If you are ready to switch jobs, it's important to make a good decision. You don't want to walk into someone else's nightmare. You want to make a good choice, not ANY choice, but the right one.
So, How Can You Make Sure You Make A Good Choice?
Start with the interview. Listen to your heart. Most people who are unhappy in their jobs knew on the interview that the job was not right for them. They chose to ignore their intuition because they wanted the money or the prestige of having that company or title on their resume.
1. Stop Worrying About Being Selected
Wanting to be selected by an employer sometimes has us talk ourselves into a situation we might not have taken if we were thinking more clearly. The purpose of an interview is for both parties to interview each other to see if there is a fit. Don't try to talk yourself into believing a job is for you when you know in your heart that it is not. This is a recipe for disaster.
2. Decide What You Want First
Make a list of what's important to you in a job before going into the interview. Is your workspace a priority? Then ask to see if before you make a decision. Do you want to work 9 to 5pm? Then ask your future boss and colleagues what their days consist of. If they tell you that they arrive in the office at 7am and leave around 8pm, you should expect the same. (Don't kid yourself into thinking otherwise.) Deciding what you want ahead of time will give you the opportunity to ask questions to assess whether you really want the job.
3. Don't Sell Out
It is ok to take a job because you need the money. But if it's not the right job for you, then give yourself a timeframe for moving on, and then stick to it. I work with many clients who agreed to less than perfect positions believing they would stay for just one year. But the year frequently became two, and then more, even though the jobs were not satisfying. An interim position is just that. Don't sell out.
4. Be Yourself
There really is no other way to find out if you will be accepted for who you are or not. You may fool the people with whom you interview to get the job, but you will only be fooling yourself once you get there and you have to be someone else.
