Q: Hi there!
I'm a fresh graduate and I would like to seek your advice in the situation that I'm currently facing.
I have been looking for a job for several months now. During this process, I realized that it is difficult to find a reputable company that has a job opening for the field that I would like to pursue. Recently, I got a job offer from a good company. However, the position that they are giving me is a contractual position (3 months) and is not related to the field I'd like to pursue. My family told me that I should accept the offer so that I could have the work experience and at the same time be productive while I'm still looking for my dream job.
My problem is I have pending applications which are still on the initial step but do have the positions that I really like to pursue. I talked to the HR of the company that is hiring me and told her that since there is no assurance that they could give me a regular position in the future, if a better offer is given to me while I'm still in their company, I might consider it. I also informed her about the companies where I have pending applications. She told me that this is fine with them as long as I stay in their company for at least one month. They still offered me the position. I have already gone through the medical exam but haven’t signed any contract.
- Did I make the right decision? Can a first job that is not directly related to the field that I'd like to pursue help me in the future?
- If I should be invited for an interview in one of my pending applications during my first or second week in the company, should I entertain it? Is it ok to go to these interviews even if I have just started in the company?
- Would I make a negative impression on the companies where I have pending applications, if I tell them during the interview that I'm willing to accept their offer even if I just started with my present company?
Thanks.
Marian
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Dear Marian,
Your current job, which is unrelated to your position, could be a stepping stone to the job you want. The job you want might be in the company you are applying for. Problems usually arise when a person moves from one contractual job to another and when those contractual jobs are unrelated to what you want to do. You did not mention what your contractual job would be, but you could use the time to:
- Learn the business;
- Learn practical office skills like answering the phone, preparing letters, preparing reports;
- Learn how to handle different kinds of officemates and customers;
- Learn how to organize your time and your work; and
- Build relationships.
The corporate world is very small and you will meet the same people later on as colleagues, clients, bosses, customers, and perhaps, as friends.
Do continue your search. Your first job does not have to decide what your career in the next four decades would be.
Go to your job interviews, but be discreet about it. Take a leave or try to schedule the iinterview during lunch hour, after-work hours if possible, or first thing in the morning. If not, make sure you have finished your work before telling your supervisor that you might be late the next day. You still are, after all, being paid to finish your work.
Your interviewers will no doubt ask you why you are planning on leaving a company you just started with. Just be authentic about it. Interviewers are no fools. They’ve heard everything, and the truth is usually very refreshing to hear. Tell them also that yours is a three-month contractual job with no promise of being hired, trained, developed or promoted.
You have so much more to offer, if given the chance, right?
Always, |
