Let’s be honest here, I’ve made a lot of mistakes throughout my career, and if you’ve been working for at least 10 years, you’ve made some bad calls as well. I’m sure there were a lot of things you wish you could have told your younger self. But now I’m sharing how to avoid making the same mistakes, after being in the HR profession for a while. I know what organizations are searching for and some of the deceitful measures they’re willing to take to keep their dirty little secrets at bay. So here goes:
Don’t make decisions out of desperation
This one gets a lot of people every single day. Of course we have to eat, take care of our family and pay those pesky bills. But oh boy do you have to look at yourself in the mirror every day for not doing the research you should have done prior to saying yes to the job offer.
When you’re desperate, you make desperate decisions. You say YES to anything, knowing it’s not going to work out. Your gut tells you the culture sucks and the future boss is an asshole. But you suck it up and say yes anyway, only for it not to work out.
Most crappy employers use the same tactics, they’re either the first to respond because they are desperate as well. Or they’re the slowest at following up because they really selected someone else for the position, and you’re their last choice. They’re also extremely disorganized and the hiring manager is too busy to make a final decision. These are huge red flags.
Do Your Research On The Company
With everything being public and readily available these days, you should be able to see whether this company has a pending lawsuit, EEOC violations or anything that will affect your longevity at the company. After all, they’re researching their candidates as well.
You can research how many employees they’ve had within the same department or region you’re interest in. A simple Linkedin search will generate the results you’re seeking.
Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to the previous employees. I know this isn’t well-known advice, but it’s a great way to get to the bottom of the issue and figure out whether you want to move forward with the organization.
This is also where your network and tribe will come in handy. Use your network to find someone who already works for the organization, so you will have a better idea of what you can expect when you apply to work for a company. And if the company’s culture sucks, but they have an ongoing effort to address and fix it, then you can still consider them….with caution. But remember, you wouldn’t have known this information if you didn’t have a tribe.
Ask Questions During the Job Interview
Congratulations! You’ve reached the interview phase. But remember, you are also responsible for your career, so use this interview to learn more about the organization. You’re under no obligation to say yes to a workplace that doesn’t align with your goals.
Show genuine interest, but also get to the meat and potatoes of the position, and who you will be working with. I have seen a lot of employers mess up and have panel interviews with 7 to 10 different people in the room who have no business being in the room. Or there are numerous (4 to 6) interviews with randoms. They just want to have an opinion on the new person, and this is an indication that there has been an issue with the previous employee. Or there’s an issue with the overall department. So ask each person who you’re interviewing with; “at what capacity will we be working together?”
Also, don’t be afraid to ask why the previous person is no longer with the company. If there is a deep-seated issue there, you will see a shift in their body language. They will either answer the question with a negative tone, avoid the question or give a generic answer. All of which are red flags. However, if they answer with honesty, then it may be one of those scenarios where the employee was not suited for the position.
Apply For The Job, Not The Job Title
Sometimes job titles can be deceiving. You will end up taking a job for the title, but your actual job has nothing to do with the direction of your career. You will be derailed onto a path that will steer you far away from your ultimate goals. So use caution with this or you will end up bored out of your noodle.
This relates also to your ability to do research on the organization because there are times when companies will change a job description to attract talent, but this becomes a deceitful practice. For example, if you are seeking a Quality Analyst (QA) position in the tech industry, but the company renames it to Quality Engineer so they can attract top tier applicants, this can be tricky. You’ll notice the job description outlines QA work, and there’s nothing Engineer-ish about it, then you have a lot of questions to ask.
Read the job description carefully to see if there are any biases, poor culture or any indication that they are looking for a carbon copy of themselves. Or if they’re searching for the exact opposite persona of the previous employee. These are huge indications that demonstrate how the company will treat you once you are employed, so apply at your own risk.
So those are my tips for now. Working for someone else will always carry a risk, so choose wisely when it comes to managing your career and the type of companies you choose to work for.
Do you have any tips you would like to add? Or any tips you wish you could have shared with your younger self?