There are a lot of reasons to take a job, but what about the
reasons not to? Coming from a staffing agency, most of us here believe
that you should take every single job that we give you. It’s perfect,
and you’ll do great (*pats you on the back, “go get’em killer”). But, in
reality, you need to think about your long-term goals and quality of
life.
Let’s focus on the 3 B’s, the building, the buddies, and the bills.
The building; it’s more than a building, it’s a company, it’s who
you’re going to tell people about when they ask, “so, what do you do?”
Are you comfortable with the position being a part of your personal
brand? Do you think that working for the company is going to make you
happy? Do you respect the organization? Can you see yourself walking in
and spending 40+ hours a week at the office? If the answer is no, why?
The buddies; aka the people in the building. What’s the culture like?
Do you match up? What’s the turnover rate with employees? Are people
there happy? Have you had the chance to ask them? If you’re not going to
enjoy the people you work with for most of your waking hours, why would
you want to work there?
The bills; which, in all reality, may null and void the answers from
above. This is the most important of the B’s for a lot of reasons. Are
you going to make enough to survive? Do you need to have a job
immediately to pay your mortgage, feed your kids, yourself, your dog (or
cat…*shivers*)? Really think about this number, especially in a city as
expensive as New York. Does the position pay what you need to survive
and/or have fun?
Now, having said all of that, each one of these can completely trump
the other two. If they’re going to pay you a ridiculous amount of money,
it might beseech you to take the job and make it work. Maybe the people
and culture in the organization are amazing and working there would
make you the happiest person you know. And finally, maybe they’re
low-balling you in pay, but you know that having that name on your
resume will boost your worth on the job-market.
Getting a job isn’t easy, keeping one is even harder, but if you step
back and think about the long-term goals you have for yourself
(seriously, if you don’t have them, maybe go focus on that for a few
minutes) and the quality of life you’d like to live, you can make a
decision that helps you and the company that’s willing to give you a chance.
-Jason Donnelly
