The dream job has a way of evolving into a nightmare. Last week, we talked about how this happens. This week, let's talk about what you can do to ensure that it doesn't.

The Disconnect Between Expectation & Reality: Part 2

Last week, I told you about Joe Safety, the safety professional whose promotion to management safety director proved to be his undoing. Joe took a position without realizing what he was getting himself into. The experience left him broken and devoid of confidence. Joe's failure is typical of what happens when expectation doesn't match reality.

But Joe's experience speaks to only one side of the problem. Keep in mind that employers, too, have expectations. And, just like those of employees, employers' expectations can be easily dashed. To make matters worse, employers' expectations are often unrealistic to begin with. In the case of Joe Safety, management wanted and expected more than Joe had the capability to give. Joe tried to make up for his shortcomings by putting in 14-hour days. But all that did was burn him out.

Unrealistic expectations on the part of management are especially common when the person assuming a job comes from outside the organization such as via a headhunter. If the employee doesn't pan out, management might be tempted to give up on the person sooner rather than later, if for no other reason than to avoid having to pay the headhunter.

How to Avoid Stepping Into the Wrong Job Situation

The secret to avoiding such experiences is a simple one: Both sides have to work harder during the hiring process to determine if the candidate has what it takes to succeed in the position. For employers, that means defining the position clearly and conducting more thorough interviews. For the applicant, it involves asking probing questions about the position and the company.

One of the devices companies use to avoid "bad fits" is to have applicants complete skills and behavior-based tests gauging how well they match the company and the position. Although generally initiated by the company, testing can be a big help to applicants, too. After all, applicants have an interest in finding out if they're wrong for a position before they're hired to fill it.

The Self Assessment

Safety professionals and others applying for positions should do their own assessments. Make an honest determination of your strengths and weaknesses. Then ask the company for a job description setting out the official requirements and expectations of the position.

Caveat: Be especially cautious if the written job description doesn't match how the position was described to you during the interview. This is a sign that the company isn't sure it knows what it wants and that's generally not a good situation to step into.

Try to figure out if the job plays to what you've identified as your strengths or, conversely, highlights your weaknesses. For instance, if you're not a "people person," you might want to stay away from a job that requires strong communication and leadership skills.

Avoid the temptation to "learn on the fly." Joe Safety tried this and it didn't work. It usually doesn't. For one thing, some skills just can't be picked up in the natural course of things; and even if they can be learned on the fly, there's no guarantee management will allow you to make the mistakes necessary to learn.

Additional Steps to Protect Yourself

If it looks like a good fit, you might also want to request a site visit so you can talk to co-workers, managers and others about the company and the position. Ask about your predecessors. Who were they? Were they fired or demoted and, if so, why?

Don't take a job with any company whose integrity you come to question. Be aware that companies may use perks as dangling carrots to divert your attention from the warts in the company or the position. No amount of prestige, money or professional challenge can make up for a company that lacks integrity.

Conclusion

Warren Buffet once said "it takes 20 years to build a reputation and 20 seconds to ruin it." Mr. Buffet earned his reputation for shrewd investing by studying investment opportunities and not leaping at opportunities that looked too good to be true. Taking a page from the Warren Buffet book should enable you to make smarter decisions about your own careers.

BY THE NUMBERS

Getting a Raise

By Glenn Demby

If the economic reports are to be believed, high fuel prices have had surprisingly little impact on corporate profits - at least so far. But corporate salaries haven't been keeping pace with corporate profits. To get that well deserved raise safety directors and other corporate managers have to be willing to stand up and make a case for themselves. A recent study of 1,378 managers yields some interesting insight on what does and doesn't work as far as asking for a raise is concerned:

4: The percentage of managers who say their preferred method of getting a raise is to change jobs.

70: The percentage of managers who say they've asked for a raise in the past year.

61: The percentage of managers who say they got a raise after asking for one in the past year.

Among the managers who did get raises after asking for one:

63% attributed their success to showing the boss their accomplishments and contributions to the company

14% attributed their success to conducting a market assessment of the salary for their positions for the boss's benefit

8% attributed their success to asking for the raise at the right moment - after a major corporate success

7% attributed their success to getting a job offer from another company and then leveraging it to get their boss to pay them more money

Source: The Ladders, http://www.theladders.com.

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