After an exhaustive search you announce, “We are moving to Aspen, Colorado! We’ll be 10 minutes from the ski slopes. I found a great job.” You and your spouse have talked for 10 years about moving to Colorado for the great skiing. You vacation there every January for 3 weeks.
“You’ll have to move without me. I am not going anywhere,” is the chilly response from your spouse. The kids are even more negative. What happened? You forgot to prepare your support network.
I am amazed at how often people search for new jobs based on blue sky conversations. When a job is found it takes weeks to get agreement to move, or the job has to be turned down.
If you are going to even dabble with the idea of changing jobs or relocating, talk to your family. Also talk with a few close friends and anyone in your direct support network. You may be surprised to find that when you set people down for a serious discussion, that all kinds of problems crop up. You may also get the reply, “It’s about time. Why did you wait so long?”
If you are afraid to mention your job search until you have an offer in hand, you are going to create confusion and possibly despair. Talk it out. Set criteria that work for you and everyone who depends on you and who you depend upon. Prepare the people in your support network for your potential move. Then you will be able to make an instant decision on whether or not to take a job offer.
Something to do today
Time to talk with your spouse, kids, pastor, next door neighbor and softball buddies. Get their input.
————————–
Coming up
How to make a quick decision
Personal brainwork
Job research
Company research