You already went through several interviews, passed the first and second round. You already met with your possible new boss, colleagues and team members and gave thought to the professional opportunities and perspectives associated to the position.
What’s next? It is time to decide. Are you really going to dare the move? You hesitate, weight all the pros and cons, and waver: Oh no, not another one of the sort!
Nothing is more irritating for a future employer than seeing a successful candidate, who has convinced everyone in the final round, suddenly waver after the contract offer. This is unfortunately frequent and is annoying for everyone involved. The employer, who had already chosen the candidate, is now wondering what awaits him.
Bad for the image, when things suddenly get complicated
This is when the candidate, usually just before signing the contract, starts nitpicking on minor topics. Questions that did not seem to be a problem until there or had not even been raised at all by the candidate suddenly emerged. Personal arguments and priorities just come out of the blue, bewildering the employer.
I have often thought about what is really running through the candidates’ mind. Each case is an individual one, and: Look well before you leap.
To date, I could identify the following typologies. To which one would you tend to belong?
- Scaredy-cat: You wish for a change but fear it at the same time. Now that things are getting serious, you suddenly get cold feet. You are scared by your own boldness and back-pedal at the last minute. It is probably best to leave things as they are. You at least now what you have, or best say, do not have. Half a loaf is better than none.
- Narcissist: You like testing what it would bring if you really wanted to make the move. Is your profile in high demand on the market? You need to check regularly if you would be able to find another good position. It provides you with motivation and a sense of security in your daily work. It flatters your ego to feel wanted.
- Opportunist: You always keep an eye on the market. Never immune to attractive proposals while not necessarily interested. Always passively looking for the best opportunity. You do not know, up to the last minute, if you will dare the move to a new company. And suddenly it is time to decide, there is the favourable opportunity, everything is perfect and pow! You go for it – or not.
- Intuitive: It all seems perfect on paper, it is absolutely reasonable, and things are going as planned. Something is however suddenly running wrong. You feel an inexplicable discomfort. You pause for a moment and grow more cautious. You put up your “antennae” and try to analyse the cause of discomfort. Ultimately you are scared to override your intuition and to follow your reasoned decision.
Value analysis helps making decisions
How do usually rational, analytical scientists deal with such inconsistency and indecisiveness? What really helps is a value analysis. And I will disclosure how to conduct it in my next blog post: «The agony of choice! »