"GROWTH POTENTIAL" AND "CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT"
The most often repeated terms used by candidates seeking a new opportunity are "growth potential" and "creative environments"!
All jobseekers feel that they are in a situation that allows for little or no professional growth. In addition, 90% of the candidates I meet express their strong desire to be in a "creative environment". The problem is that for each person, the definition of "growth" and "creative" differs greatly!
This is especially true for those making their first or second job change ever! When I probe into motivating factors for their departure from their current job, the most popular answer is "a lack of growth potential". If you are in a 10 person company; then this is probably true! However, candidates often overlook the upside to the experience they have had and how it might taint their view of their next opportunity.
Although the potential for growth in a very small company is a reality...there is a flipside! In a more intimate setting the opportunity to participate in a wide array of projects and exposure to key decision making processes is apt to be far greater than their counterpart at a large corporate entity. A paradox exists between the reality of the size of their current employer and the richness of the experience offered.
I have a lot of trouble convincing the Assistant Manager of Marketing from "Bob's World of Marketing" to consider a Marketing Assistant or Marketing Coordinator spot at a "Fortune 500" firm! By the way; if you have been at a job less than a year...do not talk to me about a lack of growth potential! What you really need is a dose of reality and come back to me when you have had 3 performance evaluations that were stellar and despite this...you are still not being promoted! Although people claim to want a larger environment where people work their way up through the ranks; ego prevents them from giving proper consideration to a title that they feel is "a step back"! I try to remind candidates that with "growth potential" comes a "dues paying" period of proving yourself worthy of additional responsibility that may have been bestowed upon them in a smaller setting.
I want something in a "creative environment" seem to be the phrase I hear most often other than the dreaded "I am a people person"! This is especially tough because everyone has a unique idea as to what is creative. I try to give the following example whenever I can: Would you like to work at a sexy, creative film studio? Would you like to work in their Contract Accounting department? The answers are always "yes" and "no" respectively. I ask this question to illustrate that what these candidates seek is not necessarily a creative environment, but instead a stimulating/challenging/rewarding job! More seasoned candidates know that the scope of responsibility, personality and cohesiveness of the department, temperment of their manager, coupled with the opportunity to learn something new are really the concrete factors to evaluate during a job change. Just because a company is involved in something creative or artistic does it mean that your role in the organization will be!
Candidates need to take a "global" perspective when contemplating a move! There are many factors that could impact job satisfaction and promotability. Usually, with some intraspection and a serious look into priorities and goals; a more realistic/suitable situation can be targeted!
"I WILL DIE WITH NO BULLETS IN MY HOLSTER!" - MICHAEL JORDAN
All jobseekers feel that they are in a situation that allows for little or no professional growth. In addition, 90% of the candidates I meet express their strong desire to be in a "creative environment". The problem is that for each person, the definition of "growth" and "creative" differs greatly!
This is especially true for those making their first or second job change ever! When I probe into motivating factors for their departure from their current job, the most popular answer is "a lack of growth potential". If you are in a 10 person company; then this is probably true! However, candidates often overlook the upside to the experience they have had and how it might taint their view of their next opportunity.
Although the potential for growth in a very small company is a reality...there is a flipside! In a more intimate setting the opportunity to participate in a wide array of projects and exposure to key decision making processes is apt to be far greater than their counterpart at a large corporate entity. A paradox exists between the reality of the size of their current employer and the richness of the experience offered.
I have a lot of trouble convincing the Assistant Manager of Marketing from "Bob's World of Marketing" to consider a Marketing Assistant or Marketing Coordinator spot at a "Fortune 500" firm! By the way; if you have been at a job less than a year...do not talk to me about a lack of growth potential! What you really need is a dose of reality and come back to me when you have had 3 performance evaluations that were stellar and despite this...you are still not being promoted! Although people claim to want a larger environment where people work their way up through the ranks; ego prevents them from giving proper consideration to a title that they feel is "a step back"! I try to remind candidates that with "growth potential" comes a "dues paying" period of proving yourself worthy of additional responsibility that may have been bestowed upon them in a smaller setting.
I want something in a "creative environment" seem to be the phrase I hear most often other than the dreaded "I am a people person"! This is especially tough because everyone has a unique idea as to what is creative. I try to give the following example whenever I can: Would you like to work at a sexy, creative film studio? Would you like to work in their Contract Accounting department? The answers are always "yes" and "no" respectively. I ask this question to illustrate that what these candidates seek is not necessarily a creative environment, but instead a stimulating/challenging/rewarding job! More seasoned candidates know that the scope of responsibility, personality and cohesiveness of the department, temperment of their manager, coupled with the opportunity to learn something new are really the concrete factors to evaluate during a job change. Just because a company is involved in something creative or artistic does it mean that your role in the organization will be!
Candidates need to take a "global" perspective when contemplating a move! There are many factors that could impact job satisfaction and promotability. Usually, with some intraspection and a serious look into priorities and goals; a more realistic/suitable situation can be targeted!
"I WILL DIE WITH NO BULLETS IN MY HOLSTER!" - MICHAEL JORDAN
