Don't turn down the new job before asking these questions by Joan Lloyd bizjournals.com

Dear Joan:

I have about nine years of work experience, and have mostly been doing work in Product Management/Marketing departments. I have found over my short career that analyzing numbers/finance is the area where I get most passionate about my job. Thus, I am looking to move into more of a Finance role. Thus, to land a new job will be a bit of a career change for me, which means I may need to make some sacrifices to land a new job and my future employer will need to have some patience, as my learning curve on the job may be longer than someone with a Finance background. I feel as though I am an intelligent person and can pick things up over time. Click here to find out more!

As background on me, I have a BS/MS in Engineering and my MBA from a top tier business school. Thus, I am quite familiar with Finance from an academic perspective.

Now, getting to my current situation, I have a job opportunity that sounds very interesting and could be an excellent fit given its mix of business/finance. It is within a finance group and my past experience can be leveraged, thus it serves as a great way to transition into more of a Finance role. However, I have strong concerns about my potential boss. He does not seem to be very personable and is looking for someone to come in right away and take over a particular function, so that he does not have to worry about it anymore.

Generally, I like the idea of leading a particular function. However, my sense (which has been confirmed with others internally to the company) is that this particular boss is one of the types that is really smart and knows it. Thus, he will likely not have patience for someone ramping up. I have found in my past jobs it generally takes me about 3 months to get fully settled in. Also, during the interview, he did all the talking, including talking over me at times. So, in my mind I am thinking, will this person ever listen to me?

I am really torn on what to do here. Here is what could be an ideal position for me, but I have serious reservations working for someone who may not be patient with someone learning (and thus asking many questions) and who also may think he's right all the time without considering input from others.

Another element of the situation is that I have spent 1-2 years in each of my past roles for various reasons, mainly the company has been under-funded, and moving for personal reasons. It is not my intention to stay at jobs for a short time and I am wary of doing it again in my next job. Thus, I don't feel like I have the luxury of trying the job and moving on after a year if I don't feel like its going well (or getting laid off due to bad fit with the boss).

I am hoping you can lend some perspective so that I can try to make this very tough, in my mind, life-changing decision.

Answer:

If you are already getting a bad feeling from this manager, I suggest you listen to your "little voice" and look for something else, but not before you take a few more steps.

It certainly does seem like a perfect fit from a work perspective. You can take your marketing and new product experience, along with your analytical skills and apply them in a financial company–what a perfect way to segue into a financial role.

Since you have learned some information from insiders–none of it positive–your sources are confirming your gut reaction to your potential boss. However, you are assuming he won't be patient with a newcomer. Three months is certainly not an excessive amount of time to settle into a new position. Why not test the water with him before making your final decision?

As a part of your interview process ask a few more questions:

* What specific results are you expecting in the first three months? Six? One year? How will you measure those results?
* To whom can I go for questions as I'm learning my responsibilities? How much time will you have to devote to getting me up to speed?
* Who are the strongest performers on the staff and would they be willing resources to help me with day-to-day questions and processes?
* What are the biggest problems that need resolution within the first six months? What has been done thus far? Who would I have to work with to settle these issues?
* Why have you gone to the outside to fill this position?
* May I meet some of the staff before making my final decision? That way we can make sure it's a good fit from all perspectives.

If you don't get answers that satisfy your concerns, pass this opportunity by and keep on looking. Your package of skills is highly marketable and many financial organizations would be interested in taking a close look at what you have to offer.

Similar Posts:

• Getting A Recommendation From A Past Employer
• Using LunchMeet to Advance Your Career
• Why The Workplace Office Is Becoming Arbitrary
• Staying Motivated at a Dead-End Job
• Top 5 Employment Trends for 2012