When you are considering a job change, there are many questions you need to ask yourself before making the jump.  One of the most common, but most misunderstood question is, “What size of a company do you want to work in, small, medium or large?”  

More specifically, you need to know more about a company’s growth stage.  Growth stages have nothing to do with how long a company has been in business, how many employees they have or how much money they make.  

Depending on the growth stage of the company, their employees could be wearing many hats, doing jobs that cross over to various departments and require different skill sets.  All is good if those hats fit you.  It becomes a problem when you are 9 months into the job, and they don’t.  It is up to you to know what questions to ask to determine your right fit.  No one is going to know you or have your best interest in mind, better than you. That is where Self Mastery comes in.

For example, if a company is in the Infancy and GoGo stages of the “10 Stages of Corporate Growth”(download now), sales are king and the founder(s) believe they can do no wrong. Because they see everything as an opportunity, their businesses can be vulnerable to flagrant mistakes. They organize their companies around people rather than functions; capable employees can–and do–wear many hats, but to their staff’s consternation, the founders continue to make every decision, (hence the saying, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”).  This creates a flat organizational structure, supporting a culture of silos, miscommunication, and apathy.  Over time, the founders get tired of feeling stretched and wish their people would step up and take responsibility to handle issues themselves.

During your discovery session, (not an interview), you are going to need more information than just a job description.  You will need to ask the hiring manager, (or the person you will be reporting to), about the duties of the job in relation to yourself.  If the job description indicates that the position requires a person to work independently, what does that really mean in relationship to you and your new boss?  

Here are some examples of how to ask an open-ended question that will clarify what that means to them. Listen for hesitations and if you need more specific answers, dig deeper with your discovery questions.

You:  “I see this position calls for a person to work independently.  From your perspective, what are the boundaries of decision making for this position?” 

You:  “I consider myself an independent person; if you give me an assignment, I like to figure it out on my own to get the results. Considering your management style, what does that look like for you?” 

The goal is to ask specific questions that will uncover potential issues before you jump into the job and identify the “Best Job Fit” for you.