You finally found a job that sounds perfect, and you’ve been invited for an interview. Is it too good to be true or is this job a match?
Don’t be so eager to accept the job that you miss important warning signs that the position actually might not be good for you. (Tweet this.)
Here are some red flags to be on the lookout for to determine if your dream job isn’t a good fit.
Vague Description
The responsibilities laid out in the job description are perfect for you. They fit with your past experience, skills, education and, hopefully, your career goals. But if you head into an interview, and the employer paints a different picture of what the job involves, you’ve got a situation.
Or maybe the job posting offered little information about the actual position, but the title sounds good and the company is on your list of dream employers. If the interviewer is still vague about the job responsibilities, run.
You should know what the position entails and be excited about the work. In a survey of working Americans, 68% would take a pay cut to work in a job that better allowed them to apply their personal interests in the workplace. And a report from SHRM Research found that 51% of employees cited the actual work they do as a critical factor of job satisfaction.
If the responsibilities aren’t clear, ask the employer or interviewer to clarify them. Ask what a typical day will involve and what they expect you to accomplish within your first few months with the company.
Tight Policies
Stay away from rigid working environments that don’t fit with your lifestyle. Will your job allow you to attend your kid’s sport games or take that yoga class?
Flexibility can have a large impact on your job satisfaction. In health IT, a field in which 80% of professionals are satisfied with their current positions, more than 50% of those surveyed listed flexibility as a top contributor to their satisfaction.
A good indicator is if the employer offers a choice to work from the office or to work from home. Whether you prefer to work from home or a traditional office environment, the choice shows that the employer is flexible and considers the needs of employees.
What’s more, flexible work environments are happier and more productive atmospheres. Employees who were given this choice were better focused, had more effective collaboration with their team members, and were more satisfied with their jobs and workplace, according to a survey conducted by Gensler.
If a company doesn’t offer a choice of working environment, are the sick and vacation day policies flexible? Are there certain times of the year when vacation time is limited, discouraged or not allowed? The importance of these policies will vary on an individual basis.
Dysfunctional Team
If the position fits with your goals and your lifestyle, the next step is to look at the people. Are you a good match for the team?
Although the people you will be working with may seem secondary to the actual job, workplace relationships and teamwork can have a huge impact on job satisfaction. A report from Globoforce found that most people spend more time with their coworkers than their own families, and 89% of professionals said that work relationships are important for their overall quality of life.
Ask about the team, how often they work together, and how they collaborate. Ask to meet them. Although you can’t judge the team based on one meeting, you can get a sense of their personalities and how they work together. If you get bad vibes from the team or sense that they don’t function well together, you may want to reconsider the position.
Not only are the team members themselves important, but the environment where they work plays a role in collaboration. The job should offer a balance between individual and team work. According to the Gensler survey, employees are more effective and satisfied when they work in environments allowing them to focus on their work individually and collaborate with their peers.
Most importantly, be honest and open when communicating with potential employers, recruiters and HR managers about your skills, your needs and what you’re looking for in a position. Don’t give the answers they’re looking for just to land the job. Although this strategy could get you hired, forcing yourself into a position that’s not a good fit will leave you unsatisfied in the long run.
Have you ever taken a job, only to realize it was not a great fit? What would you do differently during the interview process? Share in the comments!
Image: Flickr
