Should I Take Just Any Job I Can Get?

I once had a boss who used to like to tell us all about these little sayings he made up. The only one that made sense to me was “It’s better to want what you don’t have than to have what you don’t want.” He would always pull that one out when we were hiring someone. It makes sense. A bad hire is worse than no hire at all.

In some sense this is true for jobs. A bad job can be worse than no job at all. But the “Should I take just any job I can get?” question is really one that no one else can answer for you. What is your situation? Do you have a family to support? Are you running out of money? Are your kids hungry? What’s the economy like? I’ve always said that I would work at McDonald’s slinging fries if that was what it took to feed my kids. Fortunately I have never been in that situation.

I would recommend carefully weighing the down side of taking a job you don’t really want. While it might make some sense to put some food on the table or pay the mortgage, you need to recognize that the time it takes to get good at a new job is time away from looking for the job you really want. It’s also true that the psychological drain of being in a job you really hate can take away from the emotional energy you need to look for a job. Looking for a job is hard work and if you already have one it’s going to use up a lot of your time and energy. It will be almost like doing two jobs if you do it right.

I am a strong believer in going with your gut. If you have a bad feeling about a job there is probably a good reason. If you’ve got that bad feeling I suggest you dig and dig and dig some more and totally satisfy yourself before saying yes. By dig I mean ask to speak to others at the company. Who supplies (information or anything else) to the group? Who do they get their raw materials (information, budgets, whatever they “need” to do their jobs) from? These are good places to ask questions. Basically go upstream and downstream of the group you will be working for to get a good feel for them. If you are wondering if you can get access to these groups, I think you should be able to. If a company has made you an offer they should be willing to allow you to talk with other employees to help you make your decision. If they are not willing to let you talk with other employees than my guess it’s because they have something to hide and I think you should stay away from them.

But in the end there is no one right answer to this question. I am convinced that good people get jobs. And good people eventually get good jobs. You have to decide what is right for you and your situation. I would just caution you not to go against you gut unless you really feel you have to. If you do decide to take a job you don’t really want, go into it with your eyes open and a plan in mind.

Email me with your questions. zippyjobadvice@gmail.com