Being flexible for the right job and willing to make compromises might just land you the perfect, dream job!! When a candidate shows flexibility and a willingness to compromise they often end up getting everything they wanted and more. We see it all the time. Trust your recruiter.
If you have a good relationship with your recruiter and it is built on trust (which you should) then you should be able look to them for advice. It isn’t in our best interest to place you in a job that won’t work out. We only have to do twice as much work with twice the amount of pressure to find a solution/replacement for you when you leave because it wasn’t the right job. Also, if your recruiter is good at their job, they will generally care about your satisfaction and finding you the right role! It’s why we do our job! So if we are encouraging you to compromise on some of your wishlist – it isn’t because we are chasing the next $$, it is because we can truly see that you will be better off in the long run.
So what should you be willing to compromise?
Money
This is a biggie. We know. Ultimately, businesses won’t pay what they used to for talent. So if you are looking at changing roles, remember that you may have to be flexible with your salary. Almost every employment motivation survey taken shows that money is not the most important factor for workplace happiness and job satisfaction, so try to remember this, because at the end of the day, money isn’t everything.
If you are currently out of work and looking, just remember that when you say no to one role, only to be unemployed for another month, that month could be the difference in the pay you were looking for (and most companies will do a salary review after 12 months which is your chance to sell to your boss, why you are worth more money if you still want that pay increase).
As mentioned above, once you have been with a company for a year and proven that you are a valuable asset to the team, you have a much better case for a pay rise than you do after two or three interviews.
If money really cannot be compromised because of whatever reasons, but the role really is your dream job, look at alternative solutions. This could be the hours you work, maybe you offer to work longer hours, take on an extra job within the role, or even request a 9-day fortnight. There is often a solution to those who are flexible so work with your recruiter and the client to find a solution.
Hours
9am to 5pm doesn’t exist anymore in the workplace. Be it that you are contactable after hours, on email in the evening, or you start early. A willingness to be flexible with your hours to suit a business and your manager’s needs is so important in today’s job market.
Responsibility
When you have acquired a certain amount of experience and are used to a certain level of responsibility, it can be difficult to consider a role, which doesn’t offer the same level of responsibility. Be it more or less responsibility, be flexible on this aspect of a potential new job.
A job description is usually a organic, it evolves with the person in the role. So take that job if this is the only thing that is worrying you. Jump in head first and see how it goes. You may relish in having a little less responsibility and a little less stress in your job. You may find the challenge of that extra responsibility was just what you were looking for. You won’t know until you try and just like being flexible with taking the job, most businesses are flexible and you could workshop this with your manager at a later date when you have established a solid foundation and demonstrated your skills and your value to the business.
Location
Whilst travelling another 30 minutes every day might not be ideal, we encourage you to be willing to consider all options. With more and more businesses moving out of the CBD, the need for candidates who can travel a bit further is becoming more urgent. Which is great news in this competitive market. You’ve lost 50% of your competition just by being willing to travel to a location that they won’t consider. Your dream role, might just be sitting 3 more train stops away and you almost missed it!!
Career Progression
We are not saying don’t look for career progression in your next job. If that is what you want, then absolutely make sure you go for it! We’ll support you 100%!! But sometimes, a candidate won’t consider a role if the business is being honest in saying that they don’t offer career progression from that position. Always remember these things: The experience you gain in that role, could be the stepping stone you needed to launch your next move (internally or externally). A business may not have any opportunities at that time, but you never know what is around the corner and also once you are employed, you never know what networking opportunities you may have and what doors may open! Be flexible, if the other things are looking good – money, location, responsibilities – then perhaps this could be the right solution for you right now.
Finding the right job for your next career move can be a challenging and confusing time. Make sure you have a list of what the most important aspects of a job are and then work with that. Be flexible on some but not all of these. Your wish list should be just that, a wish list. You can wish for it all but if you can find a job that ticks 90%, then you are doing pretty well.
Never forget that a job is not static. It won’t stay the same forever (management, pay, team, even location and company names can all change) and so will your job. A willingness to be flexible not only opens many more doors for you as a candidate looking for a job, it also shows a potential new manager how much you want the job and that they can get the best out of you!