You’ve been applying and interviewing and finally you have a job offer.  But the job isn’t everything you had hoped.  Now you have to decide whether to take it or not.  Decisions are always difficult because we can never be certain what the future holds.  However, a good analysis of the situation can help us make good decisions.

Take a look at your situation and write out your answers to these four questions:

1. What will happen if I take the job?
2. What won’t happen if I take the job?
3. What will happen if I don’t take the job?
4. What won’t happen if I don’t take the job?

This is the Cartesian coordinate questioning technique and it will engage you in a deeper level of thinking than simple logic.  Use this technique for all your difficult decision-making and notice the difference it makes.

Note:  Have you ever considered working with a career coach to fast track your job search?  I currently have a few openings for one-on-one clients.  If you would like to learn more, click here to schedule a free consultation to discuss your needs and how coaching can help you achieve all your goals.

I was talking with a job seeker the other day who said she was told she didn’t get the job because they didn’t consider her a good cultural fit.  It’s true that more and more companies are placing less emphasis on experience and more emphasis on cultural fit. This is a huge plus for the job seeker because a company that is concerned about cultural fit is more likely to be concerned about their employees’ well-being and job satisfaction.  As a job seeker, you want job fit and cultural fit, so finding an employer with the same goals is ideal.

As you are researching companies to target in your job search, you want to identify their company culture to determine your fit.  A company’s culture is its personality.  It includes how people dress, how they interact during working hours and outside of work, the hours they work, the level of cooperation and/or competition among employees, and even how employees keep their office space.  The culture includes the company’s values, and it will affect how you do your work, your daily comfort level at work, and your career growth and opportunities.  When you focus your job search on companies that have the right cultural fit for you, you job search will be more productive and you will get greater satisfaction from your new position.

Attention:  Live in Overland Park, Kansas — Perfect-fit Workshops start April 19!  You don’t need to struggle in your job search anymore, let me guide you step-by-step to re-employment in record time.  My program is comprehensive, customized to your needs, and goes well beyond what any outplacement firm has to offer.  You will leave my workshops 100% prepared to take your job search to the next level and land your dream job.  Register now at http://www.occupationalzen.com/program-enrollment.html