Don'tJoin a Company Just for the Money

Don’t Join a New Company Just for the Money

It’s so easy to take a job with the biggest salary, a sign on bonus, company car, promises of growth and perks. I have seen many of my peers fall for the limelight and the hope of a promised land only to be miserable 3 months into the job. There are more important factors than compensation. That sounds so obvious but it’s not for many employees.

Outside of pay, these are some factors that you should look at carefully before you accepting a job offer.

1) Bad Culture fit. You just do not get the vibe with the culture. Perhaps it is to slow, too conservative, too collaborative, too risk adverse or the opposite of all of these. You just do not feel the vibe. Recruiters should give several clears examples of what the culture looks like and compare it to other company cultures before you ever interview. If it’s a bad fit, then don’t go to interview. Do not say it’s a “practice interview” Bad Karma will find its way to you.

2) The Brand is not in alignment with your beliefs and values. Some people want “name brands” big brands” top 10 CPG brands” or they do not want to work for companies that out sourced services or used Asia sourcing for some products. Recruiters should know this before the interview and flush out bad alignments.

3) Peer discomfort.I have had people say they just did not get a good feeling with their peer group they were going to work with. Sometimes this was a diversity issue, not enough people of color, not enough blend of genders, or they picked up a signal they would not be welcome. This is harder for recruiters to figure out but they need to dig for deeper insights on what people are looking for in a job.

Develop a list of your “fit” criteria before you interview for a job and stick to it. This is a major decision and you must make certain that this will work for you on multiple dimensions.

Wayne StricklandComment