“They dangled more money in front of me, so I accepted their offer. It was a huge raise.” Janelle, a corporate attorney, looked at me wistfully as she recounted her career journey. “But it didn’t take me long to realize the move was a huge mistake.”“I looked at my watch one day.”She obliged. “Well, at my old job, the pace was frantic. Our team of attorneys supported the entire organization. Things were always popping. We were moving from one call to the next, to the next.
But note where your passion lies. Do you get excited when talking about a favorite hobby? Your body easily reflects the difference between boredom and bustle. Does it seem like your goals and perspectives align less often with the organization’s goals and perspectives? They’re into short-term profit-taking, and you think it’s wiser to invest for the long term? They want to hire top talent at a premium salary, who can jump in and go to work from day one to bring in new business. You expect to develop talent internally. They love partnering with outside consultants on most technical projects. You consider inhouse expertise superior.