Am I being too picky in my job search?

[Double J]

Since November, I've been on a quest to find that perfect - or almost perfect - first full-time job. I graduated in December.

 

The first offer I turned down because I wanted to test out the market more and didn't feel comfortable committing to something so soon. I believe I was offered the opportunity in late November, but I got flooded with calls and e-mails from other companies in early December. This made me want to further explore what else was out there.

 

In addition, the starting pay seemed a bit low, and on top of that, my girlfriend's brother happened to work at the company. I don't have anything against him (we both get along), but it didn't feel right working in the same company as a relative/friend/acquaintance who just happened to handle payroll. Whether good or bad, it came to my attention that he'd often talk to my would-be supervisor about me, which made me feel some level of discomfort. If for whatever reason my relationship with my girlfriend went awry, it would definitely create aftershocks in the workplace with her brother, and I just wanted to avoid this.

 

The second offer was a great one. It was only for 1k more than the first offer, but it seemed like a great opportunity. Just before signing the offer, I decided to ask if any travel was required. Alas, they neglected to inform me during the THREE interviews I had with the company that I'd have to travel out of the country practically once every month and a half. For someone entry level like myself, and for that salary, I just didn't think it was worth it. I also felt it was inconsiderate of them not to tell me anything ahead of time. I probably wouldn't have applied in the first place had I known about the travel. It would have saved both parties a lot of wasted time and effort.

 

The aforementioned offers dealt with jobs related to my major whereas the most recent offers have not. I recently got an offer from a company that turned out to be a place where my sister worked many years ago. My sister advised against accepting the offer; she said the head hancho there is one of the most toxic people you'd ever come accross.

 

Before making a decision on that job, another company that had recently turned me down for a non-profit job informed me that the position was once again open. The person they offered it to originally, who would have had to relocate for the position, accepted it but then reneged on the agreement. I was happy to accept it, as I had worked really hard to get it and originally finished runner-up. (The pay was also good.)

 

Just one week after starting, I resigned. Long story short, the job didn't have anything to do with Marketing like they had told me, and it did have to do with stuff they never told me about in advance - such as budgeting and other responsibilities I didn't care for. Needless to say, this was a very non-creative, technical type of job. After 4 days I was bored to tears, having to work in an office that had no air-conditioner. It was also a female-dominated environment (22 girls, one guy), which is something I don't think I would have ever gotten accustomed to.

 

Following these experiences, I've learned a lot about the job world, even as this is my first full-time job hunt. I'm seeing that more and more companies don't want to provide a job description so that they can pin you with other responsibilities and make you wear different hats.

 

From now on, I know that I'll have to find jobs that only relate to what I'm truly interested in (Marketing) and don't require a ridiculous amount of travel. I'll be sure to demand a detailed job description from here on out. My job search began in the thick of the holiday season and I've still managed to get 4 offers since then, which isn't all that bad.

 

I think job-hunting should be easier now since there won't be any holiday breaks for a while.

 

But the question remains - Am I being too picky, or am I right to be so conscientious about the job I want and accept? Maybe I'm this way since I'm seeking my first full-time job, but I also realize people spend the majority of their lives working. If something doesn't feel right about a job I think one should think twice before accepting it.

 

Any replies welcome. Thanks.

[soul_soother]

I believe it is a horrible idea to apply places and then turn people

down. However I don't believe you should jump around from

job to job I believe that is a worst record then not taking them.

 

My friends always bickered at me because I wanted a good

first car.. My 2 best friends were buying cars at the same

time.. We all had 2500 to spend and they both picked up

cars quick 1996 F-150 (spent $3000 fixing) , 2001 Kia (2000

fixing and still more problems!) , and I bought a 1999 Ford

Escort ZX2 but it took a good 2 months longer to get, but

I've had no problems.. The only money I've spent is buying

winter tires..

 

So besides that stupid talk it's not always bad to be picky

as long as your not too picky.

[judyness]

You do need to gain some experience though.

[Thornbirds18]

I think that it's OK for you to be a little bit picky if you're still young with a good job outlook. You don't want to stuck in a job that you don't like...Also before you accept the offer you might want to make sure that the work responsibilities are relevant to your interests.

 

However nowadays changing career is very common so even if you're in a job that you don't like you can get out pretty easy, while at the same time your old job will become your asset as working experience. So you might not want to be too picky though.

[Gath]

 

But the question remains - Am I being too picky, or am I right to be so conscientious about the job I want and accept? Maybe I'm this way since I'm seeking my first full-time job, but I also realize people spend the majority of their lives working. If something doesn't feel right about a job I think one should think twice before accepting it.

 

Any replies welcome. Thanks.

 

Yes and no. Yes you're being too picky in that you quit that job too fast. My first month with my current company had me ready to quit, but i stuck it out and everything turned aroudn and picked up. They'd had me doing some rather gruntish work because that office had high turnover and they wanted to know if someone was going to stick around before they trusted them.

 

However, I think you're not being too picky in that you should definetly always be looking for a better oppurtunity. There's no reason you can't work at one place for six months while you're looking for another job. And just about anything looks better on a resume than nothing.

 

My advice to all my friends and relatives when they've graduated was to set a price point for a job, and take the first one that offered that point. Then continue to look for a better one while they were aclimating to that job. Some jobs really change after a short time once they feel you're trained and part of the team, others don't. But its a lot easier to look for a new job when you're getting a steady paycheck from a different one and not having to worry about paying your bills.

[Shiranai]

I share Gath's opinion. I've been thinking about your post for a day now and couldn't phrase what I wanted to say.

 

I do think you quit too fast.

 

My current position had virtually nothing for me to do for six months. The first month I was bored out of my mind to the point where I brought novels to read after finishing reading link removed, link removed, link removed, link removed, and local news.

 

Now I'm so busy I hardly have time to go on break or go to lunch, but I am having a great time at work.

 

Not all jobs are fun immediately, and you do need some experience.