Are you ready to make a career move? Then it’s vital to identify your motivation and be transparent about it.
Most companies make their final decision based on a “fit factor.” A.k.a. – Does this person have the right motives that align well with this position, and our company? How does a hiring manager determine if someone has the right fit factor? It’s typically a feeling that comes out in the interview based on a candidate’s general attitude toward the position. If, for example, the company just lost someone due to that individual wanting to climb the career ladder quickly, and the position required someone to stay in it for a number of years, the company is going to make sure their next hire wants to stay for a while.
Before you pick up the phone and start chasing down jobs, take time to ask yourself some hard questions, like “What is my motivation?” Then write it down. Understanding your motivation and being transparent about it is the best thing you can do for yourself.
Are you thinking of making a move because you don’t make enough money, don’t fit in with the organization anymore, are tired of doing the same thing, aren’t challenged, or need to find a better work-life balance? Or a combination of all the above? Know your own story.
As a recruiter, we’re not the “middle-man” working out a deal. But we are in the middle – acting as a buffer and filter between the client and the candidate.
The goal is not to get in the way of the process, but to manage it and move it along. This process can be a difficult balance because of the variables involved in the search and the sense of urgency to fill it.
The worst thing anyone can do is try to shoehorn you into a job that’s not a fit.
Because recruiters understand the idiosyncrasies of a company’s culture and have insight into the organization and what makes it tick, we can ask the right questions to vet out wrong fit factors.
Be respectful of your own time, as well as the recruiters. Be honest with yourself. If you have to convince yourself it’s a fit, then it’s not, and in the long run, it never works out.
Your motivational conversation may not land you the job you were seeking this go around, but it may land you the job that is seeking you – the job that’s the right fit for you. How is this? If a recruiter knows what you’re looking for, and he/she sees your name written all over the job description, you can guarantee you’ll be contacted about it!
