Approached by a recruiter from another company? Take the high road
You might be surprised to hear how many currently employed people are approached — completely unsolicited — and asked if they might be interested in a job with another company. The inquiry can come from a professional head hunter, the human-resource department of a competing firm or even a friend or family member.
It’s touchy when those types of phone calls come to you while you are at work. When they do, it is best to quickly establish that it’s not possible for you to speak about it at the moment, but that you would like to set a time outside your work hours to discuss the matter. This is a good practice because your company is paying you to do your job. Using the time for which your current employer is paying you to explore a new opportunity could be considered unprofessional and potentially unethical. You also might be overheard by your boss or a co-worker, and this could cause unnecessary problems.
As you discuss and consider the opportunity (outside of your current business hours), there are several aspects you need to
understand about the job and your motivation for interest.
➤ Do you receive job satisfaction from your current job? Would you receive job satisfaction from this new opportunity?
➤ Is the compensation package worth the move? If pay is the only advantage of the new position, you should get at least 20 percent or more with the change.
➤ To whom would you rather report, your current manager or the one from the potential company? This is an important decision.
➤ Which job will prepare you the best for the job you think you ultimately want to have?
➤ Do you truly like the new job opportunity, or are you reacting more to the flattery of being asked?
➤ Will the new position help you improve your lifestyle while working fewer hours or having a shorter commute?
➤ Are the benefits equal to or better than your existing situation? Consider the health, vision and dental insurance plans, as well as the retirement plan (never assume that you won’t be with the company long enough to take advantage of the plan).
It makes good sense to keep your options open and investigate opportunities that come your way. An important thing to keep in mind is that changing jobs is usually best approached in a logical manner. Leave your emotions behind until the opportunity logically makes sense. Once logic clears the way, you can make the final decision based on your feelings and what you want to do.
— Gary Moore is president of Insight Edge. He has more than 30 years of business experience and specializes in the Personality Priority hiring process, sales and leadership training. Visit Moore’s website,
www.insightedge.com, or send email to garymoore@insightedge.com.