One question a job seeker should always do homework on is the question or group of questions that uncover the reason a position is open. In the realm of Information Security or Cyber Security, many Cyber Security jobs are new positions that have never existed before. If you’re interviewing for one of these positions, find out what business drivers are sitting behind the new position in order to determine what kind of business support is being given to Cyber Security in that particular company. This might turn out to be a great career move.
If you find yourself interviewing for a position where someone has moved on, this can be a more complicated situation. Sometimes this is a good situation and sometimes it can lead to a career train wreck for the next employee.
Some people move on because they have truly found a growth opportunity that surpasses the growth possible in their current role. Other people move on and leave positions open because they desire to end a relationship with a questionable boss.
If you find out that someone left a position for anything other than better opportunity, do your homework and proceed cautiously. If a position is open because the hiring authority trying to fill the position is not a particularly good boss, be cautious.
Unless the previously questionable boss saw the light when he or she lost staff and took action to improve the personal behavior that caused the previous employee or employees to leave, odds are very high that nothing will change with the questionable boss when you take the job. The questionable boss will continue to be a questionable boss.
Behavioral change is one of the most difficult efforts for a human being to undertake. It takes courage and commitment to address behavioral change. If you determine that someone left a position recently because they faced challenges with a questionable boss, the questionable boss will not be any different in the weeks to come when a new employee takes on the open position.
On the outside, the questionable boss might appear to be less stressed for a time when their open positions have been filled but they're the same person on the inside. It will only be a matter of time before the questionable boss begins to behave from their default mode that was briefly masked upon the arrival of the new employees.
Human beings can always improve but it takes significant effort, commitment and courage to improve one’s behavior. If you find a prospective boss who is investing in their future to become a better boss, this is the kind of person whose team you might want to join.
Do your homework and don’t become a victim of a questionable boss.
Jeff Snyder’s Coaching Blog, JeffSnyderCoaching.com, 719.686.8810
