A Lower Job - Should You Be Willing To Take A Lower Position Job?

© David Alan Carter
All Rights Reserved

Everyone out of work will eventually entertain the following question: "Should I be willing to take a lower level job than the one I'm qualified for, just to get a paycheck again?"

For some, that will be an anguishing debate that they will wage with themselves. It shouldn't be. There is no shame in honest work, whether you're the CEO of McDonald's or a server behind the counter of one of their restaurants. But for many in the workforce, the thinking is that after working so hard to climb the proverbial ladder of success, accepting a lower job is tantamount to career suicide. That employers will never again give you the opportunity to step back onto your "rightful" rung and continue the climb.

Holding Out For The Perfect Job?

Indeed, many career counselors continue to feed this notion to down-on-their-luck professionals, keeping those laid off and unemployed pros searching for jobs that don't currently exist. Convincing those clients to hold out for a position that will advance their career. So the unemployed soldier on, slowly wearing down their self-esteem, their bank accounts and their food pantries.

Maybe it's time to drop-kick that advice, cut that career counselor loose and let him flounder around a while in the ranks of the unemployed.

Benefits to Accepting a Lower Position Job

1) A paycheck, any paycheck, will stop or at least slow the financial bleeding.

2) Your spirit will improve because work is simply good for the spirit. You'll notice flowers again. And birds singing. Children will call you "sir," a problem only if you're a woman.

3) If accepting that lower position kept you from being unemployed for 12 months or more, that is actually a good thing. A year or more of doing apparently nothing is difficult to explain on a resume. Much more difficult than time spent in a "transitional" position.

4) Though a transitional position, if you approach your new job with some level of gusto, there is no reason to think you can't add some new skill sets and accomplishments to your resume. Look for opportunities to apply your current expertise to this new company, to help improve procedures or solve a problem. Master a computer program that's new to you. Volunteer to train someone. In short – go the extra mile.

5) You might find that resume is not needed. Hard work and smart work is rewarded more often than not. What you thought would be a transitional position may just turn out to be an alternative career with its own advancement potential. 

In this tough economy, no one of importance is going to criticize you for accepting work where you can find it. So be open to the possibilities, be thankful when they come your way, and vow to make a contribution in whatever capacity you can. You'll not only make your family proud and weather the economic storm, but if you keep your eyes and ears open, you'll actually gain something valuable that can be put to work in your next position.

That is, if you choose to pursue a "next" position. Who knows? You might discover that by accepting what you initially thought was a lower position, you've found your own workplace nirvana.
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A Final Thought...

If you've been in the job market for weeks or months and your resume isn't making the phone ring, it's time to reevaluate the document that is supposed to be selling you. Writing an effective resume has never been a walk in the park, but in this tough economy, resume writing is even more challenging. If your resume is going to be fighting for attention in an extremely competitive field, the services of a professional resume writer might make sense.

If you opt for some help, seek out a certified resume writer, and a writer who will guarantee the resume he creates will generate interviews. Yes, they're out there.

In fact, I can help you identify that "pro," that special writer who is qualified to deliver a polished document that puts your best foot forward in a tough job market. The page Review of Resume Services identifies 10 or more of the more popular companies out there, and I rank these writers on values like...

• Quality of workmanship
• Credentials
• Pricing
• Guarantees

You’ll find star rankings, mini-reviews, and in-depth reviews on each of the 10 companies. Whether you go it alone or trust the services of a pro writer, I wish you the best of luck in your job search! 

– David

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