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I met a young woman the other day who was telling me about her job search and was very excited that one potential company has told her that are very interested in her.
She was so excited about this opportunity, this is the one she was wanting and I was truly pleased for her.
Then said something that struck me, "Since this job offer is pending, I don't think I should pursue any other opportunities." My immediate response was, "WHY?" Of course I did not yell it at her, as it looks as though I did when writing this out.
But her explanation was that she would hate to have another offer come up before this one. Wow, what a wonderful dilemma to be in, don't you think? But that is assuming the first job comes through.
She also said that since this one company has taken an interest in her, she has found several others have as well. Again, this re-affirms my point that job searching and dating are in eerie parallels.
Remember being single or are currently single now? When you would make the statement that you were done dating because there were no good men/women anywhere to be found - you were right. There was not a good one in the bunch, no matter how hard you tried, they just could not be found.
But then something interesting happens, someone potentially pretty great is interested in you. After a short time, you notice that you start getting attention from all sorts of people and now you have options. And you begin to think, "How did this happen? Where were these people months ago?!"
Oh they were there; you just unknowingly drove them away. You see, when someone takes a fancy to us, we start to carry ourselves a bit straighter, have a little more bounce in our step, and even feel more attractive.
You have always had these attractive qualities; however they might have been buried. But now that someone is paying special attention to you feel better and that translates through your body language. And others pick up on your body language.
Same thing with the job search: if you are bound and determined that no good jobs are out there then guess what - you are right. And your negative attitude will come right through in everything you do, you mannerisms, your speech patterns, the way you carry yourself, your written communication, everything.
You can try to fool others with the false for the moment positive attitude, but you can't fool yourself. And your true self will shine through. It has been noted that body language accounts for anywhere from 70 to 90% of your message.
So you may be saying that your positive about your job search, but your body language (and this translates to written communication as well) is screaming at everyone that you are a liar.
We listen to what we perceive.
Back to my original point -should you still pursue other opportunities with one on the table. ABSOLUTELY! Can I make it any clearer?
First and foremost keep in mind that the job might not come through. Funding disappeared, approval was denied at the last minute, the division is being closed/consolidated, the company is moving, the company is closing, someone went rogue to find a replacement without permission, or the person telling you it is a sure thing is not the decision-maker.
There are a lot of reasons that have nothing to do with you that can cause a sure-thing to become a sure-disappointment.
If you are counting on that possible opportunity and deny any others that come your way then you just might find yourself in a pickle. Do you really want to go back to someone to tell them that they were second place and since the one you really wanted did not come through you now want to consider them. It is like saying, "Jenny couldn't go to the prom with me so I guess you will do." No warm and fuzzes there.
If there are a variety of opportunities available to you, be honest and let them know that you are considering other options. Just as they are looking for the best candidate, you are looking for the best company. Remember, this is you job search, you need to be picky.
It is exciting and thrilling and relieving to have an opportunity on the table, but keep yourself in check and remember to keep your options open as well as your mind. You do not have to take the first thing that is offered to you.
The skeptic in me always believes the sure thing when I see it for myself. If it is a horse, I want to see it cross the line first; if it is a contract, I want to see the name on the dotted line; if it is a job, I want to see myself sitting in the chair and my name on the internal phone list.
Think I am being a pessimist? Tell that to my client that uprooted her family from the South to move back to Indy only to have the new employer tell her two days before she was to start that there had been some cutbacks and they could not hire her. It happens.
All is fair in love and job search.
If you find yourself in the wonderful dilemma of having too many opportunities to choose from well then congratulations to you! Now, take your time, analyze each one for pros and cons, make sure they are the perfect fit for you now and for the future and make an intelligent choice.
Remember, the job search is the dating but the job is the marriage - you want to make sure you are not looking for a divorce attorney in a few months...
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