In addition to the normal questions you ask yourself when a job opportunity arises, questions such as:
Is changing jobs the right thing to do?
What will it be like working for a new employer?
Will I fit in or not?
Is this the work I want to do forever?
You should add this one important consideration that could easily influence your responses: does the job and employer fit my lifestyle?
Lifestyles
Many people fail to consider how a job or workplace culture might fit or conflict with a lifestyle. The reasons for not considering this subject often include the following:
- Thinking that your lifestyle has little to do with your job or career.
- Believing that your lifestyle is defined as the time away from the workplace.
- Being convinced that employers don’t care about your lifestyle and how it may relate to your workplace performance.
Lifestyle considerations:
- Do you want more or less structure in your job
- Do you require job flexibility, because of child care, youth sports coaching, or elder parent care time commitments
- During the interview, do you observe what appears to be an upbeat, positive and comfortable workplace—one that’s compatible with your personality and work style
- Do you get the feeling that the job and company will fit into a preferred lifestyle
- Is working remotely a possibility—and if so, is this something you would like to consider for some or all of the time
- Would you consider a pay for performance position or a salaried job—or both
- What single feature about your job and lifestyle is most important to you
- Would you rather interact with people face-to-face or do you prefer working alone at the workplace or in a home-office
- Will your employer be flexible if you need to leave for an unexpected reason—if you have children or elderly parents in your care, this is a real possibility
- Is there an expectation that you will be regularly working late
- Does this employer have a rigid vacation policy, or a more flexible PTO as-needed policy
You can modify some of these or similar considerations to prepare questions for your interviewer. You can then compare the interviewer’s answers with your own. If they match, the job may indeed fit your lifestyle. Should they be vastly different, you should investigate the job and the company further before you accept or deny a job offer.
There is a popular book with a title that says it all: Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow: Discovering Your Right Livelihood, by Marsha Sinetar. While the book has its critics, it has changed many lives since its original publication in the 1980s. The premise is to follow your passions for something and use this passion as the foundation of your career.
Critics’ comments usually involve logic above all else. If your goal is to amass wealth and you are the CEO of a large company--and you love it--you will achieve your goal. If, however, your passion is to coach youth sports teams, keep your day job, as the money will certainly not follow your passion. It’s hard to argue with this logic.
However, these are extreme examples. With the breaking down of the office space barriers over the past few years, and an increase in options such as telecommuting and working remotely, employees should be able to work at a job that is a pretty good lifestyle match.
http://www.kellyservices.us/US/Careers/Candidate-Resource-Center/Career-Tips-and-Tools/Does-the-Job-Fit-Your-Lifestyle_/
