Making sure you develop professionally and are productive

Being in an office where you feel alienated isn’t only challenging, it also can be a source of professional problems. Team spirit often is developed through many experiences and interactions among coworkers that aren’t necessarily work-related.

Simple chats about children, sports or even politics make people view each other as human. In addition, getting along nicely makes everyone more willing to cooperate on work matters.

In a recent chat with a hiring manager, I noted an interesting comment on how filling a vacancy doesn’t only mean finding the right person who has the required set of skills, but finding a candidate who has these skills and can fit within the company. Being able to fit in is certainly one factor that affects both the person hired and the rest of the team. That is why this matchmaking process is critical in saving everyone’s time, effort — and potential frustration — in trying to reach common grounds. Ultimately having the right team members means lower turnover.

Fitting in, however, is often confused with having the exact same ideas, lifestyles, views on everything in life. This doesn’t have to be the case. A good team is one in which members can have their own differences and still they function and collaborate effectively. What sets the tone for a successful team is a corporate culture that is built on respect.

However, many hiring managers may overlook this point in their pursuit of perfect employees who have the right set of skills. Here comes the role of jobseekers in making sure that their move to a new job is the right move that will help them be productive and develop professionally. To ensure this result, here are a few points to consider when you’re doing job interviews and deciding on whether to take a job or not.

Stark differences

Dropping a job before getting it for concerns over differences may sound a luxury in today’s tight job market. However, this may be the right choice if the differences are serious and intolerable. These differences can be, for example, a corporate culture that doesn’t respect individual privacy, or an employer who fails to communicate effectively and seems elusive whenever you need information. At the end of the day, the problem generally depends on the gap between your expectations and what you are offered. Similarly, any cultural or personal issues that you may have make you constantly uncomfortable and must be dealt with before you make your move. Remember, looking the other way during the hiring process doesn’t make the problem go away.

Reaching an agreement

If your final decision is to walk out if an agreement can’t be reached, you won’t lose much if you give the employer a chance to explain in hopes that the problem is something that can be worked out. For example, consider this scenario: you’re a family person who notices that your future team members spend extended office hours and you’re concerned that you won’t fit in if hired. If you raise your concerns with the hiring manager, you may be surprised that there are many others who may not be part of the group you’re familiar with who are in a situation similar to yours, or alternatively that the company is striving to achieve work-life balance for its employees and your needs are actually appreciated — not frowned upon. In short, don’t just quit the process without explaining why.

Becoming the right fit

In many cases, the discussion over how far you fit may not emerge at all during the interviewing process. Just as the hiring manager may be focused on the skills, qualifications and credentials, the jobseeker is often overwhelmed with the offer details, paperwork, etc. This usually leaves you to explore your job, company and team in the first few weeks of employment. Unfortunately a discovery early on in a job that getting along with other team members is a challenge may be discouraging to say the least. Needless to say, backing down at this stage can cause the largest damage. The best way to get forward is to ignore differences for as long as possible. Once you’ve established yourself and proven your skills, then you can be in a better position to discuss issues that need to be worked out. An employer probably will appreciate your willingness to go an extra mile and reach middle grounds.

— Rania Oteify, a former Gulf News Business Features Editor, is currently an editor based in Seattle.

Fitting in:

- Evaluate differences

- Raise issues that can’t be overlooked

- Gather information

- If hired, wait until your skills aren’t questionable

— R.O.