Frank Judd, Director of Client Accounts, answers all of our questions about finding, obtaining, and thriving in a new job or role.
HOW DO I INTERVIEW WITH A NEW COMPANY IN A DISCRETIONARY MANNER FROM MY CURRENT COMPANY?
Keep it moving and make sure you’re still being productive. Looking outside for new work is not an excuse for your current work to take a hit. Assuming you’re actively employed, you want to be sensitive to the fact that you are being paid by your current employer to do a job. You owe it to that organization to carry out your function to the best of your ability regardless of where you are in the interview process with another organization. Even if you’re just exploring opportunities and seeing what’s out there or you’re at a point where you know you need to make a change, be cognizant of what you’re accountable for at the organization you’re currently at and making sure those items are at the top of your mind and that you’re performing.
HOW DO I BALANCE MY CURRENT ROLE WITH THE INTERVIEW PROCESS?
Balancing your current role and your new search is like balancing anything. If your search is interfering with your current responsibilities you will have to find that time somewhere else to make it up. If you take an hour from your workday, find somewhere to put that hour back in some capacity. Its about your capacity as well. Whenever you are making yourself available, be full present. During the interview process think of only that and then when it’s time to return to your current role, reset and refocus on that role. Understand realistically when is the best time for you.
WHAT IF I HAVE TO TRAVEL TO AN INTERVIEW WHILE AT MY CURRENT POSITION?
If you are going to do any travel to meet with companies you’re considering moving to, you will likely want to use PTO. you want to give that potential future employer your full attention. Everyone has taken time out of their day and allocated effort into this interaction so you want to respect that for yourself an the organization. You want to immerse yourself in that process because this is the time when you are finding out if the new organization is right for you, if the people are your people and you can work with them, if the culture is conducive to your success, if the town or city is somewhere you can see yourself thriving, does this make sense for your family, etc. It’s important to give yourself time to do that.
Often we see candidates opt for Monday or Friday interviews if they’re going to need to fly because it gives them time to spend the weekend in the new location. Sometimes we’ll hear they went to coffee or for some drinks with some of the team members they may be working with in order to get a true feel for what it could be like at this new organization. You want to ensure you are exposing yourself to as much as you can within that time frame so that you can confidently say that you have a thorough perception of the full picture. That’s how you will know you have enough information to know whether this opportunity makes sense for you.