On a hot summer’s day in Sydney, I decided to cool off and headed down to Bondi Beach. With 29 degrees Celsius and bright blue skies, the beach was packed and the real estate for your towel was hard to find and so you find yourself sitting quite close to people. So, after a dip, lying face down on your towel you can hear the squawk of the sea gulls and various titbits of conversation from everyone around you. That’s when I heard “it was just a one night stand and now she is pregnant!” This statement certainly got my attention and started me thinking about various life events. As a recruiter, you are actively involved in one of the most important decisions people make in life, choosing the jobs they do to build a career or as a means to support themselves and their family.

Profoundly, the jobs you accept, affect not only your career, but also the social connections and interactions you have in life generally. Just think about how many couples you know who met in the office (and I have seen plenty of them, but that’s a topic for another blog!) Often job seekers are startled when they enter the market or see a recruiter for the first time and they find that this swiftly leads to interviews and a job offer.

At people2people, we often hear statements such as; “but I have just started looking” or “are there other roles I should be looking at as this was my first interview”. Just like the one night stand which seems to have led to the pregnancy which has thrown a curve ball to a woman whose friends were freely ( and loudly) gossiping about on Bondi Beach, you may be offered a great role when you are least prepared for it.

Does this mean you shouldn’t accept it?

Making the decision to accept an opportunity, whether it’s a surprise or made after much searching, should be based simply on one thing. What you want! You must be clear on exactly what you are looking for in your career and then match the opportunities when they arise. To do this you must take stock or review your situation regularly. Take some time to note what you want from your career. I would go as far as to say that you should do this annually and discipline yourself to write it down.

When you decide to seek a new role, you will have a starting point, or when you are having a performance review and considering internal career moves you can benchmark your current role.

Finally, if you are surprised by a unique opportunity from a prospecting call or a former colleague has called you with an opportunity, then you are well placed to make a more considered and informed decision, as you have already thought about your objectives. So, yes, I know that the title of this blog was click bait! The message, however, could not be more important. Spend some time thinking about what is important to you in your career so that when life throws you an unexpected career choice, you are ready.