Pattie Lovett-Reid

Chief Financial Commentator, CTV

Follow|Archive

You might not even be looking for a job, but that doesn't mean a job won't be presented to you when you least expect it. The challenge is: How do you know if this is the right opportunity for you?

There are four key considerations to make:

1) Ideally, the more you find out about a potential job, the more excited you get about the work, the role within the organization and the mandate you will charged with. Does the excitement build the closer you come to the decision point? Emotional momentum is key, and it has to build on an upward trajectory as you get closer and closer to the decision.

2) Will the new position play to your strengths and passions? If it doesn't, at best you will be average and never great.

3) People tend to underestimate the importance of chemistry. If the fit is good and the chemistry is strong with the people you are going to work with, the odds of success increase dramatically. Trust has to be established and the higher up you are in an organization, the more critical this alignment is.

4) Don't make a bad economic decision. Eighty-five per cent of the time, moving to a new opportunity should mean you are advancing your compensation forward. However, there are two reasons you may want to take a pay cut: You want to make a career change, or you are in a really bad situation and it is affecting your health.

It is very flattering to have a company express an interest in you. Go through the interview process and find out what you can about the company, the people and the position. Once you are presented with an offer, evaluate whether the position is right for you. If it isn’t, that’s okay. You have earned the right to say no.

February is Your Money Month at BNN Bloomberg. For more content like this, visit BNNBloomberg.ca/personal-finance