Darrin Grella – Interview Guru

How does someone know if the position they are about to accept is the right position for them?

After my years of listening to thousands of individuals about why they want to change positions and only a few short months later, hundreds of those same people express their disgust, I have noticed there seems to be some commonalities.  For the most part, people look at work as just that, work.  Let’s dive into this a little:

1. PERSPECTIVE: Do we view work as work? Do we view the thing we do as a job or as an opportunity?  Yes rhetorical questions however I’d something for sure to think about.  Also wrapped up in that perspective is why you took the position.  Many people today are accepting a position just to get paid.  Extremely valid reason.  We need to do what it takes to find steady pay.  While money is an obvious perspective to accept a position, it is proven NOT to be a thirst quencher and make one happy.  In a study by the Herman Group they found that money is the last reason why people change employment.  However, it tends to be the first in accepting a position if one is unemployed.
2. FORMULA: A friend of mine, marketing executive for Goodyear Tires, shared with me a pretty intuitive formula that is completely relevant to determining our long term success in a position.

(K+A)*M = Effect/Result

(Knowledge + Ability)*Motivation = Effect/Results or effective results.  Run the new opportunity through this formula.  Are the skills required and responsibilities of this position in line with my Knowledge?  How about my Ability to do the tasks and duties to complete this position with excellence?  Multiplied by the amount of motivation to do the position will determine the “effective result” or how impactful you can be.  If you have to take a position outside of your skill set, say delivering pizza.  As a professional, knowledge to do it, yeah maybe, ability? sure you can drive multiplied by motivation, absolutely not motivated to do it will equal you not being satisfied with your effect and as a result, you will quit as soon as something better comes available.