Who hires who?

That is a question that has baffled employers and job searchers for years. And will most likely continue to baffle people. Let me give you my thoughts on the answer.

You do. If you are the job searcher, then you are the one that gets to make the final decision. You get to decide if you want the job or not. Some people will disagree with me, so follow my logic with this.

You make the first, and the most important decision in the job hunt. You reach out to a company and ask them to consider you. Even if a headhunter or staffing agency reaches out to you, you make the first decision for the process to begin.

Because you have to make the first decision, you have to do your homework. I said this is the most important decision, and it is. If you have no interest in the company, don’t apply. If the company values aren’t your values, don’t apply. If the company deals with products or services you can’t support, don’t apply.

You only apply to companies you are serious about. It means you research what the company is about. You contact people in your network that can help you. You request an informational interview. You find out what you need to know before you send a resume or fill out an application. All of these steps are preliminary steps to make sure you are interested before you actually apply.

Once you make the decision to apply, then you do everything in your power to get an offer. Your resume matches the needs of the company. Your recommendations have the respect of the hiring manager. Your answers demonstrate your research and so do your questions. You leave them wanting to not interview anyone else because you are the person they want. This reflects the research you did to start.

When you have done what you should, you get the offer. That means you do even more research to determine if this is where you really want to be. You talk to more people. You read more about the company and the industry. You meet with your family, mentors and others you respect. You want to make sure this is where you want to commit to before you call them back and settle the offer.

Granted, there is always a trial period. The company will tell you it is for them to decide if they want to keep you. They already decided that before they hired you. This time is for you to decide if you want to stay working for them. No matter how much research you do, there is always something you did not know about that helps you decide if you want to stay. Don’t make this decision too fast. You want to give it some time. But you will make the decision.

If you do everything you should to start, then it becomes much easier make the final decision on your next job. Remember this, it is probably not your last job. There will be more, even after you retire these days. So do it right so the next one becomes even easier.