearer sense of why.
The
questions that follow, incidentally, are in no
particular order. They all count to somewhat equal
degrees.
To our
minds, success and happiness at work start with your
team, so we’ll begin with the question that concerns a
factor you’ve already mentioned: people. It asks,
“Will the new job be filled with coworkers who share my
sensibilities or will I have to zone out or fake it to
get along?”
The key
word here is “sensibilities”—those values, behaviors and
personality traits that make you feel, well, like you’re
among kindred spirits. If you share sensibilities with
your coworkers, you tend to work at the same pace,
confront each other and tough issues with the same level
of intensity (or lack thereof) and laugh the same amount
at meetings (often at the same jokes).
We’re
not saying people with shared sensibilities are all
alike, but they pretty much all like each other.
The
second question is about the opportunity to learn:
“Will the new job stretch my mind, build my skills and
otherwise take me out of my comfort zone, or am I
entering at the top of my game?”
Sure,
it’s appealing to join a company where you’re the
smartest person in the room…for a while. In time,
though, most people start to feel the downside of being
the resident expert—namely boredom and career stall.
There is risk, of course, in taking a job where you can
blow it. But beware of any job that promises to be a
lay-up. It will, ultimately, make you want to lie down.
That’s never a good career move!
The
third question prompts you to consider the future by
asking, “Should I ever leave, will this new job open
or close doors for me?” Some companies are so
respected for their training programs or hiring
standards that they bestow a kind of golden halo upon
their employees. The consulting firm McKinsey & Co. is a
good example, as are Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson.
Other
jobs will keep your options open because they happen to
be in thriving industries with promising economics (as
compared, say, to the airlines or publishing.)
Obviously, we’re not suggesting you lunge for any given
job at Google or Genentech, just that you think twice
about taking a job where the day after tomorrow seems
tenuous.
Which
brings us to the fourth question, “Will the new job
turn my crank, touch my soul and give me meaning?”
You should never take a job based just on where it might
take you—unless it’s a place you really want to go.
We’re talking about job content, essentially, what you
do all day.
If that
actual work—be it selling a house, designing a medical
device, creating an advertising campaign or
whatever—doesn’t seem exciting and important to you, it
doesn’t make any difference if the company or industry
is on fire. You won’t be, ever. That’s no life.
The
final question concerns an emotional dynamic we call
ownership. “Whom am I making happy by taking this job
and am I OK with that bargain?”
Look,
very few of us have the freedom to make decisions
without considering the needs of other “constituents.”
We all know people who have passed up great jobs because
of the impact on their families and people who have
taken less-than-great jobs for the same reason. Such
choices are part of life. But in making yours, we’d just
advise you be clear on why you are taking any given
job—and that you make peace with the tradeoffs involved.
As for
your immediate decision: It seems the first job gives
you great opportunity, options and work content. It
flunks on people and appears neutral on ownership.
There’s really no wrong choice here—just your own to
understand. |
