Archives for 2009

Have you been following this story about the “balloon boy?” I’ve really only been following this from afar. It’s such an outrageous thing – that a boy could have even possibly floated away in a balloon – crazy.

If you’ve been indisposed, HERE is a link to catch you up. When it turns out that the boy, named Falcon, was actually safe, not floating in the air, but hiding (or maybe sleeping) in the attic of the garage, the family proceeded to appear, with all three of their boys, on several morning news shows (Good Morning America, The Today Show, etc), where the 6-year old vomited through the interviews.

Did the family take a break? Close their doors and ask for privacy? No. They proceeded to go on every news show that would have them – most importantly, perhaps – on CNN. Where, in this interview, the child suggests that he did not respond to calls for him because he “did it for the show.”

So, investigators, already suspicious, had their interest peaked. But, does it stop there? No! The family CONTINUED the interview. Finally, when asked again for the child to clarify what he meant by doing this “for a show,” the father took a deep, suspicious sigh and did some fast talking to accuse the questioner of harassing the family.

Watching this coverage, all I could think about was, “When are they going to say when?”

What does this have to do with your job hunt? Ironically, I was writing about tenacity when I was reviewing this footage. (Stay tuned for that post tomorrow). Today, I’m inspired to write a counter-point post – when is it time to say when?

To clarify, I don’t think you should ever give up on your job hunt. You are better off taking your search in a different direction – altering your course because you want a new result. (This may be as basic as revising how you are conducting your search and/or your materials.) BUT, there are times when you need to follow good instincts when it comes to a particular job opportunity.

So often, job seekers, maybe desperate for a new opportunity (or any opportunity) or dazzled by a high salary, close their eyes to all of the red flags raised during the process.  DON’T DO IT!  If you aren’t treated well and with respect during the interview and negotiations, assume things will only get worse once you are on the payroll.

I asked my Twitter friends for horror stories from interview experiences. Susan shared:

One “8 hour interview had me speaking with professors, administrative assistants, students and staff. I was given lunch, but was inerviewed during the meal. I got this job but walked out (not my finest moment) after 4 months due to an extremely abusive supervisor.”

While this is not the worst thing that can happen during an interview, clearly Susan had a sense that this was not the best environment. Should she have known not to take the job? Not necessarily. After all, she did not report illegal questions, extremely inappropriate behavior or actual abuse – all very obvious (and major) red flags. However, I’ve spoken to job seekers who would probably look the other way and accept ANY job offered. It can be a mistake.

You can almost guarantee that the red flags you noticed but ignored during the process will come into play as an employee.  Unfortunately, the reverse guarantee isn’t true.  If everything smells like roses and proverbial harps play before you are hired, it is no guarantee that you’ve landed at Utopia, Inc.

Tomorrow – stay tuned for my post on tenacity!

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