Clarifying Expectations-Yours and the Employers
by Georgia Adamson
Job searching often bears a strong resemblance to dating, and this is particularly true with regard to
interviews. Both you and the company tend to "put your best foot forward"-you because you want to land
the job, and the company because they want to attract good people. Unfortunately, this can mean that
if you, the company or the position has negative aspects, those aspects may not come to light during
the interviews.
In fact, one of the most frequent causes of employment disasters is a failure to clarify expectations
held by the job-seeker, the employer or both. As noted, each participant in a pre-employment interview
has something at stake. If that situation leads one or both of them to communicate expectations
inaccurately (or, in some cases, deceptively), problems can follow-possibly as serious as the abrupt
resignation or termination of employment.
Some job-seekers don't believe they have a choice in the matter, especially, for instance, if they've
been out of work for an extended period or are facing an imminent layoff. However, the reality is that
if you don't gain a clear understanding of what the employer expects from you (the results you will
have to produce if hired) and a good grasp of the specific challenges you will have to overcome
(limited time, tight budget and so on), you could find disaster staring you in the face once you start.
The same potential difficulty exists if you succeed in convincing the employer that you are the right
person for the job although you have reservations about how good a fit you really are. For example, if
you withhold information that might influence the employer's selection, even if you're not legally
required to divulge it, you may have skewed the process.
Besides the unpleasantness of having to resign or being fired from the job within a short time, you
also have to deal with how to treat that experience on your resume and in future interviews. Do you
pretend it never happened and pray it doesn't come back to haunt you? Do you try to mask it in the
most favorable terms possible and hope the prospective employer will move quickly past it to the
wonderful work you did previously?
By far your best bet is to clarify expectations early on -
before you're hired. Ask probing questions to
make sure you understand what the employer is aiming for and what you'd have to contend with. If what
you learn from this doesn't match you very well, be up-front with the employer about it. Taking
yourself out of the running before either you or the company have wasted precious time will yield the
greatest benefit in the long run. First, it eliminates a potentially bad experience. Second, it frees
you to concentrate on finding an opportunity that
does meet your needs and that allows you to make a
valuable contribution. That way, everyone wins.
About the author:
Georgia Adamson
Why Shouldn't We Hire You?
Effective Personal Marketing