Think of this scenario: you are about leave for that much-awaited vacation with your family. You have planned for this vacation for a long time and are looking forward to it keenly. All of a sudden, your phone rings—it is the human resource manager of a multinational company you had applied to for a job a long time ago, and they now need you to join their firm.
The company immediately needs to schedule an interview with you. You are now caught in a catch-22 situation—you would have loved to have both of your goals fulfilled—a vacation is what you need badly, and you have always wanted to be a part of the firm for a long time. What do you do?
Many of us face a situation when we are left to choose between two priorities, both of which are important to us. Situations with job priorities like the one above are especially difficult since they involve your career to a certain extent, so how do you manage situations that involve a job?
Can a priority be postponed?
Think a while about the priority that can be postponed for some time. Which of the priorities seem more suitable for a postponement? The firm as of now is in a hurry and needs someone on board, and if you do not answer in the affirmative, someone else will be contacted. As such, this may be a missed opportunity. Now think of the other priorities—if it is a personal priority that is not really an emergency one, is there a possibility that you can schedule it a bit later?
This may be your best opportunity
Now think about this: the firm is in a tearing hurry; it is facing a resource crunch and this is your best opportunity to seal the issue quickly. There is no waiting for the human resource manager to call you back or no endless follow ups- you just need to do your best in the interview, and provided you do well, you are on the right track. Think about the time and energy you will be saving in terms of constantly thinking about the outcome of your interview and in terms of constantly following up with the human resource manager.
You can join on your own terms
This is not a suggestion to get your terms or conditions approved by holding a gun to head of the human resource manager. However, you need to understand that negotiations may not always be reasonable and fair between the candidate and an organization, and on many occasions, the candidate may need to accept conditions that may not exactly be likeable. This could be your opportunity to negotiate with the firm on certain terms and conditions that you think are absolutely fair.
What is very important is the realization that a situation when a firm needs to close a position in a hurry may be the best opportunity for you to get in there. Unless your other priorities are really more important, you are strongly advised to grab such an opportunity.
