Everyone has a bottom line: an industry, position or company that they vow to never work in and avoid at all costs. No matter where your bottom line lies, the scary truth is that this troubled economy may leave you feeling as though you have little choice or options.
Your confidence is shaken, you begin questioning your qualifications, and before you know it, you find yourself in desperation, accepting a position in which you are overqualified, underpaid, overworked, unappreciated - and dressed as a hotdog. Okay, your situation might not be that extreme, but you still need to prepare for the possibility of professionally “backtracking.” Many less than desirable jobs have some redeeming qualities that could be useful in leveraging your way back up the ladder of success. The only problem is that you still have to interview for them.
How do you survive an interview for a position that doesn’t quite match up to your ideals? You may decide that settling for a job you don’t really want is hardly worth the energy used to muster the fake smile and enthusiasm, which is one way to survive it.
But if you find that the short straw is better than no straw, you’ll need to have a plan.
The first and most obvious task is to not let your potential employer on to the fact that you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel. This is where that fake smile and enthusiasm will come into play - you need to psych yourself up and find solid reasons, other than the fact that you’d like a paycheck, for seeking out the position. Make a list of those other pros - experience is generally a good place to start - and practice your delivery; after all, you need to be able to convince yourself before you’ll ever be able to convince any hiring authority.
Next, like any interview, research the company and convey your interest. The position may be a step (or several) below what you’re used to in terms of pay grade, prestige or even responsibility, but that doesn’t mean it can’t open up new doors.
Finally, you’ll need to answer for yourself, as well as the interviewer, where you see yourself future-wise. Again, this is true for any job seeking situation, dream job or not - employers want to know that they’re investing in your longevity. If there’s a possibility of growth within the company that could get you even inches closer to your ideal, you need to educate yourself on it and indicate your willingness to participate in the process, even if it means paying some dues first. But you won’t get a chance to pay any dues unless you appear genuine, and that’s tough to fake. Of course, you can’t know everything before an interview, and if you come across some red flags that you just could not handle, it’s important to trust your instincts and be upfront.
For example, I interviewed with a staffing agency for a strategic coordinator position serving a general clientele of financial institutions. The recruiter was vague about the responsibilities, but drew me in with the specs on salary, benefits and the fact that the position was temp-to-hire. At the interview, I discovered that the position entailed coordinating the repossession of automobiles on defaulted accounts. Even worse, the recruiter didn’t miss a beat telling me about how tow-truck drivers had been chased away with baseball bats and later refused to cooperate with these coordinators, a problem he claimed required more “creative” solutions.
As I knew my conscience would have a problem with coordinating anything that would take away a person’s transportation, and ability to work to pay off a loan, I thought it best to tell him. After all, there’s no bailout for being down on your luck and making stupid decisions with your money. Or is there?
