Discussing your accomplishments and career goals can have even the most seasoned professional shaking in her pumps at an interview. Add to that the running around during your lunch break, taking a few mornings off for interviews, and obsessively searching nights and weekends for openings online; it’s no wonder the job hunt turns from thrilling to disheartening in weeks.
But then the best problem presents itself—one, two, or three companies are interested in hiring you. Lucky you! So how can you avoid desperation from clouding your vision when the next job you land positions your future?
Think about your career goals. That’s right, it’s not just about the position in front of you, it’s also important to think about the future and where you hope to end up professionally.
Take these following questions into serious consideration when evaluating the jobs you’re applying for now and negotiating the offers that follow to strategically position yourself for the next move.
1. How will your title look to an outsider?
Can you easily explain that there are no Director titles even though you had Director responsibilities?
2. How will your department name look to an outsider?
If you want to get into Public Relations, but this job places you in the Internal Communications department, you might be creating a challenging leap.
3. Will you want to level up?
In a small business, you get to wear many hats. But if your dream lies on making a big impact at a large firm, how will you position yourself for more specialized roles? Or vice versa; you start in a large company, but are passionate about faster career growth in a smaller firm. How would you build skills for the future position?
4. Agency to in-house and back again.
This happens a lot. People in the Marketing and Advertising world go from in-house marketing departments to agencies and back again…or do they? Getting pigeonholed as the best Marketing Manager can be difficult to parlay into an agency Account Exec position.
5. Brand league.
If you know you want to work in a prestigious luxury company, but you keep taking positions in smaller businesses who service start-ups, this may not translate well into a conservative corporate environment no matter your field.
If and when you have two offers, it’s not only about the money. It’s about positioning yourself for the next move.
Be clear with what you want, choose wisely, and position yourself strategically.for more info, check out avant career
