If I ask my friends about their dating deal-breakers, I get a long, hilarious, and highly specific list. One friend won\u2019t date a guy if his car has a spoiler (and in case you\u2019re wondering, this friend is not 19, but 35). I have a guy friend who\u2019s ghosted on smart, cute, funny girls for what he felt was the gratuitous, non-ironic use of \u201cLOL\u201d in written communications. (As a thinking, feeling human being, I hate it. Yet as a writer, I get it.)<\/p>\n
But if I were to ask that same group of friends about their professional deal-breakers, they would give generic answers: the job must pay X dollars and offer benefits, give them the opportunity to work with people they enjoy, and not much beyond that.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, many of us believe that, when it comes to what we expect from our employers, we\u2019re there at their pleasure and convenience, and beyond a paycheck, we shouldn\u2019t be too picky. Not only is that a recipe for personal unhappiness, you\u2019re setting a prospective employer up for mediocrity: if you\u2019re burnt out, annoyed, or constantly watching the clock, you won\u2019t do your best work.<\/p>\n
The same way you inventory your talents and then polish them into talking points, you should articulate (at least, to yourself) the things that would make an employment opportunity a no-go. Think back to jobs you\u2019ve enjoyed, and also jobs you hated. Was there something specific that made it a slog? \u00a0Maybe the job itself was fine, but you just couldn\u2019t deal with the commute. Or you felt like you didn\u2019t have a life outside of work. Or there was an annoying cubemate who wore nauseating cologne every day.<\/p>\n
Below are common deal-breakers, as well as calculated yet diplomatic questions that will help you find out the truth, and look like an engaged, eager candidate, too.<\/p>\n
We all have different working styles: some of us enjoy sequestering ourselves in meeting rooms with a team, while others\u2014myself included\u2014would choose to work in a closet if it meant getting some privacy. And for many of us, this is really important.<\/p>\n
Solution<\/strong>: If workspace is a deal-breaker for you, make sure you\u2019re as observant as possible of the office layout. It at least merits a casual inquiry during the interview.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve worked at advertising agencies where everyone was out the door by 6 p.m., but I\u2019ve also freelanced at a few that were as busy at 9:00 p.m.as they were at 9:00 a.m. Working on a product launch or a pitch may mean late nights at the office and 6:00 a.m. conference calls with clients in another time zone. If you have pressing obligations outside your job (e.g., kids, schooling), this is something to ask about. Often businesses don\u2019t hire freelancers until the workload exceeds their full-time employees\u2019 ability to get it done, and this can factor into whether or not the job goes 9\u20135 or much, much later.<\/p>\n Solution<\/strong>: During the interview, ask questions like, \u201cWhy is this position available now?\u201d or \u201cWhat does work\/life balance look like here?\u201d Any reputable employer knows better than to ask if you are married or have a family, and while you shouldn\u2019t volunteer that information on a first interview, it\u2019s appropriate to ask if overtime is expected.<\/p>\n Most creative people don\u2019t dream about spending their days in meetings or working on spreadsheets. Yet that\u2019s the reality with most \u201ccorporate\u201d jobs \u2013 and that includes major or larger advertising agencies. True, there is usually a trade-off, and most of the time, it includes job security, prestige, a better paycheck, and high-caliber professional colleagues. Some people enjoy it, some people tolerate it\u2026and some people want a casual environment that enables them to spend six months out of the year surfing in Costa Rica.<\/p>\n Solution<\/strong>: Ask questions such as, \u201cWhat does a typical workday look like?\u201d or \u201cWhat is the ratio of actual creative\/production time versus meetings and administrative time?\u201d<\/p>\n Are you comfortable working with tight timelines, juggling multiple projects, and working with new coworkers on an almost-daily basis, or do you prefer more workday stability?<\/p>\n Solution<\/strong>: Ask those targeted questions about the typical workday, why the job is available, and even what qualities the winning candidate should bring to the table.<\/p>\n Much like a date lets you really get to know a potential bae, freelancing lets you take a job for a test spin. Even if you\u2019re interviewing for a full-time, direct-hire position, you can always ask to freelance for a few weeks. Finding and recruiting the right fit can be a long and expensive process, so employers want to make sure it\u2019s mutual infatuation.<\/p>\n Before you even start your job search, figure out your own deal-breakers. Remember, everyone wins when you\u2019re happy at your job, but you\u2019re the only person who knows what that looks like!<\/p>\n Lisa is a seasoned advertising copywriter who lives in Los Angeles. Her background includes both in-house and agency work on Fortune 500 and global accounts in the consumer and healthcare\/pharmaceutical fields. She excels at words, fashion, and cats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If I ask my friends about their dating deal-breakers, I get a long, hilarious, and highly specific list. One friend won\u2019t date a guy if his car has a spoiler (and in case you\u2019re wondering, this friend is not 19, but 35). I have a guy friend who\u2019s ghosted on smart, cute, funny girls for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":46947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life-as-a-freelancer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDeal-breaker #2: long, unpredictable hours<\/h4>\n
Deal-breaker #3: the corporate environment<\/h4>\n
Deal-breaker #4: never knowing what to expect<\/h4>\n
Freelancing Gives You the Real Story<\/h4>\n
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