Should You Get a Good Job With a Company You Don’t Like?
A friend of mine recently interviewed for a job that suited her in many ways. The role matched her past experience perfectly, the leadership team was inspiring and smart, the team members seemed great, her trip to work would have been shorter! There was only one thing that held her back: the company was working in an industry that she simply didn’t like.
This post was originally published on the Muse website .
This may seem like an enviable problem, but her situation illustrates the questions that often arise when I talk to job seekers: which is more important – to love your position or to love the company in which you work? Can you be happy at work, even if you are not personally interested in the organization? Should you fill the position that meets most of your job requirements, or make it to your dream company?
The answer to all these questions, of course, is: it depends on the circumstances. If you are discussing a great deal at your company that you never dreamed of, here are a few questions to ask yourself to decide which is right for you.
What are your career values?
This sounds like a big question, but it basically boils down to this: What is most important to you in your job? If you need to get along with coworkers, have a supportive boss, and use your best skills at work, the company you work for may not really matter. Or, if you have respected names on your resume, or you deeply believe in the mission of what you are doing, you are likely to place a bet on the employer you work for.
By the way, none of these values is better than the other – it’s all about what’s important to you. If you need help defining your values, trythis free exercise at MyPlan.com .
Will this company open doors or close them?
Let’s forget the decision in question for a moment and fast forward to your future career. Take pen and paper and make a list of roles and companies that you will truly enjoy in five or ten years from now. If you’re not quite sure what you want to end up with, it’s okay – this is more of a brainstorming exercise than a life planning exercise.
When you have a list, look for patterns: what do all roles or companies have in common? Then go back to the company you are discussing. Will this role help you move towards the positions of your dreams or even further? Does it even matter? Putting the company in context with your overall journey can be a really rewarding way to see if the decision is right for you in the long run.
What other options do you have?
In the case of my friend, there were quite a few of them. She had extensive experience in the highly sought after field of marketing, she lived in a big city and was just starting her search. In short, she had reason to believe that this was not the only proposal that she met.
But many of us don’t have the luxury of being so picky – you may be in an extremely competitive industry, live in a small town, or have specialized experience and don’t tend to see jobs that fit often. … No, I’m not saying you should take a job you don’t like, but you may have to be realistic about other options.
Have you done all your research?
As with everything else, it’s easy to judge a company based on what you know about it at a glance. Is this a fintech company? It sounds boring. More than 10 thousand people work there? This may not be the entrepreneurial environment that I am looking for.
But before you fire a company, do a little research . Dig deeper and you might find out that FinTech is one of the fastest growing industries in the world – it’s not very boring! Or that a large company has a rotation program that allows you to spend 20% of your time on your own projects. Don’t let what you think you know hold you back from a role that might otherwise be truly beneficial to you – take the time to talk to your potential coworkers about what they like about the place, interview your network to get their opinion and ask a bunch of questions. Maybe you will find out, no, this is not your cup of tea. But you might be surprised at what you learn.
Unfortunately, we cannot expect every aspect of a job offer to be perfect – they all have their pros and cons. And yes, the company you work for (and write your resume permanently) is very important, but not the only one. Take some time to ponder these questions and hopefully the way forward will become a little clearer.
How to Know If You Should Work Well for a Company You Don’t Care | Muse