When do you change your job search criteria?
February 2nd, 2012When I started my job search, about 6 years and three weeks ago, I knew what I wanted:
- More than I was making in my last job (I had forgone three years of raises and salaries, and really felt I was underpaid (long story)).
- A short commute from my house. The commute I had just left was 30 minutes, which I didn’t like.
- To stay in my house. I didn’t want to uproot my family.
I’m sure I had other criteria, but those are the three that I am remembering right now. As the weeks went by, and my job search got more pathetic, my criteria changed.
I was okay to not have such a senior level title.
I was okay to commute into the city (yuck – I cringe as I write that!!).
I was started to look at jobs that would require me to move. And I figured if I would move outside of my town, I might as well look anywhere in the world.
What would I entertain? I was more excited about moving overseas and working in the high tech space. For example, I would have loved to work at TomTom… here is a link to some cool TomTom jobs. Doesn’t that look freaking awesome?
Honestly, if I found a job a couple of hours away from my house, I might as well move 20 hours away, right? A job at TomTom, working on that awesome technology, in another country, is exciting to me, even now 
What was on YOUR list of requirements when you first started your job search, and how has your list of requirements changed?
I was prepared to accept a job within one plane flight of home or four hours of driving. After 9 months of looking I was lucky enough to find a job with one of the few companies ready to hire older workers. I now work ten minutes from home and I am an HR manager for Home Depot.
A deal breaker for me has been I don’t want to move out of the area. My wife has a good solid job where she has been since….. January 1985.
Her parents live about 90-120 minutes from us. Mine less than 15 minutes. Commute – I have done 28 miles one way, did it for over 7 years. For the right job I would do it again, but it would have to be the right job.
Just got back from an interview with a small (~$5 million revenue) company – 20 minutes/22 miles mid to late morning. I imagine it would be 10+ minutes longer in order to make it by 8:00 am.
The salary is a lot less than what I was making but I would take it in a heartbeat. The title is lower but the responsibility is just as great, maybe more – that is the thing about working for a small company.
There is room for salary growth, but it will always be a fairly small company as the owner doesn’t (at this time) want to grow it to much beyond where it is now.