Determining Fit by Asking the Right Questions
Whether you are a young professional looking for your first position or a seasoned professional looking to advance, you are likely to be encouraged to look for a position that is a good fit. If you’re like me, you probably will say “yeah! A good fit. Great suggestion. Thank you.” But—what is fit? Today I’d like to take a few moments to speak on this very topic, all from personal opinion and experience! I hope it helps those from our queer or allied family searching or hiring!
The first thing I feel is important to highlight is that fit is three tiered: personally, professionally, and environmentally.
Personally, will this new position be safe and happy for you. We are quick to use our energy thinking: “am I a good fit for them/this?” The things that make you, you,, are valuable, though, and deserve emphasis. Some questions to ask might be:
In what ways are your work attire expectations inclusive?
What are some examples of how you maintain a healthy working environment?
What trainings do you consider valuable for your staff? What are some trainings from this past year?
Could you tell me of a time where you found support from within this department?
How do you acclimate and foster new professionals?
What’s a change (or new project in the works) you’re excited about?
Remember, this list of questions allows me to gauge if my needs will be supported—your list might look different. These are all what I see as “round-about” questions that might produce answers on climate and emphasized values. If my wearing of presumably masculine clothing would be an every day point of contention then clearly I might not be a good fit—whoops—then clearly this might not be a good fit for me.
Professionally, feeling welcomed and valued is also important to my work experience. I need more than just colleagues “like me” or LGBTQ groups/clubs. This is why I try to ask questions about fostership of new professionals and trainings they value. What they’re training staff on is likely connected to who they’re trying to be as a department/staff. We all want to belong and to be sought after for the right reasons. As a professional who is also queer, I feel like you never really stop coming “out”.
Depending on your preference and stage of “out”, your needs might look different. For me? I want to be able to dress as myself, work as myself, and be myself. Pretty simple. But I want to do so not as a token queer person, and I want to successfully do my job without a harmful work culture. I want to be representative and set good examples but not at the expense of my safety or mental health! I want to safely be able to talk about my fiancé and the beautiful wedding we are planning without making everyone at the lunch table uncomfortable!
Thus, I look for positivity, kindness, and those genuinely interested in who I am. In the work I do, fit (or unfit) can be vastly determined by a direct supervisor—the person evaluating your work (or you) most frequently. This is the person I ask more pointedly—how do you see me succeeding here and what would your role be in that? What about me or my experiences makes me a desirable candidate? I am a big questioner, mover and analytical shaker. I don’t thrive in environments that don’t allow questions or change—questions are how I learn. This is why I try to see what’s something in the making, or changing, the organization is excited about. Watch closely for “that’s the way we have always done things”. What language or themes recur as you are speaking to various staff members? How are people reacting to your “about you” spill? Is there anyone like you?
And if you want to know the “truth” about anything, ask those who are at or answer to your position what their feelings are about the work environment and what they would change.
Fit is not just about you or your awesome skills, it’s also about what’s going on around your place of work—assuming that you’ll also be living nearby. For instance, I attended graduate school in a very conservative state at the time of both the Pulse nightclub shooting and the Trump election. Many marginalized persons were impacted by these events. What made this sustainable for me? My personal support system and the beautifully persistent LGBTQ group in the surrounding community—not the state environment. Make sure what you’re going for has more than just a cool job. Pay attention to the political climate and see what currently matters to that surrounding community. Is there a gym, doctor, bank, church, restaurant/bar where you can feel safe and go about life as usual? Food is big on my list (and my fiancé’s), make sure you have your options!
For those able to go about life as usual regardless of the touchy circumstances or details above, I commend you! For those of you holding out and hoping to find the perfect fit, you can do this! And for those of you already fitting perfectly, help another person figure it out.
