Are you confused about whether to take up the new job or not ?
Joining back at work after a maternity break was hard. It
melted my heart to leave my little one alone at home . But even harder was
deciding whether to take up the role that was being offered. This was time to
reflect, this was the time to not be emotional or rational, but time to decide
how my life will look for the next few years.
After lot of thinking and reading books, talking to friends and about
others experiences, I figured a kind of rulebook which will help in deciding whether it is worth
taking an opportunity or not . Here it goes..
1.
How does it help you as an individual?
Does it give you a break, or a step
jump, does it improve your exit options, or comes with a premium on pay? Will
you learn and improve your capability or is it more of the same? Does it help
you with your personal goals and life skills?
2.
Does it leverage your strengths?
A person can keep on developing
their weakness, but as highlighted by Marcus Buckingham in his book “ Discover
your strengths ” , you can never succeed if you hinge on your weaknesses. You
got to make your strengths , your superpowers work and work like no one else
can ! That’s what makes you a star at your job .. !
3.
Who is the boss?
A great manager can make a tough job
rewarding , but a bad manager can make even a dream job Stressful . You will never have the perfect
package , but is he respectful towards you, your personal life. Is he someone you
can approach? Is he willing to listen to you, engage with you?
4.
Company’s Culture
Are you comfortable with the
culture of the organization ? Do you fit in there? Sometimes you may not, but
if the organization values you, you may still want to stick on .
5.
Shape of You
How will the job shape you and
prepare you for a bright tomorrow? Do you have an increased responsibility, or
does it broaden your perspective, makes you more fungible for industry and
organisations ? Will you have opportunities to network/increase visibility inside and outside the industry ?
Now , it will be almost impossible to score a high on all of
them , so here is my tie breaker. Overall,
If you are scoring a 3/ 5 , you
are good to go and plunge right in and grab the opportunity. All the best !
Further, if you are a manager, think about the same
yardstick for your team members, and see if you are doing the same with them as
they are ramping back into the organization or settling in their new job . If
an employee feels that the role has been specifically tailored using his/her strengths in mind, to give the
learning that he seeks, in a supportive manner to gear him for his professional
success, there is no stone that he will leave unturned to make this job work !
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