The challenges of looking for a job often motivate us to do things we never thought we would. Usually, this is a good thing: we step out of our comfort zones, make sacrifices, and face tough decisions in order to improve our chances of landing that job.
Sometimes, though, it brings out the worst in us. It can make us do things that we’re not supposed to be doing as professionals, and which we’ll inevitably regret later.
The thing is, it’s not always obvious right away what negative effects these questionable actions can have. So we’ve put together this handy multi-part guide to help you avoid them during your career-seeking.
JUST DON’T: ACCEPT AN OPPORTUNITY WITHOUT RESEARCHING IT
Getting a job offer is exciting. It’s the end result of your honest and intelligent effort. It’s your reward after persevering and doing your absolute best while looking for a job.
It’s natural to be eager to accept a job offer, after discussing it with whoever is making the offer. Yet it’s this step where some career-seekers make a crucial mistake: they fail to thoroughly understand why they were selected and what the opportunity involves.
In some cases, career-seekers get offered jobs for which they only underwent minimal screening. This should immediately raise some red flags for a few important reasons.
- The lack of a proper screening process. If the company seems to be rushing to hire the applicant without conducting a full screening and interview process, it’s likely they’re only trying to fill a quota for number of people hired. They might not be too concerned if the candidate has solid qualifications or a personality that fits the company’s culture. In other words, they don’t care about you as a professional; they only care about getting you on board for whatever “job” they’re offering.
- Possible ulterior motives from someone involved in the hiring decision. There are instances when someone involved in further interviewing candidates, usually a leader of the organization, is more interested in selecting new hires for personal reasons. The most common scenario involves such decision-makers choosing the most attractive candidate, despite others being more suitable for the position. In some but not all cases, this is more than just an attempt to add another attractive face to their team; some scenarios eventually devolve into harassment incidents.
Apart from the lack of screening, some other red flags that should serve as a warning are:
- Vague description of the job. Companies that offer undesirable jobs will likely write vague job descriptions for them. These descriptions will list generic qualifications that anyone can fit, tricking career-seekers into thinking that getting hired will be that easy. These candidates are denied the chance to fully understand what they’re applying for.
- The offer is too good to be true. Any career-seeker would be happy to get “the perfect job”, but if the job is too perfect then there’s probably a serious downside to it. If the compensation, benefits, and other perks seem better than what is normal for the type of job being applied for, there is probably something unusual about how the company gains funding. If the schedule or operating practices are too considerate, they’re probably designed to attract desperate career-seekers who are looking for better work hours or the freedom to work from home.
- Potential for being dangerous, a scam, or illegal. For career-seekers who get tricked by the strategy mentioned above, the sad reality sets in when they discover that the job (a) involves dangerous or otherwise unprofessional tasks, (b) is exploitative of workers and customers, or (c) legally and morally questionable. Sometimes, the actual act of advertising the job is a scam; there is no actual job, and the “recruiters” are only trying to get applicants’ private information.
In general, making a decision without sufficient information is risky. You wouldn’t do it when it comes to your personal well-being; the same applies to your career. It’s a decision with long-term implications, and whether those implications will be good or bad depends on the nature of the opportunity you decide on.
Do your best to find out more about your prospect employer. Ask them more about the opportunity they’re offering – don’t be afraid to ask. There should be no reason for them to withhold information about the job that affects you directly. If they can’t tell you more, then chances are they’re trying to hide something that might give you a reason to say no.
Above all, trust your instincts. “Bad feelings” or gut feelings often tend to be correct, so pay attention to them.
It can be a waste of time and effort to fall for an opportunity that’s exploitative or predatory; but it can be so rewarding to find a job that compensates well while helping you further your career. Being able to tell the difference between opportunities like these depends on how careful you are, so always exercise a healthy amount of caution when you’re looking for a job.
Now, go out there and pursue a career that’ll get you where you need and want to be!