Before getting married, a friend advised, “Before you say yes, your eyes should be wide open. After you say yes, they should be half shut”. This wisdom can also be applied to the job search. Most people aren’t going to commit their entire life to the same company. However, doing thorough research before you say “yes” to a job offer is always good practice… especially if the job is a “newly created role”.
There are challenges for the job searcher who accepts this type of position, and there are opportunities as well. Here are five things to consider before accepting an offer of this nature.
Career Stage
A newly created role can be a good fit if you are entry-level, early career, or re-entering the workforce after a break. What experience are you looking to gain? Are there opportunities to grow within the organization? “New role” employees whom I interviewed for this article shared that flexibility and freedom to try different things are two benefits with this type of arrangement. As well, you might have more influence in the role as opposed to an existing entry-level job.
Position Description
These roles tend to be loosely defined so make sure your “eyes are wide open” when discussing the position during interviews. One new hire liked that she was involved in molding the position during the hiring and onboarding process. Another employee shared that her position didn’t consist of 40 hours of work, so she had to constantly ask for additional projects and tasks. Ask employers what your average day will look like. Ask if you can offer input about the job responsibilities.
Visibility
With working remote and hybrid becoming still quite common for some organizations, visibility is key. One employee expressed frustration because her co-workers didn’t understand her new role and responsibilities. Ask potential employers how your role will be communicated to others. Will there be an announcement sent out via e-mail or on social media? Will there be meetings? Can you reach out to others individually?
Evaluation & Compensation
These are always good questions to ask regardless of the position which you are interviewing. How will this role be evaluated? Are there goals or quotas? Will your compensation be tied to your performance? Early in my career, I accepted a new role where my compensation was partially created by taking a percentage of commission away from the three employees that I was hired to support. Consequently, this was not well received, and the position was terminated after seven months.
Communication
This is probably one of the most important aspects to consider when accepting a newly created role. How will you communicate with your new manager? Will there be weekly touch bases? Keep a list of questions (that aren’t time sensitive) to maximize you’re your time with your boss. Having an open line of communication with your direct report is crucial since the scope of this position will most likely change over time. You may end up getting delegated tasks that weren’t originally agreed upon. Who else can you go to for support? As one employee candidly said, “you need to know who you can ask the dumb questions, so that you don’t always have to go to your boss”.
If you need objective feedback about your target roles or help with the interviewing process, schedule some time here to see how we can work together to reach your career goals: