Bait and switch?

Welcome to The Thinker, a twice-monthly newsletter where I provide thought-provoking questions to help you cultivate a fulfilling and high-performing career.

Heyo, 

Last month, I was prepping for my first podcast guest debut (woohoo!), and the topic totally caught me off guard: bait-and-switch jobs.

My first thought was, “Is this just when employers are super scammy and pay people less once they start? There’s no way this is relevant to my sophisticated millennial clients.”

But then I realized that this is just new language for describing what so many of us have experienced throughout our careers: 

→ Roles where we join to do X, but a few weeks after we start, we realize our mandate is Y. 

→ Jobs where our manager is Sue on Day 1, but Sue gets fired on Day 2, and now we report to Joe. 

→ Situations where a re-org happens in our first 30 days, and we get layered as a result. 

→ Companies that tout their highly engaged culture, but in reality, it’s a toxic cesspool. 

These situations aren’t likely malicious. No one was out to get you, but something in the timing and communication just set you up for a completely different experience than what you signed on for. 

To help you steer clear of these mismatched expectations, it's crucial to dig a bit deeper during the interview process.

Here are 3 questions to ask yourself during the interview process to avoid a bait-and-switch job. 

1. What’s the company’s pace of change? 

→ When was the last time the leadership team shook things up? 

→ When might it happen again? 

Companies are dynamic. CEOs come and go. Mandates ebb and flow. It’s natural and expected for your organization to shift as the company does. During the interview process, try to suss out the last time there was a big organizational change. 

Try to put that in context with the standard pace of change so you can guesstimate if you’ll be entering during a time of flux. 

2. What do the financials say? 

→ How much is the company growing month-over-month? 

→ Is headcount growing or shrinking? 

You won’t be able to get a ton of confidential financial information, but you definitely should have a sense of the company's growth. Even if you’re not revenue-facing, it’s important for you to pick a winner so this is important intel regardless. 

Do some research on recent or upcoming fundraising. Ask around the company’s run rate and try to understand how competent and strategic the CFO is—this will tell you a ton about the company’s financial stability and, thus, its predictability. 

3. Is everyone on the same page about my scope? 

→ Does everyone agree on my role and responsibilities? 

→ Is there any misalignment on my team’s mandate? 

My favorite interview hack? Ask the same question of 3+ different people (especially cross-functionally) and see if you get the same answer. This will tell you a ton about how well your hiring manager has set you up for success. 

You’re checking to see if your key stakeholders are on the same page about what you’ll be doing and if they’re willing to work with you on that. Nothing worth doing gets done in a vacuum, so it’s key that you have the cross-functional support you need to create real impact. 

The takeaway? A bit of dynamism in a role is expected, and oftentimes, it can work in your favor. But the more context and awareness you have about how the company is changing, the more you can capitalize on it. 

Until next time! 

Cheers,

McKay

P.S. Can’t wait to hear what you think about the Career Contessa episode!