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Avoid double job search paralysisBy Peter Gray
If one of you is the main breadwinner, the decision is fairly straightforward. Your job search takes priority before the move, and your partner can be the "trailing spouse" who looks for work after the move. But it's more complicated for power couples with two fast-track careers, when neither partner wants to make a professional compromise. More than one Madison-bound couple has said to me, in effect, "We both need to have the right job. So we won't move to Madison until we've both found it." Unfortunately, that's a recipe for paralysis. That approach does not work for two reasons, which I call the timing problem and the selection problem. First, the timing problem: the job hunt can take time. The search for job leads and each interview process can take weeks or even months, with the timing and outcome unpredictable and beyond your control. Then when a job offer comes after those weeks or months of pursuit, the employer is looking for an immediate answer. You can typically stall your acceptance for a few days, but employers often see a delay of a week or more as fatal uncertainty. In this kind of timeline, it's not practical to make your decision to accept or decline your job offer contingent on your partner's having a great job offer in hand too. The odds are against the two of you both getting job offers with decision windows that line up at the same time. One of you is almost certain to get an offer while the other is still looking. Second, the selection problem: needing two jobs actually decreases your odds, as a couple, of getting one offer. Employers prefer their job offers to be accepted immediately and enthusiastically. They definitely don't like having their job offers turned down. Before extending an offer, they weigh the odds that you'll accept, especially if you're an out-of-town candidate requiring relocation. They generally won't make the offer unless they're pretty sure you'll say yes. So if you can't accept a job until your partner has found a job too, it adds a wild-card factor to your candidacy that will give employers cold feet. Even if your qualifications make you the best person for the job, an employer who questions your commitment is more likely to offer the job to someone they know will snap it up. There is a sensible way to avoid these timing and selection problems: you and your partner need to agree in advance that you will relocate when just one of you finds the right job. And you both need to tell employers that in your interviews, so they will know you are committed to moving with no wild-card spousal factors that would cause you to waffle over an offer. That means that one of you will have to move before finding your new job. That's not an easy leap of faith to commit to, but it's the best way to get past double job search paralysis. As a silver lining, maybe it can motivate both of you to pursue your job searches aggressively, out of competitive desire to land your new job first and be the career anchor spouse, not the trailing spouse. Another smart tactic during the dual job search is for both partners to explore the options for a post-move telecommuting arrangement with your current employers. Long-distance telecommuting may be challenging, but it can also be a helpful stopgap arrangement while one of you looks for a new job after the move. Peter Gray is the head of executive recruiting at QTI Professional Staffing in Madison. peterg@qstaff.com madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
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