As the job market begins to regain momentum, job seekers can
become—once again—more selective about the choices they make. For
instance, lifestyle compatibility can once more be a factor for
accepting or rejecting a job opportunity.
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.
These are but the tip of the iceberg. New graduates and those
returning to the workforce after long absences tend to overlook the
importance of work-life relationship more than veteran employees, who
realize the role that jobs play in improving or conflicting with your
lifestyle.
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
There are no one-size-fits-all answers to these questions—except the honest responses you give to yourself.
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_/
