When You Need the Job Too Much
There is an uncomfortable paradox as an HR executive seeking a new career role. The longer you are unemployed, the more you need a job. But the more you need a particular job, the harder it can become to make a good decision about whether you actually want it.
At some point, the question changes from “is this the right opportunity for me?” to “what do I need to say to get this job?” That's a dangerous transition.
Need and want are different
If you've been unemployed for three, six, nine months or more, financial pressure is real. Mortgages still need paying. School fees still arrive. Family commitments don't disappear because your employment has. So this isn't an article telling people to be unrealistic. But there is an important distinction between: “I need another job” and “I need this job.”
The first is understandable. The second can cause you to overlook things you would never have accepted while employed.
Suddenly everything looks attractive
When you first start your search, you probably have a clear target. “I want a CHRO role.” “I want an international organization.” “I want a business going through transformation.” “I want to work for a CEO who values HR.”
Six months later: “I'm open to VP roles.”
Then: “I'd consider Senior Manager or Director roles.”
Then: “I'd consider consulting.”
Then: “I'm really open to anything.”
Again, flexibility isn't necessarily bad. But if your criteria change every time you receive another rejection, you're no longer making a strategic career decision. You're reacting to anxiety.
The interview becomes an audition
This is particularly dangerous for senior HR professionals.
You're supposed to be the person who challenges the CEO. You're supposed to ask difficult questions. You're supposed to identify organizational risks. You're supposed to tell the truth when it's uncomfortable. Yet if you're desperate for the job, you may spend the interview trying to prove how agreeable you are.
The CEO says: “We're looking for someone who can move extremely quickly.” You say: “Absolutely.”
They say: “We're not really interested in employee engagement.” You say: “That's fine.”
They say: “The previous CHRO was too strategic.” You say: “I'm very hands-on.”
They say: “This role requires significant travel.” You say: “No problem.”
And suddenly you've agreed to become someone you're not.
What happens after you get the job?
This is the question worth asking. If you tell an interviewer you are comfortable with 70% travel when you aren't, what happens six months later? If you say you're happy working in a highly political culture when you know you aren't, what happens? If you accept compensation you consider unsustainable, how long before resentment develops? If you tell the CEO that you agree with their approach to people when you actually have serious concerns, what happens when they expect you to challenge them?
You may win the job. But you may lose the role.
The best HR leaders challenge
A CEO doesn't need a CHRO who agrees with everything they want to do. They need someone who can say: “I understand why you want to do that. Here's the risk I see.”
That requires independence. And independence becomes difficult if you have spent the interview demonstrating that you will accept anything.
Ask yourself a difficult question
Before accepting an offer, ask: “If I were still employed, would I take this job?”
If the answer is no, ask why. Perhaps your priorities have genuinely changed and that's fine. But if the answer is no because you're exhausted, frightened or financially pressured, recognize that. You don't have to reject the job. But you should understand the decision you're making.
Don't confuse an offer with a solution
Getting an offer can feel like relief. After months of rejection, someone has finally said yes. You want to celebrate. And you should. But an offer is not necessarily a solution.
The right question is not: “Did someone want me?” It's: “Is this organization somewhere I can succeed?” And those are very different questions.
Do your own due diligence
Ask questions. What happened to the previous HR leader? Why is the role vacant? What does the CEO expect from HR? What does the board expect? What are the organization's biggest people challenges? What authority will you actually have? How is success measured? What is the turnover at executive level? What is the relationship between the CEO and board? What are the CEO’s own career plans? What happened to the last three people in the role? The answers may tell you more than the job description.
Your unemployment should not remove your standards
It is perfectly reasonable to want a job. It is perfectly reasonable to want financial security. It is perfectly reasonable to want the search to end. But don't allow the end of the search to become more important than the quality of the decision.
You have spent years developing your professional judgement. Don't abandon it because you're temporarily unemployed.
The strongest candidates still interview the employer
This is one of the characteristics I notice in strong senior candidates.
They are interested. They are enthusiastic. But they are also evaluating. They ask difficult questions. They challenge assumptions. They want to understand the business. They want to understand the CEO. They want to know why the position exists.
They're not arrogant. They're simply recognizing that the relationship has to work both ways. That's exactly what you would want from a senior HR leader.
Finally
If you're unemployed, you may need a job. But don't let that convince you that you need any job.
The objective isn't simply to end your unemployment. It's to find somewhere where your experience, judgement and leadership can actually create value. Because the worst outcome isn't remaining unemployed for another few months.
The worst outcome is accepting the wrong job because you couldn't afford to say no—and finding yourself back in the market again six months later.
About the Author
Tracey Thompson is well regarded within the industry for her ability to source and engage high performance HR talent. Over many years she has built a well deserved reputation for her uncanny ability to access proverbial “purple squirrel” HR specialists and as a result, is looked to as a global sourcing subject matter expert.