Recently, I was out with a few friends when one of them, Megan, began telling us about a new job opportunity she had discovered. She had a great conversation with a recruiter earlier that day, and was waiting to find out if she’d been selected for an interview. Megan asked me if we could meet the following day to critique her resume, discuss the company, and go over some interview tips.
Before meeting with Megan I decided to research the company and review the job posting. As a result of my research:
- I determined that the company and the position provided great opportunities.
- I understood the appeal of this position as it seemed to offer more flexibility and compensation than her current position.
- I was confident that Megan met the minimum requirements. However, I was surprised to find that Megan, who is afraid to fly, was interested in a position with mandatory travel.
We regrouped the following day and looked over her resume. We discussed her initial phone screen with the recruiter and I noticed that she was selling the recruiter on what she perceived as the perfect candidate, not the candidate she actually was. Therefore, I decided it was important to share some of my thoughts:
- I questioned how she would handle the mandatory travel, and she explained that it was a sacrifice she’d be willing to make for her dream job.
- The posting mentioned that full-time employees were eligible for benefits after 90 days but Megan has a chronic condition that requires doctor’s visits and medication. I asked if she was prepared to go without insurance for that long or pay out of pocket for COBRA. Again, she said she would make it work for the right job.
I sensed that she had already made up her mind that this position was going to be a good fit for her, so I decided that she needed to make her own decision. I wished her luck and gave her one last piece of advice: “Be honest with the recruiter, the hiring manager, and yourself, because at the end of the day we’re all just looking for the right match.”
A few days later, Megan called to give me the big news. She turned down her “dream” job. She had wowed the recruiter, nailed the first interview, and made it to the corporate office in Boston for a final interview. She walked into the office of the Vice President where he began to review some of the great things he had heard from the recruiter about her ambitions. It was then that she thought about my last bit of advice – she was not the person he was describing and she didn’t even remember saying some of the things he mentioned that impressed him. Megan politely finished the interview and headed to the airport. She was thankful when they offered her the position and although she turned it down, she asked that they keep her in mind for other positions that didn’t require travel. Megan realized that she wasn’t being honest with herself and that she would not be able to do the job to the best of her ability.
Remember, honesty is always the best policy, especially when it comes to your career.