By Kathleen Furore
I recently spoke with a friend whose daughter has to decide between two job offers very soon. One is a very good position at a very reputable firm in the town she most wants to settle in – and she is very impressed by the supervisor and co-workers she would be working with. The other is a similar position at what is considered to be a more prestigious company – but it is in a different state, and she doesn’t know as much about the team she would be part of. How can she, or anyone in a similar situation, decide which is the best career move?
Lynn Whitbeck, author of “Practical Wisdoms @ Work” and CEO and founder of the women’s online career mentoring site petite2queen.com, thinks it all boils down to one thing: Happiness.
“Happiness breeds success, and happiness starts by surrounding oneself with a supportive network,” Whitbeck says. “With the information given, I would advise the young woman to take the job with the impressive boss, friendly co-workers and desired location. There are too many unknowns in the out-of-state job.”
Telling someone to do what makes them happy, of course, might sound simplistic – especially to the person in the middle of the stressful decision-making process. That’s why Whitbeck suggests using a relatively quick exercise called CLARITY to assess any career move:
C – Comfort level: How comfortable are you with taking a position with little information or knowledge of company culture?
L – Long-term goals: Visualize your career and where you want to be.
A – Adaptability: Assess how easily you respond to change at your workplace.
R – Recognize the opportunities: What can you learn at the selected job?
I – Identify your support network: What do you need for happiness, balance and fulfillment?
T – True costs: Not just cost of living, but impact to your lifestyle and emotional well-being.
Y – Why: Why does this career move match your values and passions?
And there’s one thing I always tell job seekers in the early stages of their careers to remember: Nothing is forever! If you take a job and end up not being as happy as you thought you would be, there will be other opportunities to pursue!
Kathleen Furore is a Chicago-based writer and editor who has covered personal finance and other business-related topics for a variety of trade and consumer publications. You can email her your career questions at kfurore@yahoo.com.
Employee Retention During the Great Resignation
From the start, make sure you teach new employees not only about the job, but also about the company culture and how they can contribute to and thrive in it.
Use this easy checklist to make sure your social media is employer-friendly
Your social profiles are an added resource that employers can reference when hiring and even serve as an extension to your resume.
12 Ways to Really Impress Your Boss
Believe it or not, there are plenty of ways to impress your boss without looking like a brown-nose in front of your co-workers (because nobody likes “that guy”).
Maintaining Your Charge – Work-Life Balance
Creating a healthy work-life balance is a real struggle for many HTM professionals, and a linear approach to balance won’t get you far in modern health care.
Alphabet Soup – Sorting HTM Certifications
Throughout my career, I’ve noticed that there are almost as many different perspectives on certifications as there are certifications.
So Why Biomed?
What considerations would lead someone to choose to become a healthcare technology management (HTM) professional?
How to Use TikTok During Job Search
I’ve written a lot about the important role LinkedIn can play in the career search. But recently, I’ve learned that TikTok is becoming a key part of that process.
Networking – Stepping Into Your Circle
If you are just starting out in the HTM field, you may feel obscure. Perhaps you think that you don’t have much to offer. That’s ok. The more people you interact with in this industry, the easier it will be to find your fit.
Why Mentorship is Important
Mentorships always have been an important aspect of getting a foot in the door and climbing the career ladder. But many people from underserved communities don’t have the connections often needed to find someone to help them along.
Internships
Finding the right internship can be a challenging part of getting started in any business, and healthcare technology management (HTM) is no exception.
