LAWCROSSING
THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF LEGAL JOBS ON EARTH
RESUME MAVEN SPONSORED BY ATTORNEY RESUME
www.lawcrossing.com
1. 800.973.1177
To Stay or Not to Stay, That is the Question: How to Handle a New Career Opportunity [By Dan Coughlin] Shakespeare did not have to deal with this, and my father’s generation rarely did either. During my father’s working days, employees basically had one option: stay. Much like Major League Baseball players used to be, employees in the 50s, 60, 70s, and 80s rarely left one organization to go to another. Today that concept seems antiquated.
Assuming you’re going to face a career-
and ways he could add more value to
Values are beliefs that determine behaviors.
changing decision within the next six months,
customers. He was exhilarated, and he was
This is a very straightforward concept. If
here are seven things to consider.
promoted twice within 18 months.
integrity is one of your values, then you will
Seven Career-Changing Considerations
2. Will you make more money or have the
each day. If honesty is one of your values,
realistic capacity to make more money?
then you will tell the truth. As I said, pretty
do what you think is the right thing to do
1. Will you grow?
simple stuff. “No money, no mission.” Here’s the hard part.
Work is a transfer of value. You contribute value to an organization, and in return you
I actually learned that phrase from an
receive value. Part of the value you receive is
executive at a not-for-profit organization.
You’ve been offered a job with a great salary,
the degree to which you will grow while doing
Every organization and individual needs
great benefits, and exciting challenges. You
that work.
a flow of dollars in order to continue to
tell a few key family members and friends
contribute value. As you consider this new
about the job. Now more people are excited.
Will you develop your leadership and
career opportunity, find out as much as you
And then you start to spend some time with
communication skills?
can about what you will earn in the next 12
the employees, and you realize their normal
months and how much you can realistically
behaviors do not fit with your values. What
Will you learn about the latest
earn in the next five years. Don’t be shy
are you going to do?
technologies and how to use them?
about finding out about this. It doesn’t have
•
•
•
Will you learn to be more effective at
to be a dveal breaker, but you need to know
For what it’s worth, here’s my suggestion.
what is realistic.
Explore some more, and see if you uncover the same pattern of behaviors among other
strategy or planning or execution? •
In other words, will you be
3. Will you work with people you want to be
employees. If you do, walk away from the job.
around?
I know that sounds harsh, but once you let go of your values, you lose yourself. And that is
challenged? The vast majority of your day will be spent
a very expensive and painful journey to go on.
Mark had been a successful employee within
with coworkers. Before you take a new job,
a major hotel chain for more than 15 years.
spend a few days with the new group. See
5. Will you be allowed to use your strengths
By the time I met him, he felt he was no
them in action, and watch how they treat
and passions the vast majority of the time?
longer challenged. He had an opportunity
one another. Ask a variety of the employees
to take a job with a supplier for a number of
what it’s like to work there. Do this in private
You can achieve greatness when you
hotel chains. In this new position, he would
conversations, and see if any common
deploy your strengths and your passions
be traveling more while receiving only a
themes emerge. Are these people you really
into meaningful work that matters to your
small increase in salary. However, his desire
want to be with every day for at least the next
organization and to your customers.
for growth and challenges was so great that
five years? That could go into a Chinese fortune cookie,
he took the new position. And he flourished. He told me that he was constantly learning
4. Will you be expected to behave in ways
more about himself, his skills, his strengths,
that are congruent with your values?
PAGE
as long as it’s a really big cookie.
continued on back
LAWCROSSING
THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF LEGAL JOBS ON EARTH
RESUME MAVEN SPONSORED BY ATTORNEY RESUME
www.lawcrossing.com
1. 800.973.1177
If you spend the vast majority of your day
effect on crucial relationships. The same is
can lead to an unfulfilling career. It’s never
doing stuff you are mediocre at and have
true of relocating. It can generate great life
easy to make this decision, so consider your
no passion for, you’re going to produce
experiences, but it can also have a damaging
next career move as carefully as a world-
mediocre, passionless work. That is not the
effect on your children’s future. Consider
champion chess player.
ticket to career acceleration, no matter how
these factors carefully. About the Author
much you might be earning right now. 7. Are you excited to take this job? 6. Are the amount of travel and the reality
Dan Coughlin, business performance
of relocation appropriate for you and your
Now that you’ve thought about this situation
management consultant and keynote
family?
rationally and discussed it with your family,
speaker, is the author of Accelerate:
what are you going to do? Time for the old
20 Practical Lessons to Boost Business Momentum. He has provided more than 1,500 executive coaching sessions and invested more than 3,000 hours on-site observing executives and managers in more than 20 industries working for companies and organizations including Coca-Cola, Toyota, Marriott, McDonald’s, AT&T, and the St. Louis Cardinals. He can be reached at dan@thecoughlincompany.com or www.businessacceleration.com.
Some issues go beyond just you.
gut check. Do you want this new job or not? If your answer isn’t immediate and emotional,
Two of those are relocation and travel time.
then hold off and take more time to think
I’m not just talking about traveling back and
about it.
forth between your home and your office, although that is an important factor. I’m also
I recently met a CEO who turned down the
talking about the amount of time you will
job of COO four times before he felt he was
be traveling around the country and around
truly excited to take the position. Once he
the world. Relocating is another variable to
took it, he did such a great job that he was
weave into the family situation. I encourage
promoted to CEO when the former CEO
you to take these two items very seriously
retired.
and to talk them over with your family. To stay or not to stay? That question A career with no travel would not be the
oftentimes is the inflection point that
right thing for a lot of people. On the other
determines a great career. Never moving can
hand, too much travel can have a devastating
lead to a stale career, and moving too often
PAGE