To Settle or to Continue Searching? That is the Question…!

A friend of mine just recently received a job offer from a well-known company based here in London. Whilst the role isn’t what she was initially after and the industry was outside of her area of interest and degree, she accepted the offer. My initial reaction to hearing about her new position should have been,

“Congratulations! Let’s celebrate this weekend!”

But instead was replaced by,

“wait, hang on, that’s not what you are interested in or at all what you want to do?”

Not a very supportive reaction coming from a friend. After about five months of searching for a job she decided it was time for her broaden her search into other industries as her current job search was proving to be unsuccessful. A successful Marketing and PR candidate with an Undergraduate and Master degree in Communications and PR had, unfortunately, landed an office administrative role working for a technology company.

“I was desperate for a job, so I had to settle for what I could get,” she said.

This made me think, is it wise the first job offer you get? Even if it isn’t exactly in the area you are interested in, should you accept it just because it’s a job? Within the travel and tourism industry, many companies look for candidates with skills and experience from within the industry. Many candidates that come to us look to stay in the travel and leisure industry as their skills and experience lie here. However, with the market being what it is today, more and more candidates are considering careers paths outside of their industry or sector to broaden their search and opportunity. But is this really for the best? Should we be strict about where our skills, background, and interests lie? Will it hinder our ability to find a job? It can always depend on the situation of course, our interests can change and an unexpected redundancy can throw our whole career path off course. My advice, stick it out until you find the right job, you may find yourself two years down the road still in that same administrative role at the same technology company and will feel just as lost as you were when you started, if not more.

Written by, Emily Ziolkowski
Twitter: @Emily_HWER
www.harpwallen.co.uk