Applying for a job you know little about

bobblebob

There is an internal job opportunity coming up at work that would be a promotion and better pay. There was a Teams meeting with the 2 people incharge of managing the new role to discuss what it entails.

Trouble is its a brand new position created so even they dont quite know what the job fully entails. It seems its something that will change overtime. Jist of it is you help manager 3 other departments and anything they need (business plan creating, a project managed, cost analysis etc) they will give to you to produce. All training is provided as they said they need someone who is flexible and can learn quickly due to the fluid nature of the role over technical ability.

So not sure what to make of it. Usually when you apply for a job you have a decent idea of your daily tasks and can decide if its for you based on that. This role it seems everyday is different and you do whatever is needed by those departments. And thats what scares me abit. With not much info on the day to day tasks you have, its hard to decide if its for me or not

jackieblack

If the idea of what you’ve heard scared you a bit, it’s probably not the job for you.
It’s probably more suited to someone who feels excited about that degree of variety/ uncertainty/ flexibility 

74jax

bobblebob said:

There is an internal job opportunity coming up at work that would be a promotion and better pay. There was a Teams meeting with the 2 people incharge of managing the new role to discuss what it entails.

Trouble is its a brand new position created so even they dont quite know what the job fully entails. It seems its something that will change overtime. Jist of it is you help manager 3 other departments and anything they need (business plan creating, a project managed, cost analysis etc) they will give to you to produce. All training is provided as they said they need someone who is flexible and can learn quickly due to the fluid nature of the role over technical ability.

So not sure what to make of it. Usually when you apply for a job you have a decent idea of your daily tasks and can decide if its for you based on that. This role it seems everyday is different and you do whatever is needed by those departments. And thats what scares me abit. With not much info on the day to day tasks you have, its hard to decide if its for me or not

From what you have put I see it as a project management role.  I like PM as it offers variety and you can create your own work. However appreciate it isn't for everyone, I like organising, managing, creating, sorting etc.
I don't like the same thing each day. What do you do now that you are being considered for this? 

[Deleted User]

I agree, if you're thinking in rigid, straight, lines, and prefer being advised, following orders and rules - instead of making up your own -  it's probably not for you.

If you're the kind of character/personality that likes thinking on their feet, thinking outside of the box, and love challenges then it's definately for you. 

I dislike rigidity, 'tradition', and rules so the prospect of doing things my way, so to speak, would appeal to me.

TELLIT01

If you enjoy working in an environment where you work can change on an almost daily basis, and new challenges are constantly being thrown your way, then it sounds like a great job.  If however you are more comfortable in a role where you know exactly what is required of you, even before you get to work, it is less likely to be a good fit.

For many years I worked in IT support roles where no two days are ever the same.  I loved the work, but as I got older also found it more of a struggle to keep up the base.  Following redundancy I decided I fancied a standard 9 to 5 job where you go in, do what's in front of you, and then go home again.  The reality was that I hated it.  The lack of freedom to think for myself was the biggest problem as the organisation was very stuck in its ways with a "This is the way we have always done it" mentality.

bobblebob

What do you do now that you are being considered for this? 

Well thats a good question 
Work for the NHS and due to covid, other sickness and most working from home, im one of only a handful of office staff left.

So im doing about 3 different roles at present to cover staff. So certainly more varied than it was pre- covid. However not done my official job for months. I certainly like the variety the past few months has created, but then that variety is on my terms. I know what i have to do and being left to manage the workload myself.

So variety, organising, self managing etc i enjoy and im good at it. But its a big step taking on that sort of role when you know little of what is expected of you

wilfred30

Presumably, a job description and person spec will be created for the new role so why don't you just wait for them to be produced before you decide one way or the other?

bobblebob

wilfred30 said:

Presumably, a job description and person spec will be created for the new role so why don't you just wait for them to be produced before you decide one way or the other?

One has but again is pretty vague really. My current manager thinks its a job that the successful applicant can mold into whatever they like, which does sound appealing

Marcon

bobblebob said:

wilfred30 said:

Presumably, a job description and person spec will be created for the new role so why don't you just wait for them to be produced before you decide one way or the other?

One has but again is pretty vague really. My current manager thinks its a job that the successful applicant can mold into whatever they like, which does sound appealing

Not quite sure what you're expecting anyone here to say which might help you to decide?

bobblebob

Marcon said:

bobblebob said:

wilfred30 said:

Presumably, a job description and person spec will be created for the new role so why don't you just wait for them to be produced before you decide one way or the other?

One has but again is pretty vague really. My current manager thinks its a job that the successful applicant can mold into whatever they like, which does sound appealing

Not quite sure what you're expecting anyone here to say which might help you to decide?

Nothing really. Just sounding off see if others have had similar job experiences and how they went

k12479

bobblebob said:

There was a Teams meeting with the 2 people incharge of managing the new role to discuss what it entails.

One thing to be aware of is the need to ensure that all three people have the same understanding of the role. If a job reports to two people then there's a risk of getting stuck between competing views, more so if the role is still developing.