Mood swings: the ups and downs of moving jobs
pharmafile | July 23, 2007 | Feature | Business Services |Â Â career, planning, recruitmentÂ
How many times do you come across that old cliche about an emotional rollercoaster? It seems to be applied to just about anything. The trouble is, cliche or not, the expression is perfect for people in the market for a new job. Attending interviews, persuading the family it's a good idea, waiting for news, placating your soon-to-be ex-boss, dealing with jealous colleagues, remembering why you need to make a career move now with all the emotional ups and downs involved, it's a wonder anybody ever changes employer.
But if you have started the process, then underneath all the twists and turns is whatever motivated you to take the first step initially, and it won't just be your emotions that go up and down. Changing jobs can take as long as 12 months, and keeping yourself motivated for that long can be taxing – yes, you've guessed it, you're on the motivation rollercoaster as well.
A rollercoaster ride
What is the motivation rollercoaster exactly? You've probably started your job hunt full of enthusiasm – the time is right to make a move and there are plenty of exciting jobs out there waiting for you. Your motivation is high. A few weeks down the line, you hear about your first interview and your motivation goes even higher. Then you have to discuss the potential move with your family. They raise objections about moving house and changing schools and your motivation takes a tumble.
The question 'am I doing the right thing?' can trip up even the most determined job-seeker. Then the second interview comes around and your motivation starts to pick up again – you're starting to get the picture. In fact, put it all into a chart of how events along the job-change process might raise or lower your motivation level and you come up with something like the diagram (below).
Salesmen have an expression the buying line, and as long as they can keep their prospect at or above the buying line, theyll make a sale. We've borrowed that in HR and recruitment and re-christened it the line of white heat.
As long as your motivation stays above the line of white heat, you'll make the change, but if your motivation stays below that line for too long, you'll probably decide moving jobs is not such a good idea after all. And there is plenty of time during what can be a lengthy process for events to demotivate you. Clearly your motivation is not just an internal thing, it responds to all sorts of outside signals, and these can be managed by yourself and those journeying with you towards that new job.
Your place in the recruitment triangle
For the committed professional, changing jobs generally involves three parties yourself, the prospective employer and your recruiter. All three players in this triangle can help smooth out the bumps on the motivation rollercoaster.
Simply understanding that there will be moments of doubt during the process can go a long way towards helping you deal with those awkward times. Keep the motivation rollercoaster diagram in mind and remember where you started i.e. highly motivated and ready for change. Accept that you will probably dip below the line of white heat at times, but that the next phase could mark an up-turn. Above all, don't forget that there are many phases to go through and making such a big change in your life will inevitably take time. Be patient, with the process and with yourself.
The recruiters role
There's a lot to be said for having an understanding third party or advocate guiding you through the process and managing the relationship with your future employer. It is often easier for a recruiter to ask the employer things on your behalf, particularly between the first and second interview, and especially if the question is a bit of a hot potato. The recruiter should create a partnership with you and your prospective employer that helps all of you learn more about each other and become better prepared for when you start your new job.
A good recruiter will understand about the motivation rollercoaster, will understand you and will recognise the hotspots where you might need support. They will also know how different personality types respond under trying circumstances and make sure that you have all the information you need at each stage of the process to keep you motivated. In fact, managing the information flow between you and your potential employer can mean the difference between success and failure.
Above all, the recruiter will be able to keep things in perspective. Changing jobs can take a long time – perhaps up to a year if the right job doesn't come up quickly or if you have to work a long notice period. To give you an idea of what's involved, at DOCS we have divided the entire job-change process into a series of 35 steps, from first meeting to that signature and the congratulatory handshake.
Sometimes things can happen quickly, but more often than not there are periods where nothing seems to be happening at all. When things start to slow down, we can identify the point in the process and know exactly what is needed to either get things moving again, or to make sure that everyone involved understands the reasons for the delay.
And it could be something very simple – perhaps a key person is on holiday – but if you don't know this, you might think that your prospective employer has lost interest and so you should start to look elsewhere, or even give up altogether.
The importance of preparation
The recruiter can also keep you motivated in how they prepare you for each step. The main stages are obviously the interviews, and there are three types of interview, screening, selection and competency. Your recruiter should know how your prospective employer approaches these; for example, whether or not they conduct psychometric testing, or if the screening interview is likely to last 20 minutes or 2 hours.
They should also be able to give you an idea of how many interviews to expect at each stage, if it's a single one-to-one interview, or if you will be meeting several people either together or consecutively. This type of information motivates you by boosting your confidence, and also helps your prospective employer because a well-prepared candidate makes the interviewing process easier.
After the interviews, another way your recruiter will help keep your motivation up is through feedback. They will debrief the employer and then debrief you. Knowing how the interview went will set you up for the next round, and give you constructive help on how to do better if there were areas that didn't go so well.
Critically, a good recruiter will also be able to tell you when to stop. Their understanding of your skills and competencies should be matched by an in-depth knowledge of the market for your type of position. This will enable them to spot when a possible role is not a good fit, and save both you and the prospective employer a lot of time and effort.
During the latter stages of a job change, you might also find things get difficult with your current employer, and sometimes your recruiter can help by giving you tips on how to deal with the awkwardness, or just by being a sympathetic listener.
First impressions
Your prospective employer will also be working to keep you motivated before you join their company, particularly in a candidate-driven market like the one we're experiencing at the moment.
"Identifying, recruiting and retaining good staff in clinical research and medical affairs is very difficult," points out Dr David Gillen, UK Medical Director at Pfizer. "It's important that, when we find someone we want, we make every effort to ensure their transition is successful."
First impressions count, and communication is the starting point. "The increased use of websites and IT recruitment systems to streamline the recruitment process can make candidates feel detached and distanced from the company," says Ted Smith, HR Director at Vernalis.
"Employers need to treat everyone as a unique individual who may need support and encouragement throughout the hiring process. This starts with contact from a member of the team who may also end up being a colleague in the future. Information travels very fast via the internet, so any potential applicant should be treated respectfully and courteously, an anonymous and automatic email reply is not always the best approach, even if it is faster. We recognise that a candidate's impression of the company starts before the first interview," agrees Dr Jim Golby, HR Manager at Merck Serono UK. "The greeting they get from reception and their initial observations of people coming and going is a key part of their first experience with us."
The interview process
"Good job interviews are not about interrogation. We know that the first interview should be a two-way process," Golby says. "Yes, the candidate is there to sell themselves, but it is critical that we also take the opportunity to sell the company, the specific role and the working culture during this first stage. We always discuss the long and ongoing success of the company, the achievements and accolades it has received, the strength of our product pipeline and our focus towards delivering the very best we can for patients."
Hearing about the company's success is just one of the things you'll want to know, but what it's like to actually work there is also going to be a big part of your decision.
"We like interviewees to gain an immediate insight into the enthusiasm, passion and commitment of our staff through the interactions they have during the interview process," Golby says. "We also point to third-party evidence, such as the high rankings achieved by the company in independent Best Workplace and Best Employer surveys, and our recent rating as having a corporate culture twice as strong as the average pharmaceutical company."
Most importantly for Golby – and potential new colleagues – is that these accolades are based on anonymous staff feedback.
Prospective employers understand how the length of the process might put you off, and will make efforts to keep you up-to-date with how things are progressing. They should also provide additional information in the slow periods.
Golb says: "In the very unusual situation when the recruitment process does slow down, perhaps during a holiday period, we will frequently begin an e-mail or telephone dialogue with the candidate to keep them informed and answer any questions while we are arranging the next step. This helps us to establish an informal and personal dialogue and generate a feeling of approachability and, of course, demonstrate our interest in them as a potential colleague."
This tactic can be very helpful at keeping you positive and enthusiastic about the next stage. "It is inevitable that any candidate will naturally perceive that their experiences during the recruitment process will be a snapshot of the future," adds Golby. Opening a dialogue can give you an understanding of how the new company will value your input, and also help you to find out more about potential future colleagues before making your final decision.
Maintaining the loop
It is even more important for the dialogue to be sustained once you've taken the plunge.
"A good organisation should recognise that as soon as someone accepts an offer they are, from their point of view, part of the team," Gillen says. "Therefore, it is crucial that contact between the new company and the new recruit should be made on a regular basis to keep them up-to-date with any changes or developments before they come on board."
According to Gillen, the contact can take a variety of forms. "Snippets of news, articles, notification of future social events and dialogue with relevant managers can help the individual feel a valued and important part of the team and therefore more enthusiastic about starting with you."
It's no surprise, then, that the fundamental rule for keeping you motivated in your transition to a new job is good communication from everyone involved.
Ask questions, expect feedback, and keep your eye on the prize. Above all, remember that everything might not go perfectly smoothly and be ready to hang on tight when the bends get a bit sharp.
Tarquin Bennett-Coles is the UK Business Director for Clinical and Medical, DOCS International.
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