Working within the recruitment industry, we know just how common it is for professionals to find themselves in a position where the expectations of a job and the reality of the job are vastly different. Unfortunately this can often be due (whether intentional or not) to candidates being misled during the application and interview process. Other times this can due to changes in the organisation, for example if there needs to be a restructure of roles and responsibilities, or if there is a shift in business focus.
We decided to throw this topic out to our network and see just how common this is, Here are the results…
The results suggest that for a significant proportion of professionals the job they are doing is not what they were expecting, with 71% of respondents stating that their current role was not what they were told in the interview. Nearly a third of these people say that although their position may be not what was expected, it’s actually better.
From our perspective as Facilities Management recruiters, we are not surprised that the results show what they do. Facilities Management is a fast moving and ever-evolving industry, so the fact that FM roles may shift and evolve over time is to be expected.
These results, as well as our own anecdotal evidence, may also suggest that in some cases there could be a disparity between what senior management think is required from an FM professional in their business, and what is actually required. For many FMs out there, especially as we start to reach the senior end of the market, it is often up to them to ascertain the priorities of their role and the department they operate in. Thankfully FM professionals are some of the most adaptable out there, and rolling with the punches is part and parcel of the job.
