What framework do you use when assessing a new opportunity at a different company?

What I evaluate: mission, people, learning potential. You may have different evaluation criteria depending on where you are in your career. Get clear on these ahead of time and never turn down the opportunity to ask questions. How I evaluate: screening calls/ interviews provide very little time to ask about your needs. Hot tip: Ask your recruiter for the opportunity to speak with members of your daily working team – get more than 1 perspective the facets of the role that matter most to you. Why ...Read More

First, like to work on problems that I am passionate about. I love to learn and make impact in areas that I think, pardon high brow speak, will make the world a better place. One such area of passion for me is helping people and teams achieve more through working together. I never even considered opportunities that I personally don't feel passionate about, as I know that would not make me happy at work. This is a privileged position to be in, and if you have to pick something in a different fram ...Read More

This is a framework shared by one of my former executive colleagues. I've found it to be incredibly helpful when thinking through your career, taking on a new project, or considering your next move.  Biggest suggestion is to get it on paper. Thinking about your career can be a lot like building product. Write lists of what you do and don't know. What you're confident about, what you're not sure about. After completing your do know/don’t know list, consider actions you can take to move your “don’ ...Read More

When looking for a new opportunity, I ask myself four questions: Am I excited to work on this mission? If I’m going to dedicate 40+ hours a week on solving a specific problem, I need to be sure that the solutions I’m working on are ultimately helping people and making the world a better place. Will I be happy working with these people? I operate best in an environment that values transparency and high standards, has a low-ego culture, and encourages people to bring their whole selves to work. I ...Read More

You need to assess this based on the things that you care about. I have my few Ps: People: Do I love this team? Do I want to be at the table (in a zoom room?) with this group to solve problems? Purpose: What is the problem I'll be thinking about every day? Is that exciting/interesting? Paisa (Hindi for money): Do I understand all components and what is my risk appetite? Progress: Does this work help me progress - do I acquire a new way of thinking? Learn about a new area? Do I move ahead with my ...Read More

To make the decision, I think of opportunity, ambitions, passion, and time: Opportunity - obviously there is a matter of compensation, but there is also an opportunity for professional growth. For example, joining a startup allows you to grow much quicker -- you will be wearing different hats and working much closer to the company leadership. You will make a lot of mistakes, but the learnings will be much greater. Ambitions - depending on where you at in life, different things might take a prior ...Read More

The answer to this is going to be different for each person, because it depends on so much on the intersection of your own values and what you're trying to achieve in life. Personally, I look at these factors: The domain of the company and the domain I'd be working in at that company. Could I stand to work in that domain for 3-5 years or even longer, taking into account the market dynamics of that sector? It's why I don't want to work in health care or FinTech, but obviously, many other folks ha ...Read More

My approach is simple - Connect. When pursuing new opportunities, I meticulously gauge insights into a company’s culture - its people, processes and purpose. I wait till I feel connected with the company at each of these 3 levels. Here’s how - Purpose: I dig deeper into the company’s narrative across various channels, at both the formal and informal levels, and I try to find evidences of the company’s commitment to its values and mission. A company’s authenticity can be screened through the prod ...Read More

Passion around the company mission - is this something I want to do over the next 3-5 years People & culture - are there people there that I can trust to lead, learn from and work with Business result (past and present trajectory) - financials, customer growth, NPS Investment in analytics - does the company understand its metrics deeply and its levers Technology - are they dealing in technology that is forward looking. It is possible that you may have to get them there too. Product experienc ...Read More