Are You a Match?

You and your office, is this a match made in heaven? If you’ve been working for a while, you know how a good sounding job may not be the day-to-day reality. If you know that, I’ll even bet that is now a ‘prior’ job. The office and corporate culture are a large part of any job. Finding a job that matches your skill set is one thing. Finding a job that matches your personality and working style is another. One size does not fit all, when it comes to finding the right corporate culture. Lasting success and job satisfaction come when the right job and the right culture all come together. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER What is your work style? What type of work environment suits you best? Only you know what will work for you. So be truthful in your self-assessment. Remember, what would be a cool workplace, may not be the best place for you to work. Where will you produce your best work? That is where your long-term job satisfaction will come from. Here are some questions to get you started:

• Do I prefer working alone or with a team?
• Do I want to build a career? Or, is it “just” a job?
• Do I want to work inside or outside or a combination of both?
• How many hours do I want to work in a day?
• Do I want to supervise others, or not so much?
• Finish this: “My ideal boss is …”
• What kind of pressure can I handle regularly?
• Am I willing to relocate?
• How much travel can I handle in my job?
• How much responsibility do I want?
• Am I willing to go back to school for more training?

When you do your research on prospective companies, determine as best you can, if their corporate culture is a good match for your working style. When you find a corporate culture that is a good fit for you, it leads to more than just job happiness. When you feel rewarded and your work acknowledged, you will work harder and move up the ladder more quickly. As you do well, you’ll get better and more challenging assignments, which in turn, will lead to greater job security. Even better, you’ll be paid more because you are more productive. So if everything else but the starting salary is good, take the job. CAVEAT EMPTOR Keep your eyes and ears open when you go for job interviews. Think of it as buying the job, so kick the tires a little. Do people look miserable in the office? Or, are they reasonably happy and content looking? Do they talk respectfully to each other? Is there some joking or is everyone somber? How do the cars in the parking lot look? The expected mix, or old and worn? Ask the receptionist why this is a good place to work. Ask the interviewer about the corporate culture. Ask what it takes to be successful at this company. If you’re a parent, how flexible are they for sick kids? Are you able to telecommute on those days? Observe the body language of the employees – relaxed, urgent, stressed, purposeful, or do they run with scissors? Check out their diversity figures to see if they really value it. Imagine yourself working there; what is that like? I had a client who interviewed at two large (nationally known) computer companies. His son’s T-ball games were very important to him. He asked during both interviews if leaving at 5:00 pm once a week to be able to make it to the games would be an issue. Both hiring managers said “no issues.” He went with Company A, because it was a better starting salary. The first week on Thursday at 5:00 pm as he was closing his office door, his manager looked at his watch and said, “You’re leaving?” He reminded the manager about the T-ball games. The manager said, “Ok” in a clearly disapproving tone. On Friday, the manager called him in to talk about “commitment.” My client called me, distraught over the reaction of his manager. Then he said that by Thursday at 5:00 pm he had already put in 40 hours and submitted his first project early. I advised him to see if there was still an opening at Company B. There was. He took that job (and the lower starting salary). The next Thursday, at 4:30 pm his new manger dropped by his office to see how his first week was going and … to remind him he had “to leave on time tonight” so he would be on time for the T-ball game. He’d noticed that he was putting in extra time. Wow! What a difference in corporate culture. It gets better. My client kept in touch with an employee of Company A. That division was severely cut back a year later and his old job was cut. So not only is he still employed, he is happily employed. Let that be you too. Do you need help finding the right job for you? I can help you. We will sort through your skills, experiences and your dreams to get the right job for you. Don’t wait, contact me now. A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Warmly, Elisabeth Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com