A professional acquaintance just told me about a guy she hired last year.  The guy was from Southern California and was morally opposed to moving to Philadelphia, where my friend’s company was based.  But he’d been unemployed for a long time and thought the opportunity sounded “good enough.”  He took the job.

My friend observed her new employee as he took the steps to relocate and underwent a new hire training program.  From Day 1, she noted, the guy seemed to have one foot out the door.  He talked constantly about his old life in California, and vehemently swore to get back to it.  People at his new company tried to make him feel welcome, but the guy wasn’t interested.  In terms of his daily work and responsibilities, he did the bare minimum to keep from getting fired. 

As my friend was relating this story, I wondered why the guy had accepted the position in the first place.  Clearly he had no intention of sticking around long enough to invest himself and his career in this company.  Shouldn’t he just have kept looking in Southern California until he found something that would allow him to stay there?  As it was, he made a terrible impression on my friend and her colleagues, and because their industry is a fairly tight-knit one, he’ll have to pray that once he leaves, he doesn’t end up working with any of them again.  

What’s the lesson here?  Well, first of all, obviously it’s in your best interest to hold out for a job that supports your preferred work and life styles.  But sometimes, life doesn’t quite work out that way.  There may come a time when you have to settle, or compromise in a certain area.  But once you make the decision to come on board, it’s your duty to give the job a real chance.  You must approach the new situation with an open mind and a positive attitude.  Look for ways to make the best of it and learn all you can so that you’ll be better prepared for the next opportunity.  Remember too that no position – even one you perceive as a “dream job – is faultless.  If perfection is what you’re waiting for, you may find yourself forever dissatisfied.