On job 10 minutes: Should you go to another interview?

Q: I'm in a real quandary. I started a new job two weeks ago, and I just got a call from another company to which I had sent my résumé about a job I really wanted. Is it ethical for me to go on the interview? Should I tell them that I have been working at a new job?

I consider myself an honest and ethical person, but I think I should not offer any unnecessary information. Should I ask what the salary is right away, to avoid wasting everyone's time?

NICK'S REPLY: Some people might argue that going on this interview is not an ethical thing to do. But what does it matter whether you've had a job for 10 years or 10 minutes when you decide to explore another good opportunity? This is not a question of ethics, but of choices.

As long as you choose carefully and thoughtfully, you must base your decision on what's best for you. Leaving a job so soon will exact a price: You may feel guilty, and you will likely leave bad feelings in your wake. Is it worth it? That's up to you. You are free to change employers and, under the law, most employers are free to terminate your job at will.

I agree that if you go on this interview, you should not divulge more than you have to. What you owe the second company is true interest in the job and proof that you can do it.

Regarding the salary range, I always advise getting that information on the table in advance. If the range isn't right, you shouldn't waste your time (or the company's).

Unless and until this company makes an offer, you don't have any real decisions to make except whether to interview. Imagine what life would be like if we avoided meeting new people and talking about new possibilities. If you think this is a worthy opportunity, go to the interview. If my advice seems cold and harsh, remember that certain choices in life exact a price. We still must make them.

THE HEADHUNTER TIP:

Don't just research a company

Some people take pride in researching a company before a job interview. Then they wait for the employer to quiz them, or they casually mention the information to reveal their knowledge.

Do you think that impresses a company? Think again. Reciting facts about a company is useless until you organize the information to address the company's problems and challenges.

Have you done your research with that goal in mind? Have you prepared a brief presentation that shows you have digested the facts to produce a useful perspective on how you can help the company be more successful?

The value of research is in how you apply it. Before you meet the employer, sit down and take a look at what you've learned. Then use it to create a compelling business plan to solve the employer's problems.

Don't just research a company. Show how you'll make it better.

Copyright 2008. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.