One of my first jobs in marketing was as a content writer for a marketing agency. After a couple years of applying and interviewing for a multitude of roles, I was excited to be starting a “real” job.
So I went along to the first day, and along with the rest of my first-day cohort, sat through a morning of harmless orientation exercises and information sessions. Unbeknownst to me, my predecessor, the guy I was being hired to replace, was being “let go” less than 100 yards away as I sat in a conference room listening to various HR policies. I didn’t find out this had been happening until several months later.
Needless to say, once I was shown to my new desk (his old desk) later that afternoon, there was an understandably icey and awkward atmosphere among my new coworkers. Anyone who has had to witness a coworker get ushered from the building knows that the rest of that day isn’t typically the most upbeat.
As you might imagine, this didn’t turn out to be the best working environment for anyone. Employee turnover was very high and I ended up leaving myself after only 6 months.
It did, though, help me in thinking about future positions and what I might be walking into. Here are some questions I try to keep in mind or even try to get a sense of in job interviews:
- Is this a new role or a backfilled role?
- If it’s a backfilled role, why did the person leave?
- What is my predecessor leaving behind?
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