If you have been under-employed or out of the job market for a long while, there will be days when that sense of desperation will creep in. You’ll grow weary of cutting back on everything and you’re willing to accept any job you can find. Then along comes a job interview for a position that, when you interview for it, you discover is a little out of your reach. And you know it.

But you want that paycheck, so you tell yourself, “I’ll figure it out.  All of my old bosses have LOVED me!” And you take the job. Maybe you’ve never been let go because of performance issues and you can’t believe that you can be fired. But, if don’t take extraordinary measures to make sure you keep the job that was a little out of your reach in the first place, you may end up fired. And you didn’t have to be.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take a job that stretches your abilities, but once you’re in that job, you’ve GOT to work your tail off to keep it. Just because every boss has loved you doesn’t mean that this one will. Every new job is a new relationship. It’s a new playing field with new players and the only way to stay in the game is to keep on your toes, working hard, and learning as much as you possibly can!

By JoNel Mundt, PhD.

Category: Career · Under-employment