What do you look for when you search for a new job? Company, location, salary, type of the role are pretty standard criteria. This stuff is what may grab your attention and encourage you to press that big button to apply. You will probably do some research to find out about the organisation, it’s values and strategy. You are invited for an interview! What questions do you prepare?

Most organisations have a set of values which they proudly publish on their website and the CEO will wax lyrical about trust, care and inclusion etc. Do you trust that this will automatically apply to you, if you join the company? 

Most interview techniques are based around competency based questions and as an applicant you’re expected to give specific examples of how you demonstrate skills in any given area. When it comes to the place you may be working, why not ask some competency based questions of your own? 

Say an organisation’s value is Respect. You can say: “I can see that one of the company’s values is ‘respect’. Are you able to give me examples of how I can expect to see this played out in my role here, if I get the job?”. Or how about “In terms of the organisation’s value of ‘respect’, how is the senior leadership demonstrating this value and how does it trickle down throughout the company?”. 

These values can be interpreted in many different ways and making assumptions may lead to disappointment down the road.

You may be very clear on what your personal values are, or you may not have thought much about it. It can be really useful to spend some time considering what kind of working environment you enjoy working in. What emotions make you feel great and give you the most energy? What do you need in a job to feel those emotions?

I have been working part-time for the last 15 years and at times, I have felt that I was there to make up the diversity numbers; woman, part-time, foreign national.

One previous boss didn’t mince his words and called me ‘part-timer’ when he passed me in the corridor and told me I was lucky to be hired on a non-standard offer. At the time I just accepted that. My hours were not like most others and yes, I did feel lucky to have been given the job. I was much younger then and I wasn’t 100% clear on my own worth and values at the time.

Working 9-5, Monday to Friday might work well for lots of people, but who really cares as long as the work is done?

One thing I have been very clear on is that I will not compromise on my hours. I do not want to work full time because it makes me feel miserable. I need time and space to rest my mind and do other things - to me, that's more important that earning a full-time salary. I have more energy to focus on doing a great job if I spend less hours in front of a laptop on conference calls. Make me work a full week and I’d just feel drained.

So even if you’re unsure what you really want, consider what you really don’t want. Stick to your guns because this is important to your life so it should be important to your employer.

You have done some prep work and you are clear about what you want, what you don't want, and what you would like to know about a potential new company - great start and you're ready for the interview.

It's much more comfortable to think thoughts safe in your own mind and it can feel daunting to say it out loud, particularly when you're sitting in front of an interview panel and you are keen on getting that job. Practicing with friends or relatives can make this unfamiliar territory more familiar - why not set up some mock interview sessions? It may feel strange at first, but better to feel strange now that at the interview.

When you sit in front of the interview panel or hiring manager it can be easy to lose confidence and those questions you had prepared suddenly don't seem so important.

Remember that this is your opportunity to find the right company for you, with the culture which you will thrive in and with values which you can buy into. Get this right and you are much more likely to get a job that will give you happiness and fulfilment for many years to come.

I offer career coaching and have several happy clients who have moved into new roles. Don't hesitate to get in touch for a chat.