If you’ve ever had a bad feeling after taking a job offer, then you know the importance of listening to your gut when it comes to the job search and the interviewing process. Otherwise, you might be miserable in the wrong role after a few months.
Lashaunique Plummer, a human resources business and operations leader and founder of Balangize, empathizes that finding the right role is difficult. She acknowledges that walking away from an opportunity, especially in this tough market, is not easy.
“The short term does not outweigh the long term,” Plummer told 21Ninety. “Taking any role can be stressful, and if you end up using more energy to find another role while you are still learning your new role, then that’s more stress on top of stress.”
She advises people to think about any job offer before taking it to avoid being in the wrong role. By asking yourself three introspective questions, Plummer believes that you will feel content accepting any job offer. These questions allow you to eliminate positions at companies that are not meant for you.
“The nerves that come with giving up an offer in hand are temporary,” she says. “The joy of accepting a fully aligned offer is 100,000 times more rewarding, and it will set you up for better long-term success!”
What Are My Non-Negotiables?
The non-negotiables will be different for each person. Your own personal non-negotiables change during the stages of life. However, at any point, you should have at least three non-negotiables. A person’s non-negotiables usually connect to the reason they are no longer at their previous role.
“It is OK to be picky,” Plummer said. “You can say no to roles that don’t fit, and you don’t have to feel pressured to say yes to any role.”
By sticking to your non-negotiables, you should be able to avoid accepting the wrong role.
What Do I Need From My Manager?
Considering what you need in a manager will help you ask targeted questions during the interview process. You can start by identifying the qualities that you need your new manager to have. By looking at your former managers, you will be able to see the things that worked and didn’t work. This will help you generate a list of attributes you need in your next manager.
Similarly to how they are interviewing you, you should be interviewing the company and the manager. It is important to ask every single question that you may have to avoid picking the wrong role.
What Values Must Be Honored in My Next Role?
Any company that doesn’t align with your values will naturally clash with you. It will be hard to adjust and integrate. If you prefer an environment that is flexible and allows space for mistakes, then an organization that requires 100 percent accuracy will not work. It is essential to know your values. Adjust your questions to assess if it is the right position for you.
Check out Plummer’s latest podcast episode, “3 Questions to Ask So You Don’t Take the Wrong Role” on the Balangize: Radically Own Your Career podcast for more strategies on how to take the role that best aligns with you!