Rush to judgment is not something that belongs in a job search
➔ How often have you heard people turn down an interview or pass on a networking event because they are “not interested.”
True. Maybe you don’t want that job. Maybe you don’t want to work for that company. That’s all well and good. Just as important as knowing what you want, it’s equally as beneficial to know what you don’t want.
It makes a difference
But maybe you should consider going on that interview even though you know up front that you’re not interested. Why? Well for one thing, you might be surprised.
Maybe after you learn more about the company or the position, you might change your mind and become interested. Or, maybe during the course of your conversation, you learn something about another opening at that company or another company that has more appeal for you. Or, maybe they make you an offer you can’t refuse. Don’t scoff. It’s happened before.
Or, you might approach that interview as practice, as a training ground to prepare you for an interview for your ideal job. This could be an opportunity for you to experiment with a question, or an answer to a question. Be sure to pay close attention to how the interviewer responds.
Or, you might be exposed to an interview question that you weren’t quite prepared for… and, with this experience, you’ll be ready for it when it’s actually asked during an interview where you’re genuinely interested.
The same idea can be applied to networking events. Why go if the attendees aren’t the right people for you? Why go if you don’t think that you’ll meet anyone new? Why indeed.
You may have heard the networking admonition: “It’s not who you know, but who it’s the people who you know, know.” The person you know may not be able to help you, but there might be someone who they know who could help. Or, this might be an opportunity to meet someone new or to learn something new from people that you already know.
On the surface these kinds of encounters may not appear very promising. But, if you approach them with the idea of learning something new, or meeting someone new, they can be opportunities too good to pass up.