How to decide if you will apply for a job

20 February 2017

There it is – darn it.  A job has caught your eye.  You read the blurb again, and yes, it is definitely sparking interest.  You link through to the job description and your excitement grows – yes you could do that, one or two things that might be a stretch, but yes!  Or is that maybe.  You put it aside for the rest of the afternoon then float the idea with your partner or a friend that evening.  Being wonderful supportive people they encourage you.  The next morning you wake up and wham, the job jumps straight into the front of your mind.  It plays there, teasing and tempting and you know that today you need to decide if you are going to apply.

Even when you are happily in a job the above scenario sneaks up on most of us every now and then – that unsettled time when a different future beacons and you need to make a decision to apply for a job or not.  In this article I want to give you two key questions you need to ask yourself at this time and a set of sub-questions you can use to help you make this decision confidently.  These are questions to help you decide so you can either go all in, or put the opportunity aside without regret.

Of course, sometimes it doesn’t even feel like you have a choice.  Perhaps you’re not in a job at the moment, or you are at a spot where you are desperate to leave your current job, or perhaps there is lots of pressure from others that you apply for this role.  Or maybe this is a role you have been waiting on for a while and now it is finally here.  No matter the lead up and how little choice you feel you have, it is still up to you to decide to apply, because making the decision and making it wholeheartedly makes a big difference to the way you approach the whole job application process and often to the level of success you achieve.

Deciding to apply for a job boils down to two questions:

Is the job right for me?

Am I right for the job?

Is the Job Right for Me?

In previous articles I have advocated for the idea of developing your own career criteria.  Your own career criteria are a set of standards and conditions that you have developed for yourself to use to support all the decisions you make about your career (e.g. study, projects, mentors, networks, and yes jobs).  The first step in deciding if the job is right for you is to pull out these predetermined criteria, written when you were not swayed by the allure of a particular job, and assess the role against them.

Then ponder the following questions:

• Will the role scare me and is that fear tinged with excitement or dread?  If it is excitement that is a good sign.
• Will the role stretch me 10% – 15% outside my comfort zone?  You need this level of challenge to be able to feel super engaged with your work, but be wary of too much challenge as this can lead to anxiety.
• How much status is attached to the role?  Status can lure us into roles like a bright, shiny object, but in the end status often doesn’t deliver on its promise, so be wary of it as a motivator.
• How much fun would you have?  Are there people you will enjoy being around, good social events, and times of play?  When you have fun at work it reflects in your work quality and output leading to greater levels of success in the long run.
• Will the role be meaningful to you, supporting a sense that you are doing something that adds value to the world at large?
• Will you get to see regular (hopefully daily) progress in the role?  Lack of progress is highly de-motivating.
• Are the leaders around you people you will respect?
• Do your personal values align with the policies, procedures and directives that are in place?
• Will you have the level of autonomy in the role that you need?  It is rare that people are able to successfully drop in levels of autonomy (i.e. capacity to make decisions about what they focus on).  If the new role has less autonomy than where you are currently make sure there are other compensations in place.
• To what degree will you be able to bring your own ideas forward in the role?  Will your creativity and innovation be welcomed and encouraged?

Not all questions will be relevant for you.  Don’t be unrealistic as it is highly unlikely any role will be able to fulfill all of them.  Perfection is not the goal – conscious and informed decision making is.

Are you right for the job?

When deciding to apply for a job this second question is one that is less often asked.  It is natural to focus on why the job will be good for you when you make your decision to apply, but there is power in being able to answer unequivocally that you are also right for the job.  It is also fair to the organisation and to yourself to be able to answer that question affirmatively.  Don’t put the organisation through the task and time of assessing you if you know you are not up to the role, but equally don’t put yourself through the stress and effort only to have your self confidence dinted by rejection.

Of course, first you need to ask yourself if you have the skills, knowledge, experience and qualifications at the requisite level for the role.  And it isn’t necessary to be 100% in all areas – there are likely to be some areas where you have more than required and some that you may only be 80% there – it is appropriate to be an overall package.  Ensure there is still room for you to grow in the role.

After assuring yourself that you’re not putting yourself in a situation that might hurt you and hold back the organisation it is time to dig deeper into deciding if you are the right person for the role.  Do this by particularly examining the potential you will bring.  Here are some questions to ponder:

• Do you have innovations and creative ideas that you want to bring to the role?
• Are there areas of learning and skill development you get excited about expanding into because of the role?
• What challenges will be faced in the role that you know you have fresh perspectives on?
• How diverse will be the thinking and perspectives you will bring to the role and is the level of diversity you will bring something that is needed?
• Can you give this role the time and energy it will need and still feel successful in other areas of your life?
• Do you have a vision or a longer-term view of how you want to develop the role and does this vision align with how the organisation wants the role to develop?
• Will you become more and more valuable to the organisation the longer you are in this role?

The added bonus is that when you do this type of potential and future focused thinking prior to applying for the role you substantially increase the level of confidence with which you present yourself significantly enhancing the odds you will be successful in your application.  A win/win for everyone.

Making the decision to apply for a job can be life changing.  It is a decision to be open to change and to step outside your comfort zone (even if you are not that comfortable).  It is the decision to intentionally push yourself into the unknown and to put yourself out there into the vulnerable space where others will assess you.  It is good to make that decision and to open yourself up for assessment solid in the knowledge that it is the ‘right’ decision for you and for the organisation.

Damn, now you need to write that application…

Bonus Idea: The questions posed above are also good ones to ask yourself about your current job…

As always, wishing you a Flourishing Career.

Katherine